IL Section ASCE GI/AEG Dinner Event - Geotechnical Construction Challenges of the North Portland Junction
2025-01-22 17:15 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Pazzo’s at 311, 311 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, 60606, United States
Time: Cocktails 5:15 pm, Dinner 6:15 pm, Presentation to follow

Place: Pazzo’s • 311 S Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60606

(Parking is located south of the 311 building – $13.00 after 5:00PM)

Speaker: Jason Buenker, PhD, PE, GE – shannon & Wilson

Cost: $65 General (Contractor, Consultant with reservation)

$55 Education/Government Employees (with reservation)

$20 Students (with reservation)

(if paying with check, make checks payable to ASCE IL Geo-Institute)

Registration Link

(1.0 PDH will be provided to all attendees)

CONTACT:

Institute asceilgeotech@gmail.com

Thierno Kane tkane@geosyntec.com

Mark Abtahi abtahima@cdmsmith.com

Clay Patterson cpatterson@langan.com

EVENT FLYER

IL Section ASCE GI March Dinner Meeting - Kord J Wissmann, PhD, PE, DGE - Intechnics, Inc.
2025-03-11 17:15 - 20:00 | Pazzo’s at 311, 311 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, 60606, United States
Time: 5:15pm Cocktails

6:15pm Dinner, Presentation to follow

Cost: $65 General (Contractor, Consultant (with reservation)

$55 Education/Government Employees (with reservation)

$25 Students (with reservation)

(if paying with check, make checks payable to ASCE IL Geo-Institute)

Contact: Institute asceilgeotech@gmail.com

Thierno Kane tkane@geosyntec.com

Mark Abtahi abtahim@bv.com

Clay Patterson cpatterson@langan.com

Registration Link

Event Flyer

IL Section ASCE GI April Dinner Meeting - Geotechnical Challenges and Foundation Solutions for the Mercedes-Benz Stadium
2025-04-23 17:15 - 20:00 | Pazzo’s at 311, 311 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, 60606, United States
Time: 5:15pm Cocktails

6:15pm Dinner, Presentation to follow

Cost: $70 General (Contractor, Consultant (with reservation)

$55 Education/Government Employees (with reservation)

$25 Students (with reservation)

(if paying with check, make checks payable to ASCE IL Geo-Institute)

Contact: Institute asceilgeotech@gmail.com

Thierno Kane tkane@geosyntec.com

Mark Abtahi abtahim@bv.com

Clay Patterson cpatterson@langan.com

Registration Link

Event Flyer

2025 Transportation for Illinois Coalition (TFIC) Legislative Lobby Day
2025-04-30 11:30 - 20:00 | IL
Please join us for the Legislative Drive Down on April 30th.

ASCE Illinois Section has been a part of the TFIC for nearly 15 years and has been a great partnership. We will have our 2022 Illinois Infrastructure Report Card on-hand to help inform our legislators about the status of our Illinois Infrastructure, which has been used by TFIC in their legislative outreach. The Transportation for Illinois Coalition unites stakeholders from business, labor, and local governments to educate policymakers and the public about the need for adequate investment in Illinois’ transportation infrastructure. The TFIC is the recognized authority on and unifying voice for transportation needs in Illinois. TFIC exists to achieve the best transportation systems in order to guarantee economic success. This includes and touches many aspects of the transportation network from roads/highways, bridges, airports, shipping/trucking, intermodal, rail, and agricultural needs. There will be Leadership Briefings and Legislator meetings setup by TFIC. In the evening there will be a legislative reception.

Tentative agenda:

11:30am: Welcome

12:45: Walk to Capital

1:00: Lobby Day Leadership Briefings

2:30: Legislator Meetings

5-8pm: Reception at Vinegar Hill Mall in Springfield, IL

Please Register for this event here. There is no cost to participate.

GI/COPRI June Dinner Meeting
2025-06-10 17:15 - 21:00 | Pazzo’s at 311, 311 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, 60606, United States
We, the Geo-institute (GI) and The Coastal, Oceans, Ports & Rivers Institute (COPRI), are excited to announce our FIRST EVER Joint GI/COPRI dinner meeting on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Pazzo’s. Joel Bryant from Stratalock USA will present on the urgent need for seawall maintenance and Michael Wysockey, PhD, PE and John Wysockey, MBA Thatcher Foundations will present on Marine Construction in the Chicago Area.

You’ll find the event details and registration links in the flyer below or in our Constant Contact Landing Page. Please reply to this e-mail if you have issues with the registration process or have additional questions. The deadline to register is on Tuesday, June 10 at 9AM CST.

Event Flyer

Geofill Low Density Cellular Concrete at the NCDOT US 70 Project and Other Local Applications
2025-10-07 17:00 - 19:00 | Pazzo’s at 311, 311 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, 60606, United States
Our distinguished guest, Mark Salvatore, will be presenting on applications of low density cellular concrete.

Date and Time: October 7, 2025 – Cocktails 5:15 pm, Dinner 6:15 pm, Presentation to follow
Cost:
$70 General (Contractor, Consultant with reservation)
$55 Education/Government Employees (with reservation)
$25 Students (with reservation)

Register Here

2025-2026 Geo-Institute Cross-USA lecturer, Dr. Carlos Santamarina from Georgia Institute of Technology
2025-11-20 17:00 - 20:30 | Pazzo’s at 311, 311 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, 60606, United States
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be hosting the 2025-2026 Geo-Institute Cross-USA lecturer, Dr. Carlos Santamarina from Georgia Institute of Technology, for our November Dinner meeting on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at Pazzo’s.

Our Distinguished guest, Dr. Santamarina will be presenting on Geotechnical Engineering in the Information Age: From Properties to Analysis & Design.

You’ll find the event details and registration links at Constant Contact Landing Page.

Please reply to asceilgeotech@gmail.com if you have issues with the registration process or have additional questions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

GI/AEG Joint Meeting with speaker Christopher Stohr
2026-01-20 17:00 - 19:30 | Pazzo’s at 311, 311 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, 60606, United States
Join Geo-Institute and The Association of Environmental Engineering & Geologist (AEG) for a joint dinner meeting with presenter, Christopher Stohr on Retrospective of the Earthline Hazardous-Waste Landfill Failure, a Case Study of Legacy Landfills and Dumps and Improving Field Inspections to Reduce Groundwater Contamination.

Abstract
Subject of a landmark, legal-precedent setting trial, an unlined, hazardous-waste landfill was said by experts ‘not to leak in 100 years’ however, contaminants were detected in monitoring wells 3 meters from the burial trenches only 3 years after closure. Field and lab tests, and remote sensing measurements showed causes for the ‘faster than predicted’ contaminant migration from a hazardous waste landfill, but why? Legacy landfills are unlined, thinly-covered cemeteries of waste similarly constructed throughout the world. Most landfill inspections mostly rely upon institutional memory and traditional ‘walk over’ traverses to identify flaws and deficiencies for written reports. These defects can be better identified and mapped by image processing of freely-available airborne lidar, historical black and white photography and modern color infrared orthoimagery using GIS technology to direct low-cost, spot repairs for maintenance and custodial care to reduce undesired contamination from legacy waste structures.

About the Speaker
Dr. Christopher ‘Chris’ Stohr (retired, Illinois State Geological Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Mahomet Aquifer Council, Illinois Board of Licensing for Professional Geologists, currently 2025-2026 Richard H. Jahns Distinguished Lecturer.
Chris Stohr continues professional and community work after more than 40 years of applied geology, research and humanitarian work in the midwestern USA, Africa and South America. Obtaining a BS in Geology at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer IN and MS in Engineering Geology at Purdue University developing applications for innovative digital image processing of remotely sensed imagery at the Laboratory for Applications of Remote Sensing. Chris began work at the Missouri Geology and Land Survey performing investigations for dams, sewage lagoons, hazardous and nuclear waste sites, dye tracing, dumps and landfills in the Ozarks and throughout that state; directed an inventory of 3,600 dams; and conducted a site selection study for hazardous waste disposal facilities in Missouri. He worked as part of a Shannon and Wilson team conducting special fault studies, reconnaissance mapping, trench mapping and paleomagnetic studies for nuclear power plant in central Iran using U.S. NRC procedures.
Register Here
Price Range: $25-70
Questions contact asceilgeotech@gmail.com
GI and AEG Joint Dinner Flyer 1/20/26

Geo-Institute Dinner Meeting: Construction of the Chicago Spire
2026-02-24 17:30 - 20:00 | Pazzo’s at 311, 311 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, 60606, United States
Join us as we learn about the construction of the Chicago Spire! When the Chicago Spire project was mothballed in 2008 at the onset of the Great Recession, many wondered what would become of the site. For years, the site sat vacant with only “Chicago’s Largest Swimming Pool” as evidence of the previous work. Fast forward 18 years and the north tower of the 400 N Lake Shore Drive complex is well on its way to its full height of 875 feet. This presentation explores the original construction of the Chicago Spire foundations and earth retention, how it was incorporated into the new 400 N LSD development, and new additions that are bringing the latest project to life.

If you want to learn more information about our speakers, click here.

Price: $25-$70

Register here!

Geo-Institute Dinner Meeting: NEORSD Project Clean Lake - Planning, Design, and Construction of CSO Tunnels
2026-03-24 17:30 - 20:00 | Pazzo’s at 311, 311 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, 60606, United States
Join us as we learn about the Project Clean Lake! It is a 25‑year program being implemented by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) in Cleveland, OH. The program’s goal is to reduce annual raw sewage discharges into Lake Erie by more than 4 billion gallons annually. When completed in 2036, it will enable the capture and treatment of more than 98% of wet‑weather flows within the District’s combined sewer system.

If you want to learn more information about our speaker and event, click here.

Register here!

2026 Geo-Institute Lecture Series
2026-05-01 08:00 - 17:00 | UIC-Student Center, 750 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL, 60607, United States
Please join the Illinois Chapter of the Geo-Institute for our biennial Lecture Series. The Lecture Series will take place at UIC, where we will be hosted by Prof. Reddy and his department. This events provides 5 PDHs.

Speakers and topics are:

1) “3D SLOPE STABILITY ANALSYES IN PRACTICE,” Timothy D. Stark, PhD, PE, BC.GE, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

2) “Monitoring of Dams and Levees using InSAR – Lessons Learned”, Georgette Hlepas, PhD, PE, USACE

3) “Milestones and Challenges in the Construction of a 42-Acre Containment Facility in Milwaukee Harbor,” Justin Johnson, Michels Construction, Inc, and Kevin R. Johnson, PhD, PE, Mi-Tech Services, Inc

4) “Tunneling Through Complexity: Subsurface Challenges for O’Hare’s Stormwater Conveyance System”, Mark Stephani, PE, HNTB

5) “Design and Construction of the World’s Largest DMM Retaining Structure”, William Tanner, PE, Geosyntec Consultants and Matthew Chartier, PE, Geosyntec Consultants

More information on the seminar, registration links, and abstracts/bios for each of our distinguished speakers can be found here.

The full registration fee covers lecture attendance, continental breakfast, and lunch. Firms are invited to exhibit your products, services, or emerging technologies to the engineering community. Exhibitor space consists of a table and electric and includes one general registration to the conference. And if your company would like to sponsor the event, please click here!

We encourage you to register early for the Lecture Series. Early bird rates are available until April 1th.

Price: Individuals $50-450 | Exhibitor $850-1000
