Author name: Deep Foundations Institute

Mike Senior, P.E. Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) announces Michael Senior, P.E., Schnabel Engineering, as the new co-chair of its Anchored Earth Retention Committee joining Vaughn J. Godet, P.E., of Berkel & Company Contractors, and succeeding Jeff Segar, P.E., S.E. of GeoStabilization International. A senior engineer at Schnabel Engineering, Senior specializes in retaining walls, soil nails, […]

Abstracts are being accepted for presentations at SuperPile ’26, a piling design and construction conference being hosted by DFI in partnership with ADSC on June 24–26 at the New Orleans Marriott. Abstracts are due Monday, March 16, and can be submitted at dfi-events.org/superpile26. Invited and selected presentations will highlight advancements, innovations and challenges in design

Abstracts are being accepted for presentations at DFI’s S3: Slopes, Support and Stabilization conference being held August 11–13, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Abstracts are due Monday, March 2, and can be submitted at dfi-events.org/s3-26. This dynamic 2.5-day technical event is dedicated to the practical application of deep foundations, ground improvement and soil mixing for stabilization/support

DFI’s Sustainability Committee continues working with EFFC’s (European Federation of Foundation Contractors) Sustainability Working Group to develop a series of guides addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are most relevant to the geoindustry. The latest guide, EFFC/DFI Sustainability Guide No.3: Climate Adaptation & Resilience, focuses on climate adaptation and resilience to address SDGs

Luca Barison Tanner Blackburn, Ph.D., P.E. DFI’s membership voted to elect two new members to the DFI Board of Trustees. Their terms begin on January 1, 2026. The newly elected trustees are Luca Barison, Nicholson Construction Company, and Tanner Blackburn, Ph.D., P.E., Keller. Luca Barison is the senior vice president of strategy and business development

President’s Award Winners Peter Kandaris, Lorraine Engleman and John Anderson. DFI President James Johnson presented three President’s Awards during a special luncheon at the DFI 50th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations in Nashville on October 22. Established in 2016, the President’s Awards are selected at the discretion of the DFI president to honor individuals whose

Mickey Westbrook John McKinnon Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) announces new chairs for two technical committees. Mickey Westbrook is the new chair of the Augered Cast-in-Place and Drilled Displacement Pile Committee. Vice president of Specrete-IP Incorporated and a Kent State University graduate, Westbrook brings more than 13 years of experience in the deep foundations industry. He

Song Qin receiving award from Rudy Frizzi, chair of the Trust Song Qin, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, is the winner of the DFI Educational Trust Student Paper Competition. His paper is titled “Investigation of Vibratory Hammer Installation for Deeply Embedded Ring Anchor System in Sand.” Song presented his paper at DFI’s 50th Annual Conference on

Abstracts are being accepted until Monday, December 1, 2025, for original technical papers and panel sessions for DFI’s 51st Annual Conference on Deep Foundations (DFI51) being held November 2–5, 2026, in Orlando, Florida. The theme of the conference is “Sea Level Impacts: Navigating Challenges Together,” focusing on the multifaceted challenges and profound global implications that

Kord Wissmann, Ph.D., P.E., BC.GE, founder of Intechnics, is the recipient of DFI’s highest award bestowed to an individual, the Distinguished Service Award (DSA). This award recognizes individuals who have made exceptionally valuable contributions to the advancement of the deep foundations industry. The award is being presented at the DFI 50th Annual Conference on Deep