This workshop will address the new skill set needed by Geotechnical Engineers to solve the multi-scale, multi-physics problems faced by modern technology. New research areas such as: solid/fluid transition from the grain to the landslide; geological waste storage from micro-cracks to fractured reservoirs; bio-engineered geomerials from natural bacteria to designed structures; energy piles from soil properties to geotechnical performance; geotechnical earthquake engineering: from ground motion to structural safety all require a broader range of knowledge than previously provided in the typical Geotechnical Engineering course of study. This International Workshop aims to identify key challenges for the education of new generations of geotechnical engineers, focusing on undergraduate education. The main questions that will be addressed include: What courses outside the engineering curriculum are needed? Are changes in the basic Chemistry, Physics, Biology courses desirable for engineering students? What knowledge of soil mechanics is needed for students pursuing a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering who have no intent to practice geotechnical engineering? For students, who plans to become geo-engineers? The workshop will benefit from the participation of members of the international academic and higher-education community, involving a number of leading institutions from the European Union and the United States.
In the United States, most Civil Engineering undergraduate curricula offer only one course in Soil Mechanics. In Europe and in the United States, the first course taught to engineering students in geotechnical engineering has not changed significantly in content during the last few decades: it covers soil gradation, soil compaction, steady laminar flow and Darcy's law, one-dimensional consolidation theory and soil shear strength. Future engineers need to master new experimental and theoretical skills that will allow them to solve multi-scale, multiphysics problems, and make recommendations for safe and sustainable design. Efforts have recently been made to make geotechnical engineering course more attractive to students, and to involve undergraduate students in research projects as part of their required coursework. However, no systematic analysis has been undertaken to date that addresses the needs of the geotechnical community to prepare future engineers to validate new standards for geomaterial characterization, experimental testing procedures, and geotechnical design. Faculty and graduate students participating in this workshop will assess strategies for training and development of graduate and undergraduate students, and identify efficient teaching methods to create an innovative skills toolkit at the undergraduate level. In addition to curricular recommendations, working groups will propose two to three options of in-class activity that could be integrated in a module at the undergraduate level. Participating Ph.D. students will be encouraged to maintain the workshop wikipage after the workshop.
