This award provides core funding for the Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering (COGGE) which was formed in November 2001 as a standing committee under the National Research Council?s Board on Earth Sciences and Resources. The committee?s predecessor was the U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics.
COGGE is the focal point within the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources for scientific, technical, and public-policy issues pertaining to the engineering applications of Earth Sciences. The committee?s scope encompasses Earth processes and materials, including the mechanics of rock and soil, and focuses on safe and responsible human development, risk assessment, and mitigation of natural anthropogenic hazards. The committee organizes and oversees studies:
1) to identify, investigate, and report on questions relating to geological and geotechnical engineering to government, industry, academia, and the public; 2) to provide scientific and technical information to inform public policy on geological and geotechnical engineering issues; 3) to identify new technologies and potential applications; and 4) to promote the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge.
In addition, the committee provides a forum for discussion among academic and professional groups, government agencies, and private industry to enhance national and international cooperation and exchange of information.
Research and engineering developments in geological and geotechnical engineering are driven by concerns for the natural and built environment (including radioactive and hazardous waste isolation, remediation, and mitigation), mitigation of natural hazards such as earthquakes and landslides, environmentally sound recovery of natural resources, and interest in defense structures in rock. The technological, economic, social, and political impacts of these issues engage the attention of many government agencies, business corporations, and public interest groups and posit the need for the COGGE. COGGE will continue to advance the role that geological and geotechnical engineers and related scientists play in a range of contexts in the U.S. The committee will work to identify and oversee studies such as the recent studies that produced reports such as Assessment of the Performance of Engineered Waste Containment Barriers and Geological and Geotechnical Engineering in the New Millennium.
(COGGE) is the focal point within the National Research Council (NRC) for consideration of scientific, technical, and public policy issues pertaining to the engineering applications of Earth sciences. The committee’s scope encompasses Earth processes and materials, including the mechanics of rock and soil, and focuses on safe, responsible, and sustainable human development, risk assessment, and mitigation of natural and anthropogenic hazards. The committee organizes and oversees studies 1) to identify, investigate, and report on questions relating to geological and geotechnical engineering to government, industry, academia, and the public; 2) to inform public policy on geological and geotechnical engineering issues; 3) to identify new technologies and potential applications; and 4) to promote the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge. COGGE provides a forum for discussion among academic and professional groups, government agencies, and private industry to enhance national and international cooperation and exchange of information. Funding for COGGE core activities was provided from the NSF, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC), the NIOSH Office of Mine Safety and Health Research, and Geosyntec. Funds supported 10 2-day meetings (including web conferencing for remote participation), roundtable discussions, project development activities, oversight of ad hoc studies, worldwide outreach, and dissemination of information and ideas important to the technical community. COGGE meetings include public roundtable discussions on existing or emergent geotechnical issues. Experts representing an array of interests and points of view are invited to speak and participate in discussions. Public meetings attract 40-50 in-room participants and additional participants via webinar. A wide range of topics were discussed in meetings during the performance period. These include the disposition of coal combustion wastes; integrating dam and levee safety and community resilience; liquefaction susceptibility assessment criteria; characterization, modeling, monitoring, and remediation of fractured rocks; the energy efficiency of geotechnical systems; long-term performance of engineered barriers for waste containment; applications of remote sensing for engineering assessments and performance monitoring; geotechnical sinkhole characterization; mining health and safety research; the Subsurface Technology and Engineering Research and Development initiative at the DOE; and increasing gender diversity in geotechnical engineering. Discussions are mediated to identify key aspects of the issues and to determine what service the COGGE may provide to resolve the issues. Five of these discussions led to the conduct of NRC studies or continued discussions. Three NRC studies were overseen by COGGE during the reporting period: Dam and Levee Safety and Community Resilience: A Vision for Future Practice (2012; funded by FEMA); Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies (2013; funded by DOE); and Underground Engineering for Sustainable Urban Development (2013; funded by NSF and FHWA). Two other studies begun during the performance period are still underway: Subsurface Characterization, Modeling, Monitoring, and Remediation of Fractured Rock (funded by the USNRC, DOE, and NASA) and State of the Art and Practice in Earthquake Induced Soil Liquefaction (funded by USNRC, Bureau of Reclamation, FHWA, ASCE, Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, and the LA Department of Water and Power).The array of sponsors indicates broad interest in and relevance of COGGE activities and recommendations. Many briefs of reports have been provided to sponsors, relevant interests groups, and to White House staff, Congressional hearings, or to Congressional staff when requested. Workshops have been held post-report release to discuss report findings and recommendations and next steps towards implementations. Many of these activities were broadcast via Webinar to allow broad participation. Committee members and staff have briefed industry and research association conferences, and a staff and committee authored paper was submitted and presented to the ASCE Geo-Congress. COGGE reports are available in hardcopy, and for free download from the National Academies Press Website. Over 11,000 copies of recent COGGE reports have been downloaded since 2012. Derivative products of reports are also developed and targeted to specific audiences. Two- and four-page report summaries target different interest groups and at different technical levels. A short video has been prepared that summarizes report findings and released to news outlets and made available for viewing through applications such as YouTube. Reports are broadly announced by COGGE staff and through NRC communications offices. COGGE activities (1) enhance research and education infrastructure by identifying strategies for collaboration within the geological, geotechnical, other engineering communities, and with the physical, biological, and social science communities; (2) promote capacity building through interaction with academicians, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers; (3) improve scientific and technical understanding and promote best engineering practices through reviewed reports for broad dissemination; (4) benefit society by providing the best science and engineering information to COGGE sponsors, the broader geological and geotechnical engineering community, and decision makers in the private and public sectors.
