Geotechnical Engineering expert Magued Iskander gets “transparent” in prestigious ASCE Lecture
The Martin S. Kapp Memorial Lecture, in its 45th year, has been delivered by some of the most outstanding authorities in the field of soil mechanics and foundation engineering
Magued Iskander, Chair of the Department of Civil and Urban Engineering at NYU Tandon, dug into the history of soil-structure, interaction — including his own innovations — in the 45th Martin S. Kapp Lecture for the ASCE Metropolitan Section Chapter of the Geo-Institute. Iskander’s presentation at the prestigious event traced the history of the development of transparent soil surrogates and findings relevant to geotechnical engineering practice.
Geotechnical engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the analysis, design and construction of structures made of, or supported by, soils such as foundations, tunnels, retaining walls, embankments, levees, dams... etc. In his own work Iskander, a recipient of the prestigious NSF CAREER Award is widely recognized as the foremost expert in physical modelling of soil-structure interaction and flow, using transparent soils.
He develops novel approaches to understand the interaction of soils. His work includes research into soil penetration mechanics using transparent soil surrogates, the use of sustainable piling made of recycled polymers, high-strain rate behavior of soils, geotechnical instrumentation, offshore foundations including Pipe Piling, Suction Caissons, and Torpedo Anchors, seismic earth pressure, marine geotechnology, and soil structure interaction of rigidly framed structures.
The author of over 150 papers, four books (and editor of 10), he is passionate about engaging K12 students in STEM education, with a particular interest in robotics and sensors in K-12 classrooms as a way to inspire students.
