Geo-Institute Director’s Cut

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 17 of Season 7, our guest is K.K. Phoon of the Singapore University of Technology and Design!
SHOW NOTES:
- I recorded this while I was at the Central PA Geotechnical Conference in Hershey - it was noisy, and yeah, there are people walking behind. Don't be alarmed :-)
- First, everyone should learn about KK's university - the Singapore University of Technology and Design! https://www.sutd.edu.sg/
- Here's some analysis of The Little Prince - and if you haven't read it, you NEED to: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/littleprince/plot-analysis/
- I am an idiot and kept saying crepe instead of crab - here's a version of the famous chilli crab recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/singapore-chilli-crab/
- Singapore's airport is a FASCINATING engineering story - start here for info: https://www.burohappold.com/articles/behind-the-engineering-at-jewel-changi-airport/
- ASCE and G-I published a volume in honor of Fred Kulhawy in 2013 - and KK was one of the editors! https://ascelibrary.org/doi/book/10.1061/9780784412763
- Learn more about AI Singapore here: https://aisingapore.org/
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 16 of Season 7, our guest is Jewels Stover of Trevi Icos!
SHOW NOTES:
- Jewels' celebratory post when she received her Operator Certification: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jewels-stover-b5833914_milestone-unlocked-i-have-earned-my-official-activity-7069283831530360832-LyEt/
- KDK stands for Kraft-Dreh-Kopf, which literally means "Power Rotary Head." Here's an ECA training video that talks about the KDK, and yes, the CFA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiClyaG8Kr8
- This page will get you to the issue of Foundation Drilling with Jewels on the cover! https://www.adsc-iafd.com/engage/women-in-construction/special-edition-of-foundation-drilling-magazine/
- Find out more about G-I technical committees and apply here! http://geoinstitute.org/committees
- The Colorado Climate Center has a whole page about when spring REALLY starts in Colorado: https://climate.colostate.edu/blog/index.php/2025/03/14/what-season-is-it-anyway/
- Info about ADSC's Outstanding Women in Construction Award info is here: https://www.adsc-iafd.com/engage/women-in-construction/outstanding-women-in-construction/
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 15 of Season 7, our guests are Caley Barnett, Ben Noirot, Braden Sapp, and Naomi Wertz of the University of Akron, the 2026 winners of the Geo-Wall competition!
SHOW NOTES:
- This is a super sized episode - having 4 guests just takes a little longer!
- All the stuff you need to know about ASCE student membership is here: https://www.asce.org/communities/student-members
- The Diamond Deli has a relatively robust website: https://www.diamonddeli.us/
- And Luigi's is here: https://luigisrestaurant.com/
- Antelope Island State Park IS in the Great Salt Lake! More info here: https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/antelope-island/
- The rules for the 2027 Geo-Challenge, including Geo-Wall, will be out after Labor Day!
- Of course, you can make your contributions to G-I student programs here: https://www.ascefoundation.org/geo-institute-student-participation-fund-individuals
- Learn about Zippy the Kangaroo here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zippy_(mascot)
- And the University of Akron gives out and actively promotes the recipe for Zippy Cookies! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rclwTGGjtY
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 14 of Season 7, our guest is Ken Mika of TetraTech, the 2025-26 ASCE Board of Direction Assistant Treasurer!
SHOW NOTES:
- It was really windy the day we recorded, and the wind seemed to get the best of the WiFi and the recording several times.
- There's so much to read about the Bears-Packers rivalry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bears%E2%80%93Packers_rivalry
- Here's some beautiful footage of some Wisconsin cheese curds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-BGMmERObk
- Find your section, branch, or Institute chapter by starting at ASCE's Regions page: https://www.asce.org/communities/find-a-group/regions
- Here's more info on the Fly-In: https://www.asce.org/advocacy/legislative-fly-in
- A Day in the Life of Bernie Brewer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv48iERkwj0
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 13 of Season 7, our guest is Don DeGroot of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst!
SHOW NOTES:
- Start learning more about NGI here: https://www.ngi.no/en/
- And you should meet Suzanne Lacasse, longtime NGI Director and now advisor. Don interviewed her for the Geo-Legends series in 2021! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjVIu8z8cY0
- The University of British Columbia has a whole dictionary of Canadianisms! https://dchp.arts.ubc.ca/
- We don't even have a web page about what it takes to be a faculty advisor - need to fix that. But reach out if you're interested in that role and we'll help.
- Here's info on the Canadian Ski Marathon! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Ski_Marathon
- UMass does indeed have the tallest library in the world. https://www.umass.edu/gateway/umass-stories/where-opportunity-stands-tall
- Here are some highlights from Game 7 of the 1971 Stanley Cup final, including the iconic shot of Jean Beliveau with his final Stanley Cup as a player: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFPlrmuFXZA
- Here's the Saku Koivu return: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-JpPyLHddM&pp=ygURc2FrdSBrb2l2dSByZXR1cm4%3D
- Here's a maple syrup tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lrYeDH4orE&pp=ygUSbWFraW5nIG1hcGxlIHN5cnVw
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 12 of Season 7, our guest is Jenny Ramirez of Geosyntec, 2026 Geo-Congress program committee member!
SHOW NOTES:
- Info on the Cherry Island Landfill project! https://dswa.com/facility/cherry-island-landfill/
- The chocolate brand endorsed by Shideh Dashti and Jenny that's made in Boulder: http://www.chocolove.com
- ASCE Student Membership is (still) FREE! Why would you NOYT JOIN?!? https://www.asce.org/communities/student-members
- More info on Parque Seminario in Guayaquil - where the iguanas live! https://theoccasionaltraveller.com/guayaquil-iguana-park/
- All your Geo-Congress info at http://www.geocongress.org!
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 10 of Season 7, our guest is Larissa Ribeiro of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the winner of the 2026 Geo-Shirt competition!
SHOW NOTES:
- It's behind a paywall, but here's a study of the history of geosynthetics in Brazil: https://www.soilsandrocks.com/sr-2025-011224
- Here's a good starter to compare Portuguese and Spanish: https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad/blog/portuguese-vs-spanish-language-key-differences-similarities
- Here's a simple pão de queijo recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_brazilian_cheese_bread
- And a feijoada recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/139208/feijoada-brazilian-black-bean-stew
- For info about ITA, start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instituto_Tecnol%C3%B3gico_de_Aeron%C3%A1utica
- There are so many stories about the history of Brasilia: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/60-years-ago-modernist-city-brasilia-built
- You can get your own shirt designed by Larissa for a $30 donation to student programs! https://www.ascefoundation.org/geo-institute-student-participation-fund-individuals
- All your Geo-Congress info at http://www.geocongress.org!
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 9 of Season 7, our guest is Marty Taube of Menard!
SHOW NOTES:
- A 60 Minutes piece from a couple weeks ago about McDowell County, WV - the home of Marty's field story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFtxQoBAGOU
- Some info on Taylor Allderdice HS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Allderdice_High_School
- Of course there's a Pittsburgh dictionary! https://www.yajagoff.com/pittsburghese
- Info about the Geo-Institute chapters: https://www.geoinstitute.org/chapters - A story on the final game at Forbes Field: https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-28-1970-human-locusts-have-their-day-pirates-play-final-game-at-forbes-field
- The Mario Lemieux goal from game 2 of the 1991 Stanley Cup Final is spectacular: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J0L74qUi8U
- And one of my favorite calls in sports history is somewhere around the 9:25 mark here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIl3jUOXh50
- All your Geo-Congress info at http://www.geocongress.org! The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 8 of Season 7, our guest is Seth Scheilz of Braun Intertec and the G-I Local Involvement Committee!
SHOW NOTES:
- Again, ASCE student membership is FREE. https://www.asce.org/career-growth/students
- Never had the Chick-Fil-A peach milkshake? You're missing out. https://www.brandeating.com/2024/07/review-chick-fil-peach-milkshake.html
- A National Park Service page on glacial till soils and some NPS spots where you can find them! https://www.nps.gov/articles/glacialtillandglacialflour.htm
- How to become an ASCE Fellow: https://www.asce.org/membership/join/fellow
- Find out more about Civil Engineering Certification, including the BC.GE: https://www.asce.org/career-growth/civil-engineering-certification
- Huge shoutout to Seth for wearing his Geo-Congress 2026 spirit wear! It's almost time!
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.
 

On Director's Cut, Geo-Institute Director Brad Keelor interviews G-I members about anything and everything. You might hear about their favorite geotechnical project, their favorite music, or their favorite pie. In Episode 7 of Season 7, our guest is Geo-Institute Past President Craig Benson of the University of Wisconsin and University of Virginia!
SHOW NOTES:
- Here are some cold weather running tips: https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/winter-running-tips.html
- We have Craig's 2012 Peck Lecture on Youtube to this very day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAaRCfrSCGo
- And of course you can always get the latest news on Geo-Congress at http://www.geocongress.org
- Watch Bill Marcuson's Geo-Legends interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7ikN9OM9y4
- Watch Rudy Bonaparte's Geo-Legends interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKFfgm3wR7M
The Geo-Institute is a technical society with about 12,000 geotechnical engineers and geologists as members. Find out more or join at http://www.geoinstitute.org.
Music courtesy of very cool Seattle band Head Like A Kite. Song is Director's Cut from the 2010 album Dreams Suspend Night. Check them out at http://www.headlikeakite.com.