GeoCelebration 2020
www.GeoCelebration.com
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
"Personal Journey into Soil Mechanics for Unsaturated Soils"
Dr. Delwyn G. Fredlund, O.C., P. Eng. has devoted most of his career to researching the engineering behavior of unsaturated soils. It is a journey that has extended over 50 years. In the 2020 Regina GeoCelebration he relates some of the experiences from growing up on the semi-arid prairies of Saskatchewan to his ongoing involvement in advancing “unsaturated soil mechanics”. The journey into understanding unsaturated soil behavior has led him to numerous countries; countries where the people were disadvantaged and had needs beyond understanding soil mechanics. The journey led to devoting a part of his life to charitable needs of the less fortunate. Del will relate some of his experiences and lessons learned that have been particularly meaningful to him.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Del Fredlund has spent over 40 years conducting research into the behavior of unsaturated soils. Most of his career was spent at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, where he organized the Unsaturated Soils Group for the study of all areas of unsaturated soil behavior. Del Fredlund obtained his B.Sc. degree from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon in 1962. In 1966 Del Fredlund joined the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1973 he obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Alberta. Dr. Fredlund’s research studies have resulted in the authorship of two books, namely, “Soil Mechanics for Unsaturated Soils”, and “Unsaturated Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice” published by John Wiley & Sons. Dr. Fredlund published approximately 500 journal and conference research papers and has delivered many keynote lectures at conferences. He has been the recipient of numerous awards.