Conference Details

Date:

February 26-27, 2026

Graduate Hotel, 615 Washington Ave SE (Google Map Link)

Sponsored by:

Department of Civil, Environmental, Geo- Engineering

University of Minnesota

Minnesota Geotechnical Society

Geo-Institute of ASCE

Short Courses 

Short Course Location 

The short courses will be held at the Graduate Hotel, 615 Washington Ave SE, on the Minneapolis East Bank Campus of the University of Minnesota. 

SHORT COURSE 1: Where’d I Go Wrong? Top Ethics Issues for Engineers

Thursday, February 26, 2026 | 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.

Course Outline 

This short course will focus on the main sources of discipline in recent years. Through that lens, the course will deepen attendees’ understanding of how the rules and laws governing the practice operate, and how to abide by them in practice. 

• Review MN Codes of Ethics/Professional Conduct 

• Learn how rules on professionalism and ethical practice protect the public 

• Learn the most frequent errors leading to discipline and how to avoid them 

• Learn how to empower your practice - doing the right thing; using the Licensure Board’s complaint process as a method for protecting the practice 

Course Instructor

Kristine Kubes 

Attorney/Mediator 

Kubes Law Office, Minneapolis, Minnesota 

SHORT COURSE 2: Ground Improvement: Lessons from Case Histories and Practical Insights 

Thursday, February 26, 2026 | 1:30 P.M. - 5:30 P.M.

Course Outline

This short course provides a comprehensive and practical overview of ground improvement techniques tailored for soft soils, grounded in real-world case histories. Participants will explore various methods, including dynamic compaction, rigid inclusions, aggregate columns, preloading with wick drains, subgrade reinforcement with geogrids, and the construction of low-density cellular concrete (LDCC) embankments. The course emphasizes lessons learned from both successful projects and failures, offering valuable insights into evaluation, method selection, design considerations, and cost analysis. A special focus will be placed on procurement strategies, particularly the advantages and challenges of employing design-build contracts for ground improvement projects. Participants will gain insight into how contractual approaches impact project outcomes. This course is ideal for geotechnical engineers, contractors, and project managers seeking to deepen their understanding of practical solutions, project risks, and successful strategies for improving soft ground conditions. 

Course Instructor 

Guoming Lin, PhD, GE, BC.GE 

Vice President and Senior Consultant 

Terracon, Savannah, Georgia 

Course Registration

With conference registration, the fee for one short course is $200 and $350 for two. Without conference registration, the fee for one short course is $250 and $450 for two. The fee includes parking in the Washington Avenue or University Avenue Ramps, tuition, handouts, and refreshments. Participants earn 2.0 professional development hours (PDH) for the morning (ethics) course and 4.0 PDH for the afternoon course. Registration must be received by January 28, 2026 and each course is limited to 50 people. The University reserves the right to cancel the short courses, in which case a full refund would be made. 

Registration

Registration is at z.umn.edu/geoconf2026 or by mailing a check or purchase order with the following information: name, organization, postal address, e-mail address. The early registration fee for the conference is $250; after January 30, 2026, it is $300. The fee includes tuition, parking, proceedings, continental breakfast, lunch, and refreshments. A refund, less a $10 cancellation fee, will be made if cancellation is received by February 14, 2026. Student registration is $20 (no proceedings), and a limited number of $100 registrations are available for retired engineers. Reduced registration requests should be sent to geoconf@umn.edu by January 31, 2026 to receive a promo code. The University reserves the right to cancel the conference, in which case a full refund will be made. 

Pre-Conference Banquet

Thursday, February 26, 2026 

6:00 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.

Graduate Hotel, Minneapolis East Bank Campus

The Minnesota Geotechnical Society (MGS) hosts a dinner meeting of the local ASCE section the night before the conference. The meeting will be held at the Graduate Hotel, 615 Washington Ave SE, on the Minneapolis East Bank Campus of the University of Minnesota. The Kersten Lecturer for the conference, Susan Burns, will be the featured speaker. The dinner reception begins at 6 P.M. A separate registration is required for this event. Dinner registration will be available soon.

2026 - Student Poster Session *Deadline Extended*

Students are invited to present their research during the dinner the evening before the conference. To enter, send a 250-word abstract to team@mgs-gi.com by February 6, 2025. Participants will be notified by February 12, 2025 if their poster has been accepted for presentation. Posters will not be published. Presented work need not be exclusive for this event. Research that has been presented elsewhere, so long as the author maintains the rights to present it, is welcomed. Please indicate where else the research has or is expected to be presented. Preference will be given to posters going to ASCE Geo-Congress 2026.

All students chosen to present will be given free admission to the Thursday dinner event on February 26th, which includes the happy hour reception, meal, and keynote presentation.  Students will present their posters during the happy hour. A minimum of $500 in scholarship prize money will be awarded to the top posters.

Corporate sponsorship of the student poster session is available. Please contact team@mgs-gi.com if your company would like to directly sponsor the next generation of geotechnical engineers. 

Conference Program

Friday, February 27, 2026 

Graduate Hotel, Minneapolis East Bank Campus

7:30

Registration and Continental Breakfast 

Lobby, Meridian Ballroom

8:15 – 8:25 

Introduction and Welcome

Meridian Ballroom

Richard Lamb, PE

Geotechnical Engineer

Minnesota Department of Transportation 

Distinguished University Representative 

College of Science and Engineering University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

8:25 – 9:20 

Kersten Lecture 

Organics in Soils: From the Microscale to the Field Scale 

Susan Burns, PhD, PE, F.ASCE 

Dwight H. Evans Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering 

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

9:20 – 10:00 

Advancing Pavement Foundation Characterization with Novel Sensing Technologies 

Mingu Kang, PhD 

Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering 

University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN

10:00 – 10:30 

Break 

10:30 – 11:10 

From Delay to Decision: Accelerating Subsurface Construction with AI Image Prompting 

Debra Laefer, PhD 

Professor, Tandon School of Engineering 

New York University, New York City, NY

11:10 – 11:50 

Monitoring Deformation Hazards with InSAR

Gareth Funning, PhD 

Professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences 

University of California, Riverside, CA 

11:55 – 1:05 

Lunch 

1:10 – 1:50 

Designing Solutions Through Dialogue: Talon Metals’ Community Driven Approach 

Brian Goldner 

Chief Exploration and Operating Officer 

Talon Metals Corp, Tamarack, Minnesota 

1:50 – 2:30 

Hutchinson Island Ferry Landing Bulkhead Collapse 

Guoming Lin, PhD, GE, BC.GE 

Vice President and Senior Consultant 

Terracon, Savannah, Georgia

2:30 – 3:00 

Break 

3:00 – 3:25 

CASE HISTORIES

Meridian Ballroom, A 

Static Axial Capacity of Vibratory Piles in Waterbearing Glacial Sands 

Jeffrey A. Gebhard, PE

Vice President, Principal Engineer
Braun Intertec, Bloomington, Minnesota

Meridian Ballroom, B 

Reinforced Slope Offers Support for a Failed Concrete Retaining Wall at I-35W and MN 280 

Derrick Dasenbrock, PE, GE, F.ASCE 

Geotechnical Engineer 

Minnesota Department of Transportation Maplewood, Minnesota 

3:30 – 3:55 

CASE HISTORIES

Meridian Ballroom, A 

Methodologies for Deep Foundation Testing 

Ryan Korth, MBA, PG 

Senior Associate 

Terracon, Omaha, Nebraska 

Meridian Ballroom, B 

Behavior and Characterization of Pierre Shale at Newell Dam 

Kristin Alstadt, PE 

Senior Geotechnical Engineer 

Barr Engineering, Bloomington, Minnesota 

4:00 – 4:25 

CASE HISTORIES

Meridian Ballroom, A 

Ground Improvement for Trunk Highway 23 

Nina F. Carney, PE 

Central Region Design Manager 

Menard USA, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 

Meridian Ballroom, B 

Probabilistic Slope Stability Analysis of MnDOT’s Muck Excavation Detail for Poor Soils 

Ceren Aydin, PhD 

Geomechanics Research Engineer 

Minnesota Department of Transportation Maplewood, Minnesota 

4:30 

Adjournment 

Conference Location/Accommodations

The conference, short course, and pre-conference banquet will be held at the Graduate Hotel, 615 Washington Ave SE, on the Minneapolis East Bank Campus of the University of Minnesota. Disability accommodations will be provided upon request.

Parking

Parking is included in conference registration at the Washington Avenue or University Avenue Ramps of the University of Minnesota. Bring the parking ticket from the parking ramp to the registration desk for validation. 

Parking for the pre-conference banquet is available in the ramps, but will not be validated and is not included with the cost of the banquet dinner. 

Professional Development Hours

Participants can earn 7.0 professional development hours (PDH) for full-day attendance. 

Contact for Further Information 

Write to geoconf@umn.edu for any further information.

Planning Committee

Taylor Adams, US Army Corps of Engineers 

Joe Bentler, American Engineering Testing 

Anya Brose, Itasca Consulting Group 

Aaron Budge, MN State University, Mankato 

Ivan Contreras, Barr Engineering 

Liang Chern Chow, Haley & Aldrich 

Derrick Dasenbrock, MnDOT 

Chris DeDene, City of Saint Paul 

Bryan Field, KLJ Engineering 

Steve Gale, Gale-Tec Engineering 

Mike Haggerty, Barr Engineering 

Megan Hoppe, American Engineering Testing 

Nathan Iverson, Veit & Company 

Joe Labuz, University of Minnesota (UMN) 

Rich Lamb, MnDOT 

Brett Larsen, Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. 

Dan Mahrt, Terracon 

Steve Olson, Kiewit Corporation 

Greg Reuter, American Engineering Testing 

Dave Saftner, UMN, Duluth 

Brian Sanchez, Menard USA 

Joel Swenson, Barr Engineering 

Brent Theroux, Barr Engineering 

Joe Westphal, Braun Intertec