DFI Traveling Lecturer
The DFI Traveling Lecturer is a prominent industry expert selected annually to travel and present a series of lectures to university students, professional groups and industry associations. The program promotes the field of geotechnical engineering and deep foundation construction by encouraging students to explore a career in the deep foundations industry, providing information on topics of interest to members of the industry, and raising awareness of how DFI and its activities support the industry. The lecture series runs from September 1 - August 31.
The 2020-2021 DFI Traveling Lecturer
David B. Paul, P.E.
David B. Paul, P.E., is managing partner of Paul GeoTek Engineering, Denver, Colorado. He retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at the end of 2018 after 42 years of Federal service. His last position was as the dam safety officer for the Mosul Dam Task Force, which provided technical assistance to the Government of Iraq to mitigate dam safety issues associated with the dam. He also served as special assistant for Dam Safety at the USACE headquarters in Washington, D.C., responsible for managing the USACE's portfolio of 715 dams. He is a national specialist on critical infrastructure design, dam design, levee design, construction engineering, engineering risk assessments, interim risk reduction measures (IRRM), and dam and levee safety modifications. He recently participated in the Risk Assessment for Oroville Dam in California, which is the tallest earth dam in the U.S. He has been involved in the design and construction of 10 new dams and over 75 dam modifications around the world. Paul is currently a trustee of Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) and a member of the United States Society of Dams (USSD), Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He is DFI trustee liaison of DFI's Seepage Control and International Grouting Committees, serves as chair of the USSD Committee on Construction and is active with the Embankment Dams Committee. He is the USSD representative to the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) Embankment Dams Committee.
2020-2021 Traveling Lecture Series Topics
- Emergency Repairs to Mosul Dam in Iraq: A High-Risk Dam on a Karst Foundation
- 40 Years of Dam and Levee Safety in the U.S. - Positive Impact on Infrastructure
- Advancements in Technologies for Constructing Seepage Control Cutoffs for Dams and Levees - Beginning with Wolf Creek Dam
- Lessons Learned from the Failure of Teton Dam
- Risk Informed Design and Construction - What It Is and What It Is Not
- Geotechnical Baseline Reports - How to Identify a Good One and a Bad One
- Long-Term Performance Evaluations of Cutoff Wall Backfill Materials
- Trends in Data Management Systems and Construction Monitoring
>Learn more about 2020-2021 Traveling Lecture Series Topics
>Request the Traveling Lecturer to speak at your event
>Nominate someone as a future Traveling Lecturer
Past Traveling Lecturers
2019-2020: Willie M. NeSmith, P.E., former chief geotechnical engineer for Berkel & Company Contractors.
2018-2019: John R. Wolosick, P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE, director of engineering at Hayward Baker Inc. (HBI) and past president of DFI