Geo-Institute Director’s Cut

S06 E32 - Bruce Kutter (UC Davis)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 32 of Season 6, our guest is Bruce Kutter of the University of California Davis!
SHOW NOTES:
- Here's a type of vetch - looks great but goes crazy and takes over everything. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_villosa
- Here's Bruce's Wellington Prize winning paper on tunnel uplift:https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%29GT.1943-5606.0000489
- Start here to find out more about Ray Brown: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Brown_(musician)
- The rules for the 2026 Geo-Challenge will be out soon - you could win the Geo-Wall!
- Bruce never says the name of his walk-in music - it's Autumn Leaves! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn_Leaves_(1945_song)
- Learn more about the geotechnical centrifuges here: https://cgm.engr.ucdavis.edu/
- Here's the full list of Norman Medal winners: https://www.asce.org/career-growth/awards-and-honors/norman-medal/norman-medal-past-award-winners
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

S06 E31 - Melinda Eason (US Army Corps of Engineers)

SHOW NOTES:
- Not surprisingly, the Large Carnivore Management Association says cheetahs are NOT good pets. https://cheetah.org/press-releases/large-carnivore-management-association-says-cheetahs-are-not-pets
- Here's info on the Indian River Inlet project: https://www.nap.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Indian-River-Inlet/
- Need a good cheesesteak in Philadelphia? Here's Dalessandro's: https://dalessandros.com/
- As we get closer to Halloween, here's the info on Eastern State Penitentiary: https://easternstate.org/halloween
- Find a G-I chapter near you - there's definitely one nearby! https://www.geoinstitute.org/chapters/find-a-chapter
- Some intel on Philadelphia English so you can speak like a native: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_English
- Stick around at the end for a Haitian Salade Russe recipe! Here's one variety: https://www.caribbeangreenliving.com/haitian-salad-russe-recipe/
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

S06 E30 - Juan Pestana (Geosyntec)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 30 of Season 6, our guest is Juan Pestana of Geosyntec!
SHOW NOTES:
- Want to archive your emails like Juan? Here's one way: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/archive-in-outlook-for-windows-25f75777-3cdc-4c77-9783-5929c7b47028
- The ASCE Katrina report is here (paywall): https://ascelibrary.org/doi/book/10.1061/9780784408933
- Here's our Younger Member Committee session on getting your P.E. license: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZgJaPclEps
- We couldn't use Genesis or Phil Collins for Juan's episode, because they haven't given Youtube a blanket license!
- Here's a great starter talk on geotechnical numerical modeling from Katerina Ziotopoulou: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxuNISfAoCk
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

S06 E29 - Jonathan Hubler (Villanova University)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 29 of Season 6, our guest is Jonathan Hubler of VIllanova University, one of G-I's Program Committee members for ASCE2027!
SHOW NOTES:
- This is the fourth and final episode of our 2025 Labor Day Director's Cut Extravaganza!
- There's an audio glitch! It didn't fade out at the beginning!
- Here's a Car and Driver piece on rejected custom plates: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a42512651/best-worst-of-rejected-vanity-plate-names-of-2022/
- The Geotechnical Extreme Event Reconnaissance (GEER) Team that went to Yellowstone has their report here: https://www.geerassociation.org/?view=geerreports&id=106&layout=default
- Find your local chapter here: https://www.geoinstitute.org/chapters
- Look for a special Director's Cut with memories of Bob Koerner soon! - Check out the ASCE2027 website at http://experience.asce.org - we're thrilled to have Jonathan on the G-I team for that event!
- Stick around at the end for a special story about Jonathan's days as a prospective student tour guide at Drexel!
- Special bonus: see if you can tell the moment that Kristin Sample-Lord did the Carlton dance in front of Jonathan's office window to distract him from this very important interview.
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

S06 E28 - Hannah Hiscott (North Carolina State University)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 28 of Season 6, our guest is Hannah Hiscott of North Carolina State University!
SHOW NOTES:
- This is the third of four episodes in our annual Labor Day week Extravaganza! Check out the others on the channel!
- This abstract (from NIH!) is a great summary of Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10131530/
- Read the NC State GSO's feedback on Geo-Congress 2024 - this is just ONE THING they've done over the years: https://www.geoinstitute.org/news/geo-congress-2024-highlights-ncsu-perspective
- Learn about Falls Church here: https://www.fallschurchva.gov/
- If you're in town, definitely order from Lazy Mike's: https://lazymikesdeli.com/
- And get your cupcakes from Bakeshop: https://www.bakeshopva.com/
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

S06 E27 - Lori Simpson (Langan)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 27 of Season 6, our guest is Lori Simpson of Langan!
SHOW NOTES:
- It's the second episode of our Labor Day Extravaganza! Check out Tyler Oathes' from yesterday and then we have two more this week!
- Here's a good place to start learning about the Mission Rock project: https://missionrock.com/
- Check out what happens when you search "bay mud" in the ASCE Library: https://ascelibrary.org/action/doSearch?AllField=bay+mud&SeriesKey=ajgeb6
- And Wikipedia gets you started learning about the ukulele: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukulele
- Here's Paint it Black on ukulele - you could even learn it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tLAJA4zfI
- ASCE has so many resources for younger members! Start here to learn more: https://www.asce.org/communities/younger-members
- Here's the info about the DFI Board of Trustees: https://dfi.org/about/board/
- This has been an especially cool summer in San Francisco: https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/bay-area-summer-temperatures-coldest-20763265.php
- Here's Lori's episode of Morgan's Mentors - it's a great watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FOTKhWjums
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

S06 E26 - Tyler Oathes (Rutgers University)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 26 of Season 6, our guest is Tyler Oathes of Rutgers University!
SHOW NOTES:
- Yes, this is the first episode back after summer break 2025. I don't think we're rusty at all, do you?
- You can (and should) learn more about Rutgers' University Transportation Research Center (UTC) here: https://cait.rutgers.edu/
- You can watch a very poorly encoded version of "A Million to Juan" on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ukUsHfETCc
- The "perimeter theory" of grocery shopping seems to be pretty true: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/grocery-store-tour-shopping-the-perimeter
- You can learn more about dredged material in the NYC metro area (and the plan to deal with it) at the USACE website: https://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Dredged-Material-Management-Plan
- I believe this is the golf course Tyler speaks about in North Jersey, and it's in Jersey City: https://www.skywaygolfcourse.com
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

S06 E24 - Krishna Kumar (University of Texas at Austin)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 24 of Season 6, our guest is Krishna Kumar of University of Texas at Austin!
SHOW NOTES:
- Alphonso mangoes are the "King of Mangoes!" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonso_mango
- If you never played the original SimCity, you should. Here's a review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv6-ipF8Tf4
- For info on G-I Grad Student Organizations, start here! https://www.geoinstitute.org/students/graduate-student-organizations
- Krishna wrote a paper on teaching using murder mysteries! https://www.jotse.org/index.php/jotse/article/view/2014/743
- Still wondering about high performance computing and engineering? Let DesignSafe show you what you can do! https://tacc.utexas.edu/research/tacc-research/designsafe/
- Stick around at the end for a special performance and remembrance of Golu, one of Krishna's cockatiels.
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

S06 E22 - Erika Finan (Langan)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 21 of Season 6, our guest is Erika Finan of Langan and the 2024-25 President of the Met Section (NYC) Geo-Institute Chapter!
SHOW NOTES:
- Some great images of the Greenpoint waterfront: https://greenpointlanding.com/waterfront/
- Here's more info on the NYC waterfront regulation and you can map it! https://waterfrontaccess.planning.nyc.gov/waterfront-zoning-for-public-access?visibleLayerGroups=%5B%22waterfront-access--entry-points%22%2C%22waterfront-access--publicly-owned%22%2C%22waterfront-access--wpaas%22%5D
- Start here for info on the NYC Marathon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Marathon
- Here's the home page for the Met Section (NYC) Chapter! https://www.ascemetsection.org/tech-groups/geotechnical/home
- Levain cookies are enormous and delicious - here's a recipe: https://www.modernhoney.com/levain-bakery-chocolate-chip-crush-cookies/
- Rainbow cookie recipe - this one is not for the faint of heart: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/dining/a63073383/carbone-rainbow-cookie-recipe/
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

S06 E21 - Jackie Bronner (City of Seattle)

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 21 of Season 6, our guest is Jackie Bronner of the City of Seattle and the 2025-26 President of the Seattle Geo-Institute Chapter!
SHOW NOTES:
- The City of Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections website is pretty amazing as municipal websites go: https://www.seattle.gov/sdci
- For all your info on the Baby-Sitters Club series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baby-Sitters_Club
- There's a lot of info on 222 Dexter - here's the architectural landscaping: https://hewittseattle.com/project/222-dexter-landscapearchitecture/
- You can't do the personality tests for free, but you can learn about them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers%E2%80%93Briggs_Type_Indicator
- Find your local G-I chapter and get involved! https://www.geoinstitute.org/chapters/find-a-chapter
- Lots of info on Climate Pledge Arena: https://climatepledgearena.com/ - Stick around for the Hoover Dam/Britney Spears story at the end!
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.