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NewsNewsVol. 58, No. 3 – September 2015

AEGTransitioning

forthe Future

Table of ContentsNews of the Association 2

The President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Treasurer’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3AEG Foundation 2015 Scholars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Raising Funds for Your Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Remembering AEG Pioneers: Moore & Taber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6In Memory of John E. Moylan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

News of the Profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9AEG’s Hasan Awarded the Fulbright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9New York State to License Geologists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Professional Contributions 10The Geology of Pittsburgh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Journeying through Time: Geology Meets Archeology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Issues in Professional Licensure 16

The HomeFront 19

Index to Advertisers 23

On the CoverA stream cuts through the alternating reduced and oxidized argillite layers ofthe Grinnell Formation (Mesoproterozoic Era) in Red Rock Canyon at theWaterton Lakes National Park in Canada.PHOTO BY ANNA SAINDON

The association2014–15 OfficersPresident: KENNETH C. FERGASON

Amec Foster Wheeler, 602-329-9714, [email protected] President/President Elect: PAUL M. SANTI

Colorado School of Mines, 303-273-3108, [email protected]: DALE C. ANDREWS

Carmeuse Lime & Stone, 412-777-0728, [email protected]: KATHY G. TROOST

University of Washington, 206-909-9757, [email protected] President: GARY C. LUCE

Resource Concepts Inc., 775-690-0537, [email protected]

Association Contacts Headquarters—Association Manager Marrijane Jones

1100 Brandywine Blvd. Suite HZanesville, Ohio 43701Phone: 844-331-7867, Fax: [email protected]

AEG Foundation—President: DAVE FENSTER, [email protected]

Communications Directors: MATT BRUNENGO, 503-534-0414, [email protected] and KAMI DEPUTY, [email protected], 425-463-5903

AEG News (ISSN 0899-5788; USPS 954-380) is published six times a year by theAssociation of Environmental & Engineering Geologists (AEG), with the quarterly issuesNos. 1–4, published in March, June, September and December, respectively. TheAnnual Report and Directory issue is published in January. The Annual Meeting Pro-gram with Abstracts issue is published in September. Print copies are distributed atthe meeting. Subscriptions for Association members, which includes all six issues ofthe AEG News, are included in annual membership dues. Nonmember annual sub-scription is $40.00, and includes only the four regular issues (#1–4) of the News. TheAnnual Report and Directory issue and the Annual Meeting Program with Abstractsissue are priced separately. Back issues of the AEG News are $10 each. Inquiriesshould be sent to AEG Headquarters: Marrijane Jones, Association Manager,1100 Brandywine Blvd. Suite H, Zanesville, Ohio 43701 844-331-7867.

Periodical Postage paid at Zanesville, OH, and additional mailing offices: POST-MASTER: Send address changes to AEG News, 1100 Brandywine Blvd. SuiteH Zanesville, Ohio 43701, USA. AEG News is printed by The Ovid Bell Press,Fulton, MO 65251, USA.

© 2015 Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists—All Rights Reserved

Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those officially representing theAssociation of Environmental & Engineering Geologists except where expressly stated.

AEG News Editor Managing Editor/ProductionAnna Saindon Andrea Leigh Ptak Geotechnology, Inc. Communicating Words & Images11816 Lackland Road, Suite 150 6542 52nd Ave. So.St. Louis, MO 63146 Seattle, WA 98118314-581-6286 Office: [email protected] Cell: 206-300-2067

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2. Images should be sent as high-resolution jpeg or tiff files. Questions? ContactAndrea Ptak at 206-725-9169/[email protected].

3. The policy of AEG News editorial staff is to limit the credentials of an individualto two. For example, if John Smith has a MS, a PhD and a PG plus a CEG anda CGWP, his credentials would be limited to John Smith PhD, PG, the two principal credentials. BS/BA and MS degrees will not be recognized. No effortwill be made by the AEG News editorial staff to determine if individuals whosecredentials are missing from the submitted copy actually have academic orprofessional credentials, nor will the staff verify the existence or correctnessof the credentials submitted.

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Next Submission DeadlineOctober 31, 2015, for the December IssueCanada Agreement number: PM40063731; Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station A, PO Box54; Windsor, ON N9A 6J5; Email: [email protected]

Vol. 58, No. 3 – September 2015NewsNews

September 2015 AEG NEWS 58 (3) 1

t is an interesting exercise to reflect on the past year asmy term as President of AEG comes to a close. Without

a doubt, it has been the greatest honor of my career toserve AEG in this way and to have so many peers and col-leagues express their confidence in me through this opportu-nity. It has also been quite a challenge with this period ofchange for AEG, or as I think of it, a period of evolution.

Just before I became President we parted ways with ourassociation manager and brought on a new managementcompany. Of course this occurred in the middle of the finalpreparations for our Annual Meeting in Scottsdale and our ini-tial pushes toward restructuring the AEG governance. Institu-tional knowledge needed to be transferred and excavatedfrom digital archives as well as a dusty storage facility in sub-urban Denver. Furthermore, after two years of struggling withour website and database, we moved to another platform,which was no small task. Thankfully, our new managementcompany made the process as seamless as it could be.

In addition to these administrative changes, there havebeen some great new endeavors in AEG. We had anextremely successful forum in Seattle, WA: The AEG Profes-sional Forum on Landslides: Time to Face the LandslideHazard Dilemma: Bridging Science, Policy, Public Safety,and Potential Loss. Over 200 professionals from many disci-plines were brought together to discuss landside hazardsand their impact on the public. AEG plans to use this forum(and a few others) as templates for discussion of other rele-vant topics in more of these regional/topical professionalforums that will add yet another benefit to membership as itadvances the profession.

The AEG journal, Environmental & Engineering Geology,now offers digital first publishing, which allows articles tomake it onto the web before the print journal is produced,speeding up publication by months. Additionally, archived arti-cles from the Bulletin of the Association of Engineering Geolo-gists are now available through Geoscience World. We are alsoworking to bring some of our Special Publications to the digitalworld as eBooks and develop a program for future electronicand print-on-demand publications.

Behind the scenes, many volunteers have been putting in alot of effort for the ongoing governance restructuring. You’veseen articles in the AEG News, the Insider, on the website, andhad letters mailed directly. By now you’ve had the opportunityto vote on restating and updating our Articles of Incorporationfor us to become compliant with current California law. Rightnow we are hard at work revising our bylaws to bring them inline with current law and the general practice of non-profit cor-porations. In the coming months, you will be asked to commenton the restated and amended bylaws and eventually to vote toaccept them. Concurrent with this effort will be the amendingand revising of our Operating Policies. While all this is hap-pening, we will be making the transition to a regional gover-

nance model that will reduce the size ofour Board of Directors and give Sec-tions and Chapters more support andflexibility. The season is turning andAEG is evolving—as it must in orderto avoid the potential of extinction.

The website contains lots ofinformation regarding the details of

the governance restructure process, aswell the means for you to provide comments and input.We are listening and membership input is a tremendoushelp to us as we build AEG’s future.

In closing, thank you again for the opportunity to serveand lead. It has been an honor and privilege that I will alwaysremember. I look forward to seeing all of you at future meet-ings and join me in welcoming our new President, Paul Santi.AEG’s future is in good hands.

NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION – THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Turn, Turn, TurnKen Fergason, AEG 2014–15 President

2 AEG NEWS 58 (3) September 2015

l

Seen AEG’s New Website?If you haven’t logged on in a while, please visit the Get StartedWith the New Site page to set a new password and review yourprofile before logging into the new site for the first time. We arestill at www.aegweb.org.

irst, a quick update. In my last report, I highlightedmany of the of fiscal reporting

changes that AEG was imple-menting to improve how we track andforecast our financials as well as toimprove our overall fiscal accounta-bility. With nearly all the changes inplace, I am happy to report that weare already experiencing many benefitsfrom this effort. The changes have posi-tively impacted how we track revenue andpay expenses and will simplify how we prepare budgets andsubmit audits going forward.

I had also previously forecasted that 2015 would likely bea deficit year for AEG, not taking into account any AnnualMeeting revenue. Now that we are halfway into the year, wehave significantly reduced the deficit. There are many reasonsfor this achievement, but let me highlight just two. First, ourMembers—membership is up in 2015 over 2014, and wehope to continue to see this trend for years to come! Second,we had an extremely successful AEG Professional LandslideForum in Seattle, WA. The volunteers who made this incredibleopportunity available cannot be thanked enough.

With that said, let’s get into the numbers. I have receivedour June financials and have compared it to our currentbudget. This provides a good opportunity to reevaluate ourexisting budget predictions and make recommendations as towhether AEG needs to adjust its spending. It is also time tobegin drafting a budget for 2016, but let’s save that for thenext report.

As you read on, keep in mind the 2015 budget andactual to-date numbers that I will be presenting below do notinclude any Annual Meeting revenue or expenses. The AnnualMeeting is budgeted separately and is anticipated to gen-erate approximately an additional $25,000 in revenue. Also,aside from the Annual Meeting, the gross majority of our revenue is generated in the first half of the year; whereas ourexpenses are fairly consistent from month to month. For thisreport, I will briefly touch on our actual vs. budget revenueand expenses, our cash reserves, Treasurer’s reserve andLegislative fund.

Revenue

AEG budgeted $343,125 in revenue for 2015. As of June30th, AEG’s actual revenue to date is $346,913 or about 1% over budget. Based on the prior year’s 3Qtrand 4Qtr revenue, AEG will likely close the year nearly 2%over budget.

ExpensesAEG budgeted $343,400 in expenses for 2015. In addition, a$10,000 adjustment was authorized at the mid-year Directorsmeeting to cover a rare, unbudgeted cost to have an attorneyreview and restate all of our governing documents to ensuretheir compliance with California law (to be funded through ourTreasurer’s reserve). As of June 30th, AEG has spent$185,921, which is about 54.1% of budget. Forecastingspending through the end of the year, without adjustment, AEGmay exceed budget by approximately 5%. AEG’s officers areexploring options to reduce this.

LegislativeOur legislative fund grew from $39,498 at this time last year to$56,116 as of June 30, 2015. This fund is supported by asmall defined percentage of our member dues.

Treasurer’s ReserveOur Treasurer’s Reserve fund has grown from $230,152 at thistime last year to $262,963 as of June 30, 2015. Thisaccount’s growth is due in part from interest, as well as adeposit from excess revenue generated from the prior year’sAnnual Meeting.

Cash ReservesAEG made a change in recent years to build our cash reserves inour Operations account such that it alone can cover all of the cur-rent year’s expenses. Over the past two years, AEG has beenbuilding the cash reserve and is now within 10% of our totalexpenses. Assuming we continue to see our typical Annual Meetingsuccess, we are on track to reach this goal as soon as 2016.

In closing, AEG’s total net equity is approximately $20,000greater now than it was at this time last year and although weare on track to exceed our budgetedexpenses, I am forecasting thatwith the addition of the pre-dicted 2015 AnnualMeeting revenue, thisnumber will increase toclose to $30,000 bythe year’s end. Finan-cially, AEG is trendingin the right direction,but this would not bepossible without thesuccess of our Associ-ation Meetings. Soagain, thank you to ourmembers for supporting AEG.

NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION – TREASURER’S REPORT

Transitioning for the FutureDale C. Andrews, 2014–15 AEG Treasurer


F

AEG’s Mission:

AEG contributes to its members’ professional success and thepublic welfare by providing

leadership, advocacy, and appliedresearch in environmental and

engineering geology.

NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION – FOUNDATION REPORT


Beardsley-Kuper Field Camp ScholarshipAnn Sutton TeichmillerUniversity of Mississippi No Photo Available

Darren SeidelAngelo State University The Beardsley-Kuper Field CampScholarship Fund is proud toannounce its fifth annual awards.Funds are intended to support geology

field camp expenses with applied envi-ronmental and engineering geology that

will be useful to the students’ future professionas an environmental or engineer geologist.

Marliave ScholarshipLauren Schaefer

Michigan Technological University

The Marliave Scholarship Fund wasestablished in 1968 to honor the lateChester E. Marliave, Burton H. Mar-liave, and Elmer C. Marliave, outstandingengineering geologists and supporters of AEG.The funds are distributed as grants, which are intended to support academic activity and reward outstanding scholarshipin Engineering Geology and Geological Engineering.

Stout Scholarship

Sara Lindsey PolugaKent State UniversityGraduate Division– 1st Place

StephanieGugolz

University of GeorgiaGraduate Division – 2nd Place

Justin AlfordEast Carolina UniversityUndergraduate Division – 1st Place, No Photo Available

Robert HuberRadford UniversityUndergraduate Division – 2nd Place, No Photo Available

Dr. Martin L. Stout was Professor of Geology at California StateUniversity, Los Angeles from 1960 to 1990. He is rememberedby all of his students for his passionate and insightful instruction inengineering geology. Dr. Stout was well known for his expertise on

mega landslides, his worldly travels, his good humor, and his gracious manner. This scholarship supports his legacy.

Christopher C. Mathewson Scholarship

Richard GoldbergUniversity of Texas – Arlington

Graduate Division, No Photo Available

Kimberly Belle BarryUniversity of Texas Arlington

Undergraduate Division

Norman R. Tilford Field Study Scholarships

David KorteKent State University

PhD Division

AnnettePattonColorado StateUniversityMasters Division

Sara FischerIndiana University–Purdue University

– Ft. WayneUndergraduate Division

The scholarships are awarded for thesummer field season and were establishedin memory of Norman R. Tilford, who was a leader in engi-neering geology and a professor of engineering geology atTexas A&M University. Norm died in late 1997 while flying hissmall aircraft to meet a student field trip. Norm was dedi-cated to teaching geology in the field and these scholarshipswill support his legacy.

West-Gray ScholarshipPatrick Beaudry

CUNY – Queens College

Established in 2014 with initialfunding provided as a gift from AEGPast Presidents Terry R. West andRichard E. Gray, this fund supports

undergraduate and graduate geologystudents in the eastern half of the United

States through scholarship grants.

AEG Foundation 2015 Scholars

he economy seems to be improving and consultantsand contractors with whom I speak in the Carolinas

profess to be busy. The Carolinas Section is one of thestronger Sections in AEG for several reasons, one of which isthe funding sources we maintain and another is the strong lead-ership and number of volunteers that actively lead our Section.However, I have been to several association board meetingsand have heard folks talk about how their Sections have nomoney to undertake special projects. The Carolinas Section isin almost the opposite situation, having funds to serve andstrengthen our profession and focus attention on AEG. YourSection can have similar success with a sustained effort of low-key, volunteer driven fund raising. Consider the following:

Seek Out Section Sponsors The Carolinas Section in 2015 has 23 sponsors. These includelaboratories, drilling contractors, service companies (e.g., UST-closure and waste-disposal contractors), remediation contrac-tors, and consulting firms. These sponsors pay an annual feethat ranges from $250/year for Silver Sponsorship to $600 forTitanium Sponsorships, with varying levels of benefits (detailsare in our Section newsletter at www.aegcarolinas.org). Manyhave sponsored our Section for a decade. In 2015, sponsorfees provided a total of $7,125. The key to maintaining thesesponsors is to take care of them. Jane Gill-Shaler was our spon-sorship chair for years, and she gave out many hugs to oursponsors at our Section meetings. Continuity is important, and I

have found persistence is even more important—staying pleas-antly pesky but not irritating until we receive the sponsor check.Yes, we have lost sponsors in the past (we had nearly 30 oneyear), but new companies are always moving to the Carolinas,and they are looking for publicity in any way. Doesn’t each con-sulting geologist know of contractors they use regularly? Solicitthose you know; I have found very few say no.

Co-host an Educational ConferenceWhat’s a hot topic in your area? Several years ago, frackingwas illegal in North Carolina (we have nominal shale-gasresources), but when the popularity of shale gas arose, therewas great interest in the topic. In 2012, our Section teamedwith the American Ground Water Trust to host a two-day confer-ence in Raleigh. We approached the Trust with the idea, andthey took care of all the details, but our planning group of eightlearned along the way. We marketed the conference to our Section and adjacent Sections, solicited some of the speakersand sponsors, and found the venue. The Trust paid us $20 foreach attendee (registration was $235 for AEG members/$235for non-members). We had over 200 in attendance, from allwalks of life. For a non-profit, we made a tidy “profit” for ourSection’s future use. Equally important, we realized we could dothe entire conference ourselves and gain even more “profit.”And, it was fun being on the radio and television.

Host an Educational Conference Two years later, the planners from the shale gas conferencethought, “Let’s do this again.” With the EPA having releaseddraft guidance, the hot topic was vapor intrusion. This time, wedid it on our own, with a planning committee of eight, whichincluded a few newcomers to the planning circus. Once again,it was the right topic at the right time, with invited speakersfrom all over the country, and a reasonable price ($249/$299)for a two-day conference. We again had over 200 in atten-dance, but this time, our income exceeded our expenses by$25,000. This was a great boon to our treasury and allowed usto seed the AEG Carolinas Section Scholarship Fund, which willbe presented for the first time next year.

Present Continuing Education Courses Bill Deutsch presented two courses in groundwater geochem-istry at AEG’s Annual Meeting in Charleston in 2010. In the lastfive years, the number of consulting jobs in the Carolinas hasincreased, so our Section thought there would be enoughdemand from those who missed it to offer the courses again.In October, Bill will fly from Washington State to Raleigh andpresent Basic and Intermediate Groundwater Geochemistryclasses (one day each). Our expenses will be minimal: Maddie

NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION


Raising Funds for Your SectionRick Kolb, Carolinas Section

Why We Fundraise…For the last several years, our Section has had regular infu-sions of funds, beginning with the “profit’ from AEG’s 2010Annual Meeting. These funds have allowed us to:

● Pay for student memberships back when their membership cost $25/year

● Provide free dinners for students that attend our Section meetings

● Pay travel expenses for the Jahns Lecturers’ week-longvisits to our Section

● Pay travel expenses for an annual visit by AEG’s President

● Provide pizza and soft drinks for students during ourVisiting Professional presentations (generally five ormore schools each year)

● Pay for our chair’s attendance at AEG’s board meetings● Establish a Section scholarship● Purchase a sound system for use at our meetings

(essential in noisy brewpubs)● Maintain and upgrade our Section’s website.

T

Continued on page 7…

eturn Francis “Ret” Moore, PE, CEG (1923–2015)was born in Los Angeles in 1923, but grew up inLong Beach, where he was named valedictorian of

David Starr Jordan High School in June 1941. Heattended Long Beach City College, with an emphasis on chemicalengineering, receiving his AA degree in June 1943. Before gradu-ation he enlisted in the Navy and was accepted for their V-12accelerated officer training program, and assigned to continuehis studies at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadenaand was assigned to study civil engineering.

A year later he was commissioned as a Civil EngineeringCorps officer in the U.S. Navy, and assigned to the 17th NavalConstruction Battalion (NCB) Navy Seabees at Port Hueneme,

the largest Seabee installation on the westcoast. The battalion sailed from Port

Hueneme on September 11, 1944, andreached Saipan (Mariana Islands) onOctober 6. There the battalion wasengaged in constructing an air base tosupport the invasion of nearby Tinian. In

June 1945, the 17th NCB moved to Oki-nawa, where they were when the war

ended in mid-August. Moore was then sent to Seeadler Harbor on Manus Island in

the Bismarck Archipelago (north of New Guinea), where theSeabees had established a major ship repair facility. It’s dockingand repair workshops and vessel maintenance facilities were equalto the best in the U.S., and Moore was assigned the task ofmaking two of the largest floating dry docks in the Pacific Oceanseaworthy for transport back to Pearl Harbor. This undertaking pre-cluded his being discharged from the Navy until late May of 1946.

In June 1946, Moore re-enrolled at Caltech with the sup-port of the GI Bill and married his gal Margaret. He completedhis BS in civil engineering in June 1947. Instead of accepting ajob offer in civil engineering, he chose to continue his studies atCaltech in geology, because he loved mountaineering. He spentthe next year and a half taking geology classes, completing allthe coursework for a second bachelors and master’s degree,but never completing his master’s thesis.

In December 1948, Moore decided to leave Caltech whenhe was offered the first “engineering geologist” position withthe Foundation Investigation Section of the State Division ofHighways Bridge Department in Sacramento. In mid-1950, hebegan working with Ray Taber and became a registered engi-neer in 1952. In 1955, Ret Moore left the Division of Highwaysand founded his own firm, Geo-Engineering.

Harmon Ray Taber, Sr., PE, CEG (1927–2011) wasfrom a pioneer family that ranched the Capay Valley nearEsparto, CA, on the west side of the Sacramento Valley. Hewas an Eagle Scout and played football and tennis atEsparto Union School, graduating in mid-1944. He enlisted in

the Navy and was sent to Stanford University under theNavy’s V-12 officer training program as an electronics techni-cian. In July 1946, he was discharged andreturned to Stanford to finish his degree ingeology. In February 1947, he married hishigh school sweetheart, Betty JeanStephens. His summer field geology courseswere in Hollister, CA, and Candelaria, NV; hereceived his BS in geology in June 1948. In1949, he returned to Stanford to completegraduate work in civil engineering so hecould secure an engineering position with the Division ofHighways in Sacramento.

In June 1950, he began working in the bridge departmentin Sacramento. From 1950–55 he and Ret Moore developedwritten procedures to guide bridge engineering studies, whichincluded a thorough engineering geologic examination of allsites, including borings on both upstream and downstreamends of any supporting bent. Taber became registered as acivil engineer in mid-1954.

The Formation of Moore & TaberAbout seven months after Ret Moore founded Geo-Engineering,he persuaded Ray Taber to join him as a principal. In 1956,they formed Moore & Taber, with Moore as president. Shortlythereafter, Ret Moore opened their office in southern California,with Ray Taber operating the office in Sacramento. The fol-lowing year, Ray became a charter member of the CaliforniaAssociation of Engineering Geologists. He served as AEG Presi-dent in 1963–64, when the association went national.

Southern California OfficeThe firm’s southern California office was located in Fullerton in1964, where Moore lived until his death in in 2015. The firmlater moved to Anaheim, with branch offices in Bakersfield,Sacramento, Santa Rosa, and San Diego.

Ret Moore spent the remainder of his life living inFullerton, and was a 60-year member of the Sierra Club andwas active in their Sierra Peaks Section into his 80’s. Some ofthe key players at the southern California office in the 1960sincluded former Los Angeles County Geologist Douglas R.Brown, Carl Bock, Peter Tresselt, Thomas D. Hays, and JerryMcNey. By the mid-1980s some of the key personnel includedScott Kerwin, Donald Clark, and Gary Lass. Clark later super-vised their San Diego office. Jack T. Eagen left the CA Divisionof Highways before joining Moore & Taber in 1965. Hebecame Senior Vice President of the firm’s office in Anaheim,then out of Woodland Hills. Bob Dickey took over the reins ofthe successor firm in southern California, called M&T Agra, inthe early 1990s, when the company was performing a lot ofgeoenvironmental work.


Remembering AEG Pioneers Return F. Moore and Ray Taber

Dr. Dave Rodgers


R


Northern California officeRay Taber lived in Davis and worked out of the northern Cali-fornia office in West Sacramento. During the late 1960s Moore& Taber also opened a branch office in Santa Rosa. The seniorengineering geologist at that office was William N. Schlax,occasionally assisted by Charles L. “Van” Van Alstine from theWest Sacramento office. The branch was shut down during therecession of the early 1970s.

In 1974 the firm split into two separate firms, Moore &Taber Northern California and Southern California. In 1983 thenorthern California entity was renamed Taber Consultants, andremained in West Sacramento. Ray Taber continued workinguntil 1990, when he retired (he passed away in 2011). FrankTaber, GE, has served as the firm’s president since June 1979.Andy Taber serves as the firm’s CFO, while Martin W. McIlroy,PE, CEG manages the firm’s West Sacramento office. Thesenior staff includes vice president Dave Kitzmann, PE, CEG,senior engineering geologist Eric Nichols, PE, CEG, and TomBallard, CHG, who serves as the firm’s principal hydrogeologist.

Ray Taber FoundationIn July 2014, the Ray Taber Foundation was set up by Taber Con-sultants to conduct educational courses for undergraduate/grad-uate students and industry professionals. Each year professionalsfrom consulting firms and public agencies and students from UCBerkeley, UC Davis, and other regional universities converge upon

the TaberRanch for aday of freeinstruction.These presen-tations includeexplanations ofdrilling andsampling tech-niques typicallyused for geot-echnical andgeoenviron-mental investi-gations, andfocus ondemonstratingthe reasoningbehind andutility ofmethods usedin field exploration and sampling. The Taber Geotechnical Explo-ration Class offers Continuing Education Credits for attendance.

German, our vice-chair/soon-to-be chair, found a free venue. Inaddition to Bill’s travel/lodging expenses, all we have to do isarrange the catering/set up/clean up/etc. This may sound likea chore but is going to be fun (e.g., a Carolina pig pickin’ oneday for lunch). With this arrangement, we can keep the tuitionlow ($195/$175), which has encouraged attendance by theregulators as well as consultants. Based on our seat-of-the-pants projection, we expect income will exceed expenses by atleast $10,000.

How do we solicit sponsors? As an environmental geolo-gist, I regularly use the services of drilling and geoprobe com-panies, laboratories, equipment providers, and servicescompanies—several of which were already sponsors. However,I also used those that weren’t sponsors. Like many of you, Isee these representatives on a regular basis, such as whenthey drop by my office or when I attend professional meetings.I have made it a practice to have spare copies of our section’sbulletin and sponsor application form in my office. Whenever anon-sponsor comes by to visit, we would conduct our business,and at then I would talk to them for a few minutes about AEGand the opportunity to meet hundreds of potential clients at ourSection meetings and through our emails, which go to over2,000 recipients. I also point out which of their competitors areour sponsors; that seems to be a real motivator, and an argu-ment they use when asking their boss for funds to become a

sponsor. I have also used this strategy successfully for newcompanies coming to town that want to start up a local branchof their business. The opportunity to meet 75 potential clientsin one, three-hour evening sounds very appealing to someonejust starting up a local business.

The key to our Section’s success has been solicitation ofcompanies that provide environmental services, since our man-aging council seems to know them in greater number thanthose that provide engineering services. However, the sellingpoint is the same—whether engineering or environmental.These contractors can meet lots of potential clients in a simple,inexpensive way. Come to our meetings, become a sponsor,and make some friends, too. Once they get to know the Sec-tion and its members, they’ll be pushing their bosses for mem-bership renewal, and your job will be made easier. And they buythe beer at our Section meetings, too. We all have a good time.

One closing target: don’t forget your Members’ companies.They can be sponsors as well as your contractors. Sell the ideato the office manager as a way to show support for AEG andour practice, and as a way to keep the company’s name infront of peers. You never know where your next employee willcome from, or who will find out about you. It’s all about net-working, and our contractors know that, too.

Feel free to email or call me if you would like to discussthis topic or have questions.


PICTURED: Ret Moore’s Sierra Peaks Section List Finish on Lamont Peak in theHigh Sierras, in September 2003, the day before his 80th birthday. He is surrounded by Sue Wyman, Barbara Sholle, Pat Holleman, and Mirna Roach. PHOTO BY REINER STENZEL.

Raising Funds Continued from page 5…



ne of AEG’s founding members, John Moylan—KansasCity/Omaha Section (KC/O), passed away June 29,

2015 after a brief illness. John was an active memberof the KC/O Section since 1967 and the Section and thebroader Kansas City geologic and engineering community willtruly miss him.

In the early 1960s, as a member of three groups ofapplied geologists in Kansas and Missouri, John became inter-ested in the new and growing California Association of Engi-neering Geologists (forerunner of AEG), As a result, he played amajor role in the establishment of the KC/O Section founded inJanuary 1967. He served as Section Chair twice—first for the1969–70 term and again in 2002–04. The KC/O Section hasbeen active for the past 13 years due mainly to John’s involve-ment in reviving it.

John received a BS in Geology in 1958 from the Univer-sity of Kansas, and completed a special Corps of EngineersGeological Engineering Program at the University of Minnesota in 1974.

John was a highly respected engineering geologist andhydrogeologist with over 55 years of experience in the engi-neering and environmental fields. He started his professionalcareer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas CityDistrict, when he conducted geologic design investigationsand studies for 8 of the 18 dam projects completed in theKansas City. Later he was involved in providing engineeringgeological and hydrogeological support for conventional civiland military projects. He directed hydrogeological investiga-tions and studies, which focused not only on the degree andextent of contamination but also on the site characterizationneeds for effective remedial design and remedial action.John would stress the importance of good site characteriza-tion and sound interpretation of the data. He stayed with theCorps for 33 years, and retired as Chief of the GeotechnicalBranch in 1991.

In addition to his work with the Corps, John was anAdjunct Instructor in Geology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) from 1979–85 where he taught graduatecourses in hydrogeology and geology for engineers. Followinghis “retirement” from the Corps, he worked for Woodward-Clyde Consultants/URS for ten years as a Senior ConsultingGeologist and then as an independent consulting geologist upuntil the time of his death. More recently, he assisted projectdesign teams on large remediation projects worldwide in thepublic and private sector as well as serving as a peer reviewerand groundwater expert on numerous projects for various consulting firms in the area.

John was also a member of the Geological Society ofAmerica (GSA) and the Association of Ground Water Scientistsand Engineers. His many awards include the U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers’ 1990 Commanders Award for Civilian Service,the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 1991 Department of the

Army Decoration forMeritorious CivilianService, the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers 2000 Dis-tinguished CivilianService Award, andwas named the AEG2007 Jahns Distin-guished Lecturer.

During his career,John authored over30 papers and regu-larly presented hispapers at local section meetings andthe Kansas Hydrology

Conference held in Topeka, KS, and nationally at the AEG andGSA annual meetings.

John was born October 15, 1936, to Anna Gunner andJohn Stephen Moylan in Kansas City, KS. He was a lifelong resi-dent of the Roeland Park and Mission area, attending St. Agnesgrade and high school. John and his wife of 56 years, Annette,raised five children together—Mark, Margaret, Paul, Mary, andKathleen—and have 10 grandchildren.

John was an exceptional individual and mentored hundredsof professional geologists, engineers, and hydrogeologistthroughout his career. He always had time to discuss geotech-nical features of a project and reviewed reports for thoseworking with him and for his professional colleagues both in theindustry and the academia.

One of the latest professional engagements of John was toserve as a co-expert in a legal case, along with Paul Hilpman(Professor Emeritus, Geology, UMKC and Geotechnical Con-sultant), involving conflicts over dredging in the Missouri Riveralluvium. When asked by the attorney to find a replacement forJohn, Paul replied, “There really isn’t anyone.” This is so verytrue because there is no one of John’s stature locally, regionallyand perhaps nationally. Indeed with the sad demise of John wehave lost a considerate colleague, a caring mentor and, aboveall, a compassionate and superb human being.

The Kansas City/Omaha Section has made a donation tothe AEG Jahns Lecturer Fund in Memoriam for John that willplace him on the AEG Foundation Honor Roll.

We are also establishing a fund to honor John’s life-longcommitment to support and mentor young geologists. If inter-ested, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution tothe “John Moylan Fund.” Please contact the AEG Foundation,17926 Dixie Highway, Suite B, Homewood, IL 60430: Phone:312-403-0846; Email: [email protected] for details.

In Memory of John E. MoylanSyed E. Hasan and Julie WestHoff

O

yed E. Hasan, PhD, geosciences professor emer-itus, University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), and along-time member of AEG, has been awarded a Ful-

bright to Qatar by the J. William Fulbright Foreign ScholarshipBoard (FFSB). Hasan will teach courses in waste manage-ment and environmental geology at Qatar University, andoffer seminars at other Middle East universities, during the2016 spring semester.

“Qatar, with its unique marine and desert ecosystems,needs to implement a waste management strategy that is com-patible with its natural environment,” Hasan said. “I am lookingforward to sharing my expertise in the field of waste manage-ment with students and faculty at Qatar University to help themdevelop a sound waste management plan for their country.”

Hasan is the author of a college textbook, Geology andHazardous Waste Management (Prentice Hall, 1996), which wasselected for the AEG’s Claire P. Holdredge Award for best publi-cation by a member in 1998.

Hasan has been actively involved in mentoring students viaAEG. He established Student Chapters at the University of Arizona in Tucson (1979) and UMKC (2008) and served as thefaculty adviser for both.

Hasan has been a member ofAEG since 1974 and served as thechair of the Kansas City-Omaha Section during 1989–90. Currentlyhe heads the Environmental Charac-terization and Remediation TechnicalWorking Group of AEG.

Hasan also served as chair ofthe Geological Society of America’sEngineering Geology Division(2006–07) and the Geology andHealth Division (2009–10). He is aregistered geologist in Missouri, as

well as a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, and LifeFellow of the Geological Society of India.

The Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual under-standing between the people of the United States and those ofother countries. It is the flagship international educationalexchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. Thegrant is made possible through funds approved annually by theU.S. Congress and, in many cases, by contributions frompartner countries and the private sector.

New York Stateto

License Geologists!Summarized from the New York State Education Department webpage

On November 21, 2014, New York State Governor AndrewCuomo signed Chapter 475 of the Laws of 2014 that providesfor the licensure of professional geologists under Title VIII ofthe Education Law. The law does not take effect untilNovember 2016.

Under the provisions of the new law, Geology will beadded to the current State Board for Engineering and LandSurveying. To implement the licensing provisions, the Board ofRegents must first appoint qualified geologists to the board.The State Board will assist the Regents and the Department indeveloping regulations necessary to license qualified individ-uals in the new profession. You can find additional informationat http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/geo/.

NEWS OF THE PROFESSION

AEG’s Hasan Awarded Fulbright

Call for Papers:AEG Members are encouraged to submitpapers on interesting case histories, original research orother projects to its journal:

■ Environmental geology■ Engineering geology■ Feasibility studies■ Geotechnical engineering

■ Geomorphology■ Low-temperature geochemistry■ Applied hydrogeology■ Near-surface processes■ Review papers in applied geosciences and

technical notes (< 6 pages)

Benefits Include:■ 4 issues per year■ All papers are peer reviewed■ Best Student Paper Award

■ Best Paper Award

Instructions for Authors: http://eeg.allentrack.net/


S

AEG News Disclaimer Authors alone are responsible for views expressed in signed articles.Advertisers and their agencies are solely responsible for the content of alladvertisements printed and also assume responsibility for any claimsarising therefrom against the publisher. AEG and AEG News reserve theright to reject any advertising copy.

he latest publication (being finalized inthe summer of 2015) in the Cities of the

World Series of papers is the Geology ofPittsburgh. The paper, a culmination of fiveyears of work, is a joint effort of coauthors,Richard E. Gray, Brian H. Greene, Ryan W.Fandray and Robert J. Turka—all practi-tioners of engineering and environmentalgeology in the Pittsburgh region. This articlesummarizes the information provided in the fullversion that will be available on the AEG websiteand via GeoscienceWorld.

The City of Pittsburgh is located west ofthe Appalachian Mountains in a moderately todeeply dissected portion of the AppalachianPlateau Province. The relatively flat surface ofthe plateau is dissected by local drainagefrom the three principal rivers of the region,the Allegheny, Monongahela, and the Ohio.Pittsburgh’s strategic location helped shapethe westward expansion during the early for-mation of the U.S., largely becauseof the rivers that served as an inex-pensive and efficient means of trans-portation. The region was considereda stronghold for the emergingcountry because of its tactical loca-tion and later due to its abundance of natural resources that include coal,natural gas, oil, salt, limestone, sandand gravel, and water. Figure 1depicts present-day Pittsburgh fromthe vantage point of Mt. Washington(formerly called Coal Hill by Pittsburgh residents).

Western Pennsylvania is associ-ated with the westernmost formationof the Appalachian Mountain chain.The Allegheny Orogeny had the mosteffect on southwest Pennsylvania.The uplift created a series of nearlyflat-lying, gently warped Paleozoicsedimentary rocks under the region.Rock outcroppings in theAppalachian Plateau vary in age fromDevonian to Permian. Surficialbedrock of southwest Pennsylvania isassociated with deltaic depositional environments with acyclical nature, from fluctuating sea levels. Pennsylvanianstrata that underlie Pittsburgh are dominated by thin cyclicsequences of sandstone, shale, claystone, coal, and limestone (Figure 2).

PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS


The Geology of PittsburghBrian Greene

T

Figure 1. Duquesne Incline from Mount Washington (Plastipork, 2008)

Figure 2. Geologic Map of Pennsylvania (PA Bureau of Topographic and GeologicSurvey, 2007).


The formation of Pittsburgh’s three rivers has a long his-tory dating back to before the Pleistocene Period, linkedclosely to the retreat of continental glaciation, and subse-quent meltwaters filling the river channels and eroding thelandscape. During the last ice age, there were four majoradvances and retreats of continental ice sheets in NorthAmerica. At least two of these ice sheets, the Illinoian andWisconsinian, extended into western Pennsylvania, dis-rupting the direction of drainage of the major river systemsand forming the present-day river systems and flow direc-tions. Pittsburgh was not glaciated, however, periglacialactivity and sand-gravel outwash represent two majorimpacts of glaciation, which terminated just north of Pittsburgh (Figure 3).

Geologic hazards present in Pittsburgh and its surround-ings include mine subsidence, acid mine drainage, expansiveshales and slags, pyritic acid rock, and slope instability.Locally, slope instability results from low shear strength collu-vial deposits and the Pittsburgh Redbeds, a notorious clay-stone responsible for numerous landslides. Attributable to theregion’s steep topography, abundant rainfall, low shearstrength rocks, and soils with low residual strength, landslideshave resulted in major property damage and loss of life. Minesubsidence is an ongoing hazard linked to the region’s longhistory of mining of the Pittsburgh Coal and the UpperFreeport Coal. Figure 4 describes the various modes ofcoalmine subsidence which occur in Pittsburgh. Coal con-tinues to dominate as the primary source of energy to fuelarea power plants. Natural gas produced from hydrofracturingof shale formations also is a significant energy resource.Hydroelectric power is also a contributor.


Figure 3. Limit of Glaciation in western Pennsylvania and Present River Systems(Harper, 1997).

Figure 4. Modes of Mine Subsidence (Gray, 1999)

Infrastructure is significant in Pittsburgh. The city wasfounded and grew because of the natural river systems, sup-plemented by manmade canals. Today, the region has 23navigation locks and dams. The early system of canals waslater replaced by rail systems for the shipment of bulk com-modities. Allegheny County, the county encompassing Pitts-burgh, has more bridges than any other county in the U.S. Inaddition to bridges, Pittsburgh has eleven tunnels that facili-tate vehicular transportation and two locally famous inclines,including the Duquesne Incline shown in Figure 1. Theseinclines were originally used to transport workers up anddown the steep slope of Mt. Washington, and are currently atourist attraction. The existing infrastructure of roads,bridges, tunnels, railways and navigation locks and dams areaging. The Pennsylvania Turnpike is the oldest interstate inthe nation and is undergoing improvements.

Today, Pittsburgh has transcended the legacy name“Steel City.” Boasting a vibrant downtown, the city also hasnationally recognized universities and medical centers. Thereis resurgence in shale natural gas exploration usinghydrofracturing methods. Coal continues to be the dominantenergy source for the numerous power plants in the region.

Many environmental remediation projects are underway,including acid mine drainage from legacy coal mining andreclamation of former steel mill lands. Maintaining andreplacing Pittsburgh’s aging infrastructure of roads, bridges,tunnels, dams and river navigation structures will be a majorchallenge and generate work for many years into the future.Pittsburgh is a city with a bright future as its employmentfocus changes and the region’s abundant natural resourcesare utilized. Water is plentiful and is used in many ways tobenefit the citizens of the region.

ReferencesGray, R. E., 1999, Land Subsidence-Mines, in Schultz, C.H. (editor), The Geology

of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey,Harrisburg, PA.

Harper, J. A., 1997, Of Ice and Waters Flowing: The formation of Pittsburgh’sThree Rivers: Pennsylvania Geology, Vol. 28, No. 3 of 4, pp. 2-8.

Pennsylvania Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey, 2007, PennsylvaniaGeological Survey, 2007, 4th ser., Map 7, scale 1:2,000,000, Third Edi-tion, 1990; Fourth Printing, Slightly Revised, 2007.

Plastikspork, 2008, Duquesne Incline from the top, available at http://com-mons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Duquesne_Incline_from_top.jpg, accessedNovember 17, 2014.



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Got Volcanics?Call for abstracts for the March 2016 issue of AEG News…The March special edition of the News will be on volcanology.Please submit ideas for articles to AEG News editor AnnaSaindon at [email protected]. Final articles will be due nolater than January 31, 2016. As a reminder, photos andother graphic images must be a minimum of 300 dpi—ideallyat 7.5” wide—for cover consideration.

Hawaii’s Temple of Doom

hen we think about geology, it is usually interms of environmental, engineering, seis-

mology, and paleontology. How does archaeologyfit in? For more than five years, I have been a part of the non-profit group Cave Archaeology Investigation & Research Net-work (CAIRN). I serve as the group’s geologist. Susie Jansenand Craig Williams, my friends and coworkers at AECOM—formerly URS—are archaeologists and founders of CAIRN.They invited me to function as the group geologist, althoughI assist in many other ways as needed. CAIRN was estab-lished in 2008 to fill a void in archaeological and cavestudies. CAIRN is typically contacted by private landowners,cave research organizations, and government agencies, suchas the U.S. Forest Service. In some cases, people have acave on their property and want to know if there has beenany prehistoric activity there. In other cases, cave research

groups look to CAIRN to culturallyassess a cave as part of a largerproject or in conjunction with federalagencies. When archaeological sitesare located, they are documentednon-destructively and in-situ with

techniques that best fit the situation(photos/sketch maps/video/survey).

Artifacts are not removed. Once we haverecorded the site, CAIRN sets about writing a report that isgiven to the relevant party or parties. Cave locations arekept discrete by CAIRN. Peter Campbell, a fellow archaeolo-gist and colleague, heads up CAIRN’s Submerged Archaeology Division.

As the CAIRN geologist, I help describe the geology of thesurrounding cave systems that house these archaeological



Journeying through Time: Geology Meets Archaeology

Stefanie Voss

W

Exploring the historic Philadelphia brewery cave PHOTO BY: MICHAEL SCHOENEWIES

sites. I offer a wider prospective of cave useand patterns of occupation. In Missouri, thereare plenty of cave-forming rock units; such asthe Gasconade Dolomite, Pearson Formation,and St. Louis Limestone. A random rock frag-ment may have been shaped by erosion,instead of man. Chert fragments may have beenreworked to make an arrowhead or spear point.In other cases, some rocks that are not presentin a particular area or formation were brought infor some purpose—burial slabs, trade, etc. Oneof my roles is to identify rock types and discernif they are “local.” This isn’t limited to prehistoricsites. A CAIRN project at a historic mine sitehad several pits with piles of tailings nearby. Insome of these pits, I could tell what the markerbeds were in the ore veins that the prospectorswere chasing, based on the waste quartz frag-ments left behind in the pits. I also helped iden-tify what may have been considered “waste”

rocks as opposed to what may have been shaped by far oldergeologic or non-geologic processes.

Our work has taken us into large and small naturallyformed caverns, human-modified brewery caves under urbanareas, caves that require crawls or rappelling, and also sheltercaves. Investigations span prehistoric and historic archaeology.Some of our investigations have been more historic in nature.In 2013, CAIRN was asked to help identify car parts from aModel-T that were dumped in a pit cave. Trained CAIRN special-ists (including me!) rappelled 70 feet into the cave to documentthe rusted and decomposing parts. We found serial numbers tohelp identify the make and model of the car. In brewery caves,we have identified bottles to determine the age of the operationand post-brewery use. One brewery cave was found to have ayet-explored submerged second level, which is unusual andindustrious for the 1800s. There is likelihood that these per-ceived isolated brewery caves are part of a network, long sinceblocked off by prior owners. At another site in 2014, sheltercaves, close to a Civil War archaeological site investigated byCAIRN, were found to have unusual markings that could be pre-historic or masonic in nature. Our group has collaborated withacademia interested in testing the 3D imaging capabilities ofusing structured light scanning underground. This researchcould help refine the use of equipment to further explore cavesin areas that would challenge even the most adventurous caver.It could also help investigate cave collapse or flooded mines.

As an organization, we strive to cause as little damage tothe cave and archaeological site as possible. The cave can bea habitat for various species, some of which are endangered.The goal is to leave it as we found it. We also maintain privacyof the cave locations for the people who invite us onto theirproperty, as well as out of respect for the cave and preservingit for future generations.

Why is cave stewardship and cave archaeology important?Looting is a serious threat to caves. Caves are more than justshelters from the elements, as depicted in cartoons and books.



CAIRN team investigating for possible artifacts at cave gate sitePHOTO BY: JESSI SCHOENEWIES

Rappelling into Crankshaft Cave PHOTO BY: JESSI SCHOENEWIES

In many cultures, it was theentrance to the underworld.People buried their dead incaves sometimes, with gifts orbelongings to help them on theirjourney though the spirit world.In most cases, this sanctity isdamaged or destroyed bypresent-day looters. Many of thecaves that CAIRN visits acrossMissouri have been looted fortheir “treasures.” This is more

than just exploring for arrowheads and bits of pottery on theground. It is the systematic excavation of prehistoric graves foranything of monetary value included in these final restingplaces. This not only damages an archaeological site, it in turndamages the delicate cave environment by rerouting drainages,disturbing the ecology, and destroying formations. It is some-thing to consider during your next visit to the rock shop alongthe highway or your next Amazon purchase of geologic mate-rial. Regular cave visits like those by CAIRN or cavers allowmonitoring of the archaeology and biology, so we can keep aneye on threats.

When allowed and applicable, CAIRN reports the findings tothe appropriate state historic preservation agency. This archae-ological site, and hence the cave that contains it, will then beon the state record. Only archaeologists have access to thisrecord when researching projects. In numerous cases, loggingcave and archaeology sites with the state authority has pro-vided information that has helped save both caves and archaeo-logical sites from imminent destruction from a constructionproject such as a pipeline or road. CAIRN investigations arealso helpful and required when other cave advocacy groupsattempt to gate caves to keep out looters or vandals.

CAIRN has provided me a way to learn about archaeologyand their corresponding interplay with caves and geology. Iwould be remiss if I didn’t do a plug for CAIRN, and say that ifyou have any questions or if you would like to us to visit a caveon your property, we would love to investigate.

For more information or to contact us, CAIRN is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cairnstl?fref=ts or athttp://www.cavearchaeology.org/.



Article author Stefanie Voss prepares the ascent from Crankshaft Cave.PHOTO BY: MICHAEL SCHOENEWIES

Model T Ford car wheel parts dismantledand disposed into Crankshaft Cave PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SCHOENEWIES

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IntroductionThe title of this article parallels the title of the main (and moti-vating) reference, Landers (2015). There are many parallelsbetween the licensure processes for engineers and for geolo-gists. When a trend develops in the administration of engi-neering licensure laws, geologists and geology licensureboards will benefit by being aware of it: the trend might expandto their licensure world. The current trend in engineering licen-sure, as described in Landers (2015) is called “early taking” ofthe PE exam. Would “early taking” of the ASBOG® (NationalAssociation of State Boards of Geology) PG exam benefit geolo-gists and the public we serve?

“Early Taking” and “Wait Times”According to remarks in Landers (2015), the content of the PEexam is based on the assumption that a recommended fouryears of progressively responsible professional experience hasbeen acquired by the candidate after graduation, and the PEexam is designed in part to test knowledge gained in thoseearly years of professional practice. Many state engineeringlicensure laws and boards have a coordinated four-year (or so)“wait-time” after graduation until candidates (who have passedthe FE exam) are allowed to sit for the PE exam. Some statesdo not. Most geologist licensure boards have a similar “waittime” criterion for a newly graduated geologist to take the PGexam. The PG exam content is based on a similar experiencecriterion, and it is also designed to test knowledge gained inthe early years of professional geological practice. Landers(2015) describe a trend among U.S. engineering licensureboards to reduce the wait time before the candidate can takethe PE exam. His article contains extensive discussion andopinion from engineers, their professional associations, andstaff of the NCEES (National Council of Examiners in Engi-neering and Surveying).

Early taking of the PE exam does not mean early licensure.Early takers who pass the exam must still obtain the requiredyears of progressively responsible experience and meet allother licensure criteria before a license is granted by a stateboard. This same requirement would likely apply to geologists ifearly taking expands to geologist licensure.

So, what is the discussion really all about, and can geolo-gists look forward to an early taking trend in their professionallicensure system? It turns out that the discussion brought animportant related issue to the surface that also applies to theASBOG PG examination.

SupportersAs described in Landers (2015) the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) appears to be the initiator andprime organizational supporter of the current attempts toallow early taking. Several engineers active in licensure mat-ters in ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers), and staffof NCEES (National Council of Examiners in Engineering andSurveying), support or accept the concept to varyingdegrees. Landers (2015) provides abundant quotes from participants in the discussion.

Pros and ConsFirst in the supporters’ rationale of early taking is that it willattract more engineers to become licensed. They view this asa positive for the individuals and for the profession. At thepersonal level, licensed professionals will have more job andpromotion opportunities. In a larger sense, the public will ben-efit if there are more licensed professionals who adhere tothe high performance and ethical standards imposed by engineering licensure boards. Early taking, it is thought, willattract candidates who might be planning careers in exemptpractice to take the PE exam because they will find it moreconvenient to do so early in their careers, at a time closer tothe completion of their academic education. This eases theburden of review study for the academic part of the PE exam.This convenience factor also applies to candidates who plancareers as licensed engineers.

A point made in Landers (2015) is that the public will ben-efit from early taking if it results in more engineers who prac-tice in exempt industries being licensed, because they will bepracticing under the strong practice regulations and ethicalstandards imposed by engineering licensure boards. Thisshould enhance the protection of the public health, safety, andwell-being by improving engineering practice standards in theexempt industries. As to the practice of geology in exemptindustries (see Tepel, 2015), this benefit would not be widelyavailable to the public because of the weak codes of ethics (orpractice guidelines) of nearly all geology licensure boards (seeTepel, 2012).

There are two main concepts among the cons of earlytaking. First, because the PE (and PG) exam is designed to testknowledge gained in the first four (or so) years on the job aftergraduation, early takers might lack at least some of that knowl-edge and perform poorly on the exam. Second, if some stateboards allow early taking and others do not, this lack of unifor-mity might place barriers in the comity process.

ISSUES IN PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE

In this series, we present the opinions of the author as he explores the issues that are important in the implementation and operation of statutory licensure for geologists. The author’s opinions are not necessarily those of the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists or any other organization or entity.

Issue LXXV

Experience and the PG ExaminationRobert E. Tepel, PG, CEG, and Past President AEG

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Related Issue: Validity of Irrelevant Information in Exam ItemsBackgroundA related issue discussed in Landers (2015) also applies tothe ASBOG PG exam. The concern rose to a level such thatASCE developed Policy Statement 544 to address it (AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers, 2014). This concern questions adetail in how the exam items are presented to the candidates.The concern is, essentially, that the tendency in recent yearsto cleanse PE exam items of “extraneous information” resultsin items that present the candidate with the informationneeded to solve a problem or answer a question, and no morethan that. Some of the discussants in Landers (2015) holdthat, in the world of licensed professional engineering practice,it is important for the practitioner to be able to sift throughinformation resources that might include extraneous or irrele-vant information and to select the appropriate informationneeded to complete a task. (In the context of discussion in thisarticle, “information” includes all information presented to thecandidate in the stem of an exam item: textual, graphical,imagery, numerical, and mathematical, and “data” meansnumerical information. Where these words appear in quota-tions from sources, their meaning is controlled by the originalcontext.) In my opinion, not only is the point on information rel-evance/irrelevance valid, it highlights the wider issue of dataintegrity and what exam candidates should be expected toknow about that.

Discussion: What Does Item Writing Guidance SayAbout Irrelevant Information in Exam Items? Item writing guidance varies on the issue of including irrele-vant information depending on the type of examination. Hereare two examples of guidance at the level of universitycoursework exams. Mueller (n.d., p. 8) advises “Keep theitem simple, only including relevant information.” Zimmermanand others, 1990, p. 4) say “exclude extraneous and irrele-vant information,” and on page 8 they suggest “Include asmuch of the item as possible in the stem, but do not includeirrelevant material.” Students are protected from the traumaof discerning irrelevant information if these guidelines are fol-lowed by their professors. But what about exams at the pro-fessional credentialing level? My small collection ofpsychometric literature yielded no references that specificallyaddress the issue of including irrelevant information in examitems. For example, it is not addressed in LaDuca and others(1995). The issue is covered indirectly by Office of Profes-sional Examination Services (1997), which notes (p. 3) “Userealistic scenarios or case data to increase job-relatedness.… The scenario or case data format set the item in anapplied context. The scenario presented should be a commonsituation that occurs on the job. Graphics, diagrams, ortables of information may be included if they are consistentwith the information candidates would encounter on the job.”This guidance neither approves nor disapproves the inclusionof irrelevant information in an exam item; it does call for

items to be realistic and job-related. Certainly (my opinion),dealing with irrelevant information, whether numerical,graphical, image-based, or textual, is a task that licensurecandidates are very likely to have encountered on the job,and will encounter after licensure.

Discussion: Is the Task in the Test Specification?A Test Specification (or Examination Plan or Blueprint) is thedocument that lists the job-related tasks that are the basis forwriting items that appear on the exam. If a task is on the list,there will be at least one exam item on it on each administra-tion of the exam; if a task is not on the list, or it is not an infer-able part of a listed task, questions about it will not appear onthe exam. The discussants in Landers (2015), who want the PEexam to be true to its goal of testing knowledge gained in theearly years of professional practice by including items thatpresent the candidates with irrelevant information, along withthe relevant information needed to arrive at the correct answer,have the chore of finding their favored task (recognizing irrele-vant information) in the test specification. If their favored task isnot in the test specification, or if it cannot be inferred to beincluded in a listed task, items that include irrelevant informa-tion will be written only by happenstance because the itemwriters have no directive to write such items. To broaden theconceptual basis of the favored task for this discussion, I’llexpand the simple task of “recognize irrelevant information” tothis task statement: Analyze and evaluate information resourcescontaining information with varying levels of relevance, relia-bility, consistency, precision, accuracy, and coverage forproject purposes. Table One allows a comparison of thisexpanded task and “best fit” tasks from selected test specifica-tions or exam plan that might be related to it or to the task of“recognize irrelevant information.”

Discussion: Table OneNothing close to either my generalized information evaluationtask or the simple “recognize irrelevant information” taskappears in any of the “best fit” tasks, although one might inferthat “recognize irrelevant information” is included in some ofthe listed task statements. So, how to correct this lack ofclarity and specificity? Make use of the exam developmentcycle. In a typical exam development cycle, the Subject MatterExperts, working from a Task Analysis Survey (ASBOG) or froma Professional Activities and Knowledge Survey (NCEES)decide what tasks are important for exam purposes anddevelop the Test Specification or Examination Plan that liststhe tasks upon which exam items will be based. If the task of“recognize irrelevant information” (or my suggested general-ized information resource evaluation task), is placed on thenext Task Analysis Survey or Professional Activities and Knowl-edge Survey, the response from practicing professionals willclarify the matter. If practicing professionals rate the “recog-nize irrelevant information” task high, then it should appear inthe Test Specification or Exam Plan and related items will beon the exam. Based on my experience working with psycho-metricians on three geology credentialing exams, I think that


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psychometricians would have concerns that this type of item isnot overly time-consuming for the candidates, does notbecome mere “trickery,” and does not devolve into a test ofthe candidates’ test-taking skills instead of being substantivelyand realistically job-related.

The Practicality of Cleansing Irrelevant Information in a Geology Credentialing ExamThe general sense of concern about cleansing engineeringexam items of irrelevant information in Landers (2015) relatesin large part to items that require the use of deductive reasoning to derive a mathematically based answer. One discussant expressed a concern that by removing irrelevantinformation the problem becomes a simple “plug and chug”solution of an equation. Deductive thinking and equation-solving abilities are important in both engineering andgeology, and mathematically-based exam items can berestated without irrelevant data if the goal is to test equation-solving skills at the university scholar level. The practice ofgeology is characterized by the considerable use of inductivethinking to structure, and to draw conclusions from, inherentlycomplex information sources that supply information that isrelevant for some uses and not relevant for other uses. A

geological map, cross-section, stratigraphic column, structurecontour map, or geophysical log or section is an ideal subjectfor an exam item that is based on a job-related case study orscenario format (as recommended by Office of ProfessionalExamination Services, 1997; excerpt quoted above). Thesecomplex resources include, by their very nature, much infor-mation that is irrelevant to a specific task for which they docontain relevant information. Cleansing these complex imagesof irrelevant information is neither feasible nor practical if theitem is to be realistic and job-related.

ConclusionsEarly taking of the ASBOG PG exam will likely become a policyissue if early taking of the PE exam becomes widely acceptedin the engineering community.

The comparatively weak codes of ethics or practice guide-lines of geology licensure boards give no support to the ideathat increasing the number of licensed geologists practicingunder the industry exemption will raise practice standards inthose industries and better protect the public.

While it is possible to cleanse mathematically based PGexam items of irrelevant information, doing so would reducethem to the level of a college course exam. For the PG exam,image-based items cannot be cleansed of extraneous informa-tion and retain realism or job-relatedness.

An idealized task requiring the exam candidate to evaluateand analyze information resources of varying quality and appli-cability, while it has merit on the face of it, has only weaklinkage to existing tasks lists for the PE and PG exams. Thevalidity and importance of this task can be determined byplacing it on a Task Analysis Survey or Professional Activitiesand Knowledge Survey.

ReferencesAmerican Society of Civil Engineers, 2014, Policy Statement 544 – The Purpose

of the Principles and Practice of Engineering Examination. Accessible bysearch at www.asce.org.

LaDuca, Anthony, Downing, Steven M., and Henzel, Thomas R., 1995, Systematic Item Writing and Test Construction. Chapter 5 (pp. 115-148) inImpara, James C., editor, 1995, Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures,and Practices, Buros Institute of Mental Measurement, University ofNebraska, Lincoln,

Landers, Jay, 2015, Experience and the PE Exam. Civil Engineering, AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers, May 2015, pp. 58-63.

Mueller, Jon, n.d., Authentic Assessment Toolbox” Constructing Good Item.Posted at http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/tests/gooditems.htm#terminology.

Office of Professional Examination Services. California Department of Consumer Affairs, 1997, A Practical Guide to Constructing Multiple-Choice Examinations.

Tepel, Robert E., 2012, Issue LXIII: The “Primacy Clause” in Codes of Ethics:a Window into Licensure Board and Professional Association Values.AEG News, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 32-37.

Tepel, Robert E., 2015, Issue LXXIII, The Industry Exemption in GeologyLicensure Laws: Should it Stay? AEG News, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 27-29.

Zimmerman, Beverly B., Sudweeks, Richard R., Shelley, Monte, and Wood,Bud, 1990, How to Prepare Better Tests: Guidelines for University Faculty. Brigham Young University.


TABLE ONE. Expanded Resource Information Analysis Task and BestFits from Selected

NCEES and ASBOG Task Lists

1. Source Expanded Task Statement (Row 2) and Best Fit Task Statements fromNCEES and ASBOG Task Lists (Rows 3-5). Links to sources given in notes.

2. This article Analyze and evaluate information resources containing informationwith varying levels of relevance, reliability, consistency, precision, accuracy, andcoverage for project purposes. `

3. NCEES(Note 1) IA. Site Characterization, Interpretation of available existing site dataand proposed site development data ….

4. ASBOG 2010(Note 2) Task 2. Collect, compile, and interpret historic information to plan geological investigations.Task 3. Interpret and analyze available geological and geophysical data…. Tasks 9. Evaluate geochemical and isotopic data….Tasks 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 32, and 38 are all in the form of Plan and con-duct…investigations….

5. ASBOG 2015(Note 3) Task 2. Compile and organize available information to plan geologicalinvestigations. Tasks 9. Evaluate geochemical and isotopic data….Tasks 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 32, and 38 are all in the form of Plan and conduct…investigations….

Notes for Table One:1. The NCEES exam specification for the civil engineering breadth and geotech-

nical engineering depth exams (found at http://ncees.org/exams/pe-exam/), 2. The ASBOG 2010 PG examination blueprint (found at

http://asbog.org/documents/testblueprint.pdf).3. The ASBOG 2015 Task Analysis Survey list of tasks found in Section 3.0 of

the report at http://www.asbog.org/documents/ASBOG%20TAS%202015%20-%20Summary%20Report%20%28April%202015%29.pdf.

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Carolinas SectionAlex Rutledge, Chair, and Maddie German, Vice Chair

The Carolinas Section has been light on events but heavy onplanning during the summer of 2015.

In late June, we tried a new networking social event at oneof the local Sporting Clay ranges! Although attendance wasmodest, we attracted quite a few AEG Members that don’t reg-ularly attend events and meetings. The highlight of the Car-olina’s Section summer activity is our ability to announce thatas of June 2015, the Carolinas Scholarship Fund is acceptingdonations through the AEG Foundation and we will be awardingScholarships in 2016! The fund will support undergraduate stu-dents’ research, travel, and schooling while attending collegesand universities in North or South Carolina.

The Section Board of Directors, committee chairs, and sec-tion advisors met for a full day in June to plan events and initia-tives for the coming year. One of the results of this meetingwas the addition of a summer section meeting held in Raleigh,NC, on August 6th. At this meeting Dr. Chris Tacker presentedthe igneous geochemistry, diamond petrogenesis, explorationmethods, and techniques used by Jeff Moyer to find 13 gem-quality diamonds in NC over the last ten years.

On August 19, we held a networking social event at theTobacco Road Café in Durham, NC. The seating on the patioallowed us to watch the Durham Bulls, a local minor leagueteam, play live while we socialized, ate, and, of course, sam-pled a wide variety of craft beverages!

At Press Time:

We have some great events scheduled for fall, including ourSeptember Section meeting to be held in Asheville, NC. DaphneJones, PG, RSM, and Joan Smyth, PG, RSM, will present on thesurprises encountered on a large brownfield redevelopment siteat Winston-Salem State University.

Our section will offer two days of courses in groundwatergeochemistry: Introduction to Groundwater Geochemistry onOctober 5, and Intermediate Groundwater Geochemistry onOctober 6, 2015. Bill Deutsch, the course instructor, hastaught more than 150 courses in groundwater geochemistryand is the author of Groundwater Geochemistry, published byCRC Press.

Our fall field trip will be a Wine Terroir and Tasting Tour inthe Yadkin Valley of North Carolina. We’ll be visiting wineriesand tasting wine from October 9–11. Dr. Stephen Harper, Dr.Marlene McCauley, and Jane Gill-Shaler will provide details ofthe terroir and geology associated with each of the wineriesand the Yadkin Valley region.

New York – Philadelphia SectionMia Painter, Newsletter Editor

NY-P hosted our first student night in April and it was quite asuccess! We enjoyed 11 posters and 4 oral presentations fromstudents attending Villanova University, Widener University,Ramapo College, University of Pennsylvania, Delaware CountyCommunity College, and West Chester University. We wereproud to present participation gifts to each student presenterand a grand prize was awarded to the presenters who receivedthe highest speaker evaluation score. Special thanks to Dr.Chad Freed (Associate Professor of Environmental Science atWidener University) for organizing the event!

NY-P hosted our annual field trip on June 6, 2015. Dr. Ken-neth Lacovara, famous in recent years for the discovery of thehuge dinosaur Dreadnoughtus in Argentina, showed us aroundhis project site at the Inversand Quarry Pit in Mantua Township,NJ. Dr. Lacovara is working closely with Manuta Township to pre-serve the pit for a fossil park and center for STEM education(follow them at https://www.facebook.com/MantuaTownshipFos-silHeritage). A bone bed at the base of the pit is being carefullystudied, and possibly represents a ~K/Pg mass death assem-blage; and above that are tens of feet of greensand with avariety of fossils that are less important in the research world,but that allow kids and adults from all over the area to be a pale-ontologist for a day! The township organizes and hosts fieldtrips, and a vastly popular annual “Community Fossil Dig Day.”We greatly enjoyed a field lecture by Dr. Lacovara, then our 60+attendees had the opportunity to search for fossils in the pit. Weare grateful to Dr. Lacovara and the volunteers from the MantuaTownship Fossil Heritage for their contributions of time andeffort that made this a successful event, and we look forward tosupporting the project as it continues to move forward. NY-P

Dr. Ken Lacovara speaking to NY-P field trip participants

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AEG, NJ LSRPA (NJ LicensedSite Remediation Profes-sionals Association), andAHMP (Alliance of Haz-ardous Materials Profes-sionals) also hosted a jointnetworking event at a localbaseball game in mid-August for established andaspiring professionals.

At Press Time: The RE3 Conference will beheld in Philadelphia on September 16–18, 2015.

NY-P members will be assisting in the review of the abstracts,and marketing of the conference. We will likely host an exhibition table and spend some time promoting AEG.

We continue to thank everybody for keeping our NY-P Sectionvibrant, either by attending, presenting, serving on a committee,and/or by offering feedback or ideas. We always welcome newideas and look forward to seeing you at our next meeting!

ABOVE: Casey Twele and Amanda Forsburg at the Inversand Quarry Pit after d igging around looking for fossils.

Oregon Section Mark Swank, Secretary

The Oregon Section closed out the 2014–15 lecture serieswith our annual Student Poster Night on May 20. Posters cov-ered a wide range of topics and were judged by a three-personpanel of Section professionals and invited contractors who havesupported the Section throughout the year. Presenters andtheir topics included: Karla Farley, Katherine Armstrong,and Alex Ruzika, Portland State University, NWA 8614: TheLeast Heated Winonaite; Gabriela R.S. Ferreira and RobertB. Perkins, Portland State University, Arsenic Mobilization fromSilicic Volcanic Rocks in the Southern Willamette Valley;Heather Herinckx, Portland State University, Volcanology andSedimentology of the Dalles Formation in the Dufur West Quad-rangle, Oregon; Kassandra Lindsey, Dr. Scott Burns, andDavid Dreher, Portland State University, Radon on AlamedaRidge, Portland, Oregon and the Relationship with Geology;Megan Masterson, Portland State University, Hydrogeochem-istry of the Piceance Creek Basin, Northwestern Colorado; and,Justin McCarley, Portland State University, A Study of CreepingLandslide Movement using CIAS Image Correlation on RasterImages Derived from Lidar Point Cloud Data.

A special congratulations to Jennifer DiGiulio and NoraUtevsky, both from Oregon State University, on winning thisyear’s Student Award to attend the 2015 Annual Meeting in

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New York-Philadelphia Section Field Trip to Inversand Quarry Pit

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The award provides each winner withairfare, accommodations, and $1,000 to attend the meeting.Jennifer’s presentation and poster on Digitization of the 1991Mount Jefferson Geologic Map: Project Motivation and Applications and Nora’s presentation and poster on Tracers ofOre Fertility & Crustal Signatures: Applying Zircon Geochemistry& Geochronology to Plutons in the Western Cascades, WA &OR will be shown at the meeting.

For several years running, the Oregon Section has beensupported by some outstanding individuals. We want to thankthe continued diligent coordination by our Program Chair MikeMarshall, Newsletter Editor Scott Braunsten, and WebmasterKeith Olsen, who are all doing a wonderful job with keepingour Section’s presentations interesting and our communicationsup-to-date and relevant.

Thanks to the Oregon Section Board for all of their effortsduring the 2014–15 term—and especially to our out-going Section Chair, Linda Mark. Ballots for the Oregon Section2015–16 Board have been counted and the official results areas follows: Chair Adam Reese, Chair-Elect Stephen Hay,Treasurer Mark Swank, and, the newest member to the Boardand Secretary, Chris Humphrey.

At Press Time: In late-September, Section Vice Chair Stephen Hay will lead afield trip to the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT)Newberg-Dundee Bypass project located along Highway 99W inOregon’s wine country. ODOT has been working for many yearswith local communities to plan the Newberg-Dundee Bypass, anexpressway that will be an 11-mile, four-lane highway aroundthe cities of Newberg and Dundee. Construction of the Phase 1of the Bypass includes ten bridge structures where the bypasscrosses over creeks, wetlands, railroads, or travels over orunder other local roads.

Sacramento SectionChase White, Secretary

It is late July in the Central Valley of California, and the Sacra-mento Section members are busy working and vacationing inthe heat of summer. Our Section is taking the month of July offfrom formal activities but have a great lineup of speakers formonthly meetings ahead.

We held our May 2015 meeting on the 26th at Aviator’sRestaurant at the Executive Airport in south Sacramento. Ourspeaker for the evening was Julien Cohen-Waeber, PE, CEG, ofAECOM. Cohen-Waeber spoke about and presented on TheAugust 24, 2014, M6 South Napa Earthquake, summarizing theGeotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) Associa-tion’s activities and findings after and around the South Napaearthquake event. As the most significant and damaging earth-quake to occur in the greater San Francisco Bay Area regionsince the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the South Napa earth-quake is an event of primal importance and interest to our engi-neering geologic practice community. He described the datagathering efforts employed by the GEER team and the compila-

tion and distillation of the damage reports and other inventory ofground shaking and ground rupture reports and measurements.

Our June meeting was held at a new venue—Hoppy BrewingCompany in east Sacramento. Our speaker was Coralie Wilhite,PG, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Wilhite presented Slope Failure Investigation and Mitigation Design, PineFlat Dam, Fresno County, CA. The presentation described theinvestigation of a slope failure on the downstream right abutmentthat was first recorded in winter 1995 and posed a threat toappurtenant features of the dam such as an adit, penstocks, anda toe drain. Investigation and mitigation efforts have continued inphases as the landslide has reactivated several times during wetwinter seasons up through 2013. The current mitigation alterna-tive using tie-back anchors to restrain the slide mass has beenselected for design, which is ongoing.

St. Louis SectionStefanie Voss, Section Editor

AEG St. Louis had their annual officer elections in May. The section wishes many thanks to our retiring officers Mike Roarkand Jim Fels.

Congratulations to our new officers: Chair Dale Markley,Vice-Chair John Carrow, Treasurer Jon Truesdale, and Secretary Phyllis Steckel.

David Bardsley with Directed Technologies Drilling presented at the May meeting at Pietro’s Restaurant in St.Louis. He discussed directional drilling methods for environmental applications.

Our Section is taking a break for the rest of the summersave for a social event at the Cardinals-Giants baseball game onAugust 18. Despite the Cardinals’ loss, we had a terrific time.

San Francisco Section Sarah Kalika, Chair

In July we hosted Jahns Lecturer Eldon Gath at PyramidBrewing Company in Berkeley, with a whopping turnout ofnearly 60 people!

Our Fall 2015 schedule is getting full with presentations setfor October—Chris Madugo of PG&E will discuss findings fromthe EERI response to the Nepal earthquake. In NovemberOzgur Kozaci of Fugro will discuss the North Anatolian Fault inTurkey. If you’d like to do a presentation at our Section in2016, please let us know.

We’re still looking for a new meeting venue to replaceSinbad’s and Pyramid Brewing, which closed abruptly a fewweeks after our meeting. If anyone has a great idea, please forward it along!

We’d also like to thank our latest Corporate Sponsor Fugrofor their support of our Section!

We are planning to hold our Section Board elections afterthe Annual Meeting, so check your email in early October for your ballot. As always, check our Section website for acopy of our latest newsletter, up to the minute news, meetinginformation, local job postings, and events—www.aegsf.org.

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Southern California Inland Empire Chapter(Riverside and San Bernardino Counties)

Shaun Wilkins, Secretary

The second quarter of 2015 was a productive one, andstarted with a bang as our first field trip in years was held on May 2. Coordinated by the chapter vice-chair, Jeff Fitzsimmons, the field trip—An Uplifting Experience: The CajonValley: 70 Ma of Textbook Geology—toured the Cajon Passarea and was led by Drs. Don Buchanan and Todd Heibel ofSan Bernardino Valley College. Contributors included Drs.Robert Reynolds of the California State University DesertStudies Consortium and W. Britt Leatham from California StateUniversity – San Bernardino and San Bernardino Valley College.Some of the features observed and described by our academicpanel included: the collision point of the Pacific and NorthAmerican plates, rotation of Transverse Range blocks withaccompanying basin filling, the San Andreas and Squaw Peakfaults, timing and sequence of uplift of San Gabriel and SanBernardino blocks and developing geomorphic features such assag ponds and terraces, as well as several of the key geologicformations in the area. The field trip was a rousing successenjoyed by about 20 people; discussions are already underwayfor next year’s field trip location.

We are proud to report that we offered another shortcourse in May detailing some of the primary sources of

geologic risk that are associated with our professional fields.Coordinated by Dr. Kerry Cato of Cato Geoscience, Inc., washeld at the Elk’s Lodge in San Bernardino, and included severaldiscussions. The morning was led by Ric Moore, ExecutiveOfficer of the California Board for Professional Engineers, LandSurveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG), which is the governingagency for licensure for geologists in the state of California.Moore provided insight into The Geologists and GeophysicistsAct – Understanding the Licensure Laws, Responsibilities of theLicensee, and Protection of the Public. Moore was followed bytwo attorneys who gave their perspectives on Liability, Contracts and Standard of Care as viewed from in-housecounsel for a geotechnical firm and as viewed from outsidecounsel. This panel discussion included Ji Shin, general counselfor Earth Systems, and Robert H. Stellwagen, Jr., Attorney atLaw for Collins Collins Muir + Stewart. It provided excellentinsight into the importance of contracts, what to include inthem, and how to properly word them to help protect bothfirms and individuals employees from liability and loss.Rounding out the morning session of the short course wasRichard Roth, a consulting insurance actuary who provided adiscussion on Professional Liability and Homeowners Insurance:What Is Insured As Applied to Geology.

The second phase of the short course was opened by Dr. Jeff Keaton, principal engineering geologist for AMECFoster Wheeler, who provided insight into Recognizing andExpressing Uncertainty and Variability in Geology: The Needfor Geologic Models. Keaton’s presentation was followed byan engineering geologist with the California Geological Survey,

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The famous Mormon Rocks, comprised of the Punchbowl Formation

September 2015 AEG NEWS 58 (3) 2222 AEG NEWS 58 (3) September 2015

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Tim Dawson, who gave a discus-sion of Assessment of SurfaceRupture Hazard in RegulatoryEarthquake Fault Zones and Practical Considerations forImprovements to the Alquist-Priolo Act. Our final and keynoteaddress for the short course wasprovided by Dr. Roy Shlemonand offered a related if somewhatcontrasting viewpoint toDawson’s. This discussion,Acceptable Risk for Surface-faultRupture, was on the need to allowfor design of structures to with-stand minor surface fault rupture.The short course was wellattended and well received. A bigthank you to Dr. Kerry Cato forputting it together once again!

Finally, our meeting in Junewas held at the Pinnacle PeaksSteakhouse in Colton, CA, avenue we have not visited latelybut may become a regular location. The discussion was pro-vided by Dr. John Izbicki, recentretiree from the USGS with morethan 30 years of service in Maryland, Massachusetts, andCalifornia. Dr. Izbicki discussedUsing Disparate, Process- Oriented Data to Solve Hydro-logic Problems. He described theincreasingly important need toapply the optimal mix of innova-tive and basic science, alongwith collaboration and communi-cation across professional disci-plines in order to help solvemore complex problems. He stipulated that the goal ofprocess-oriented work and collaboration is to produce‘more-correct’ interpretations, in support of traditional field-data and model analysis, than is possible for individualshaving limited perspectives and skill sets working alone or in“bureaucratic silos.” The attendees appeared to thoroughlyenjoy the discussion, the last for the IE Chapter beforesummer break. After summer, we look forward to thenational meeting and officer elections.

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View from the top of the Cajon Pass of the north side of the San Gabriel Mountains

Looking down the throat of the beast: The San Andreas Fault

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Corporate SponsorsCorporate SponsorsAEG is grateful to the corporations and individuals who contribute to our operating fund through their sponsorship.

President’sClubCreek Run Environmental Jason LenzPO Box 114Montpelier, IN 47359765-728-8051www.CreekRun.com

PlatinumKleinfelder, Inc. Chad Lukkarila550 West C Street, #1200San Diego, CA [email protected]

Ruen Drilling, Inc. Arlan Ruen2320 River RoadClark Fork, ID [email protected]

GoldParratt-Wolff, Inc.Gary Ellingworth501 Millstone Dr.Hillsborough, NC [email protected]

SilverEarth Consultants International, Inc. Tania Gonzalez 1642 East Fourth StreetSanta Ana, CA 92701714-544-5321tgonzalez@earthconsultants.comwww.earthconsultants.com

Exponent Betsy Mathieson475 14th St., Suite 400Oakland, CA [email protected]

Gregg Drilling & Testing, Inc.Patrick Keating2726 Walnut Ave.Signal Hill, CA [email protected]

Michael F. Hoover ConsultingMichael F. HooverPO Box 30860 Santa Barbara, CA 93130805-569-9670www.hoovergeo.com

Robertson Geotechnical, Inc.Hugh S. Robertson2500 Townsgate Road, Suite EWestlake Village, CA [email protected] www.robertsongeotechnical.com

Sage Engineers, Inc. Ara Sanjideh2251 Douglas Blvd., Suite 200Roseville, CA 95661916-677-4800asanjideh@sageengineers.comwww.sageengineers.com

Shannon & Wilson, IncBill Laprade400 N 34th St Seattle, WA [email protected]

BronzeEnviro-Equipment, Inc. Denise Chew11180 Downs Rd Pineville, NC [email protected]

Feffer Geological Consulting Josh Feffer 1990 S Bundy Dr, Suite 400Los Angeles, CA 90025310-207-5048www.feffergeo.com

Geodynamics Consulting Group, Inc.Harry Audell33282 Golden Lantern StreetDana Point, CA 92629949-493-1352www.geodynamicsinc.com

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AEG 59th Annual Meeting – September 18–25, 2016

Kona – Island of HawaiiWaikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa – Group Rate Only $185

Located beachfront along the sun-splashed Kohala Coast, the luxuriousWaikoloa Beach Marriott Resort welcomes guests with gracious style andHawaiian service. With the bounty of land and sea captured in stunning views,this Big Island Hawaii hotel and resort is the perfect place for a memorablemeeting with colleagues. Experience an authentic Polynesian show at theSunset Luau as our Special Event. Set upon 15 acres of oceanfront splendor,the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa offers a truly magical setting.

Planned SymposiaRock Engineering-Rock Mechanics SymposiumEngineering Geology for Tunnels and Underground ConstructionReaching the Last Mile: Our responsibility to effectively communicate to those in harmsway what geohazards they face and implement disaster mitigation strategies Environmental Impacts and Cleanup for Military Bases Application of Geophysics to Geotechnical InvestigationsCoastal and Harbor ProjectsArcheology and Engineering GeologyDam Safety Projects

Additional Possible Symposia for 2016:Volcanic Hazards in Hawaii and Elsewhere, convener from HVOpossible tie-in with a field trip. Shoreline Processes and Climate Change Impacts A Landslide Symposium

Join us on one or more of these great field trips and guest tours.FIELD TRIPSThe Big Island: Volcanoes, Geohazards & Active Structural Geology

The Hāmākua CoastKīlauea Volcano and Hawaii Volcanoes National ParkEvening Stargazing at Ozinuka Center for International Astronomy – Mauna Kea Volcano

Ka Lea (South Point) and Papakōlea Green Sand Beach

Guest ToursVolcanoes National Park & S. Island TourTraditional Hawaiian Culture & Gourd ArtMacadamia Nut Co & Parker RanchDowntown Kona Historic Walking Tour

Experience the magic!

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