2012
International Workshop
In March 2012 (13th -14th March 2012), GGS provided the platform to the International Geosynthetic Society (IGS) for the organization of an international geosynthetic workshop in Ghana. The event attracted a satisfactory attendance of forty-eight (48). Three IGS council officers handled technical sessions. After this workshop, GGS initiated the formation of a local chapter of IGS, which hosted the African Conference on Geosynthetics, termed GeoAfrica 2013, between 18th and 20th November 2013.
2013
International Conference
The GGS, in collaboration with GhIGS, hosted the African Conference on Geosynthetics, termed GeoAfrica 2013, between 18th and 20th November 2013.
2014
Technical Field Visit to Construction Site
GGS organized a field trip on the 14th of March 2014 to a National project site in Accra, Ghana. The project involved a three (3) tier interchange that was being constructed in two phases. The primary attention of this field trip was the geotechnical aspect, which involved deep foundation. Members were briefed about the foundation design philosophy, including construction procedures.
2015
Geogroup Research Meetings
The geotechnical section research group of KNUST, in collaboration with GGS, formed the KNUST Geogroup to meet every week for research presentations by students and research persons on geotechnical engineering projects.
Participation in 16 African Regional Conference 2015
Four members, including two students, attended the 16th African Regional Conference in Tunisia in April 2015. The two students who attended made oral presentations of their papers. The team was supported by the National Electricity Transmission Company (GRIDCo). GGS is grateful for their support.
2016
Geogroup Research Meetings
The KNUST Geogroup continued to meet every Friday at 5 pm at the Associated Consultants Conference room of the College of Engineering-KNUST for presentations made by final-year postgraduate and undergraduate students who did their projects in geotechnical engineering.
The geogroup also viewed webinars hosted by the ISSMGE. The following webinars were viewed and discussed:
|
S/No. |
Date |
Title |
Presenter |
|
1. |
30-03-2016 |
Geotechnical Challenges in Mexico City Clay |
Prof. Gabriel Auvinet |
|
2. |
13-12-2016 |
Challenges in Shoring Deep Excavations in Urban Areas |
Dr. Marc Ballouz |
Regional Conference
The GGS hosted the 5th Young Geotechnical Engineering Conference in KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana, from 9-13 August 2016. As part of the conference program, the ISSMGE Board meeting and a TC 107 Workshop took place.
The conference was attended by 60 delegates from across five African countries with the breakdown as follows: Ghana-54, South Africa-4, Egypt-2, and Sudan-2. Twelve board members of the ISSMGE were in attendance. Nineteen technical papers were received and published in the proceedings. Four technical sessions were held with a keynote lecture on Geosynthetics. A webinar on laterites and lateritic soils was also viewed.
Other activities undertaken during the conference included a tour of the KNUST campus, two technical field visits, a tour of key cultural sites of Kumasi, and a tour of Cape Coast and the Kakum National Park. An Akwaaba dinner was held to welcome delegates and to boost networking and interactions.
2017
Geogroup Research Meetings
The KNUST Geogroup continued to meet every Friday at 5 pm at the Associated Consultants Conference room of the College of Engineering-KNUST for presentations made by final-year postgraduate and undergraduate students who did their projects in geotechnical engineering.
Participation in 19 ICSMGE 2017
Four members, including two students, attended the 19th ICSMGE in Seoul in September 2017. The two students who attended also participated in the iYGEC and made oral presentations of their papers. One participant also made a poster presentation at the main conference. The two students received partial support from the ISSMGE Foundation to participate, while the National Electricity Transmission Company (GRIDCo) funded the rest. GGS is grateful for their support.
2018
Geogroup Research Meetings
The KNUST Geogroup continued to meet every Friday at 5 pm at the Associated Consultants Conference room of the College of Engineering-KNUST for presentations made by final-year postgraduate and undergraduate students who did their projects in geotechnical engineering.
Technical Session
A technical session was organized during the annual general meeting involving the Ghana Geosynthetic Society and the Ghana Geotechnical Society on 24th February 2018. The technical session began with a presentation from Golder Associates on “Effect of weather conditions on the installation of an HDPE liner- a case study of a project in Mauritania.” The presentation was followed by a discussion.
Evening Presentation / Workshop
The GGS, in collaboration with the Civil Engineering technical group of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), organized an evening presentation on Geotechnical Design and Construction on 25th October 2018 at the Engineers Center in Accra. It involved engineering experiences in geotechnical designs and construction and lessons learned. It also involved how multidisciplinary engineers work together to deliver successful projects. The presentation was given by Monica Ansah-Sam, a senior geotechnical and tailings engineer with an Oil and Gas company in Canada.
2019
Geogroup Research Meetings
The KNUST Geogroup continued to meet every Friday at 5 pm at the Associated Consultants Conference room of the College of Engineering-KNUST for presentations made by final-year postgraduate and undergraduate students who did their projects in geotechnical engineering.
Workshop / Evening Presentation
A capacity-building workshop for Geotechnical Practitioners in slope stability and deep excavation design, including ground monitoring, was organized from 12th – 13th February 2019. The workshop was facilitated by Rocscience Africa and PDSA Ltd.
An Evening Presentation on Engineering judgment from a Geotechnical point of view was held on February 13, 2019. The presentation centered on designing in the face of uncertainty where some case studies were employed for discussions. The session was facilitated by Ing. Reginald Hammah, a geotechnical consultant from Golder Associates in Ghana.
Evening Presentation
An Evening Presentations and discussions on recent earthquakes in Ghana was held on 25th April 2019. There were four short presentations which were then followed by a discussion. The presentations and discussions were streamed online and were followed simultaneously by the northern group based in KNUST.
Y-Geopresentations
In 2019, GGS started a presentation series known as the Y-GeoPresentation to be given by young geotechnical engineers. The first presentation was made on 27th April 2019 on the theme. “Expansive Soils of Ghana.” Two presentations were made. The first presentation was on “stabilizing expansive soils using geogrid” by Ms. Samuella Denise Boadu, while Mrs. Rosemary Kwashie made a presentation on the “expansive soils of Pomadze.” The presentations were based on the MSc thesis research of the presenters. The presentations were followed by discussions of the topic.
Forum on Deep Excavation
A presentation was made by Ing. Joseph Oddei on Deep Excavations in line with recent happenings with deep excavations in Accra and the anticipated occurrence due to rezoning and rapid urbanization. The presentation sought to bring to the attention of geotechnical engineers the necessary steps needed to take when dealing with such issues.
2023
Geogroup Research Meetings
The KNUST geogroup continued to meet every week at RWESCK Building and Online for presentations made by final year postgraduate and undergraduate students who did their projects in geotechnical engineering.
Webinar Presentation
The GGS has been organizing monthly meetings for members to watch webinars hosted on ISSMGE website. The following webinars were viewed and discussed:
|
No. |
Date |
Webinar Title |
Speaker |
|
1 |
26-09-2023 |
Soil dynamics and seismic geotechnical engineering |
Prof. George Gazetas |
|
2 |
31-10-2023 |
Meeting the challenges of foundation design of tall buildings |
Prof. Harry Poulos |
|
3 |
28-11-2023 |
Compressibility and consolidation of clays: from lab to field conditions |
Prof. Serge Leroueil |
|
4 |
19-12-2023 |
Geosynthetic reinforced walls: overview, failures and items of approval |
Prof. Robert M. Koerner |