DFI Lectures

DFI selects prominent members of the industry to deliver lectures at various events. These lectures honor notable DFI members and serve to honor them and DFI’s mission and goals to disseminate information on deep foundations.

DFI also instituted a traveling lecture for which the annual lecturer is nominated by DFI members and selected by committee.

Hal Hunt Lecture

illustration of hal hunt

The Hal Hunt Lecture was established in 1989. The lecture was named in honor of Hal W. Hunt, one of the initial organizers of DFI. From inception to 2014 notable communicators in the deep foundations industry were awarded this honor to provide presentations at DFI’s conference each year. Beginning with DFI’s 40th Anniversary Conference in 2015, celebrities with inspirational and motivating stories have been invited to deliver the lecture.

Sponsored Lecturers

Year

Location

Lecturer

Lecture Title

2023

Seattle, WA

Ken Jennings


2022

National Harbor, MD

Steph Davis

Embracing Change

2021

Las Vegas, NV

Jim Abbott

Adapting to Challenge and Overcoming Adversity

2020

DFI 45 Online Conference

Michael Sherman

An Overview of the Federal Commemorative Works Process in Washington, D.C.

2019

Chicago, IL

Linda Alvarado

Embracing Change: It is Brains, Not Just Brawn

2018

Anaheim, CA

Carl Lewis

Taking Command: You Can Do That

2017

New Orleans, LA

Archie Manning

The Manning Playbook for Communication and Leadership

2016

New York, NY

Dr. Mae Jemison

Exploring the Frontiers of Science and Human Potential

2015

Oakland, CA

Billy Beane

Moneyball: Lessons for Life and Business from Baseball’s Best General Manager

Notable Communicators in the Deep Foundations Industry

Year

Location

Lecturer

Lecture Title

2014

Atlanta, GA

Paul W. Mayne

Geotechnical Site Characterization: Communicating Between Planet Earth and the Pile Designer

2013

Phoenix, AZ

Grady Gammage, Jr.

Sustaining Phoenix

2012

Houston, TX

James Pappas

Different Challenges with Changing Technologies

2011

Boston, MA

Craig Olmsted

Foundation Challenges for America’s First Offshore Wind Project

2010

Hollywood, CA

James (Jim) Davis

Leadership, Opportunities and Life

2009

Kansas City, MO

Jean-Louis Briaud

Technical Communications – Humor and Philosophy

2008

New York, NY

Peter E. Mac Kenna

Innovations in Methods and Equipment

2007

Colorado Springs, CO

Fred H. Kulhawy

Communicating Technical Issues with Levity and Panache

2006

Washington, D.C.

Peter Cali

Communicating Risk – Post Katrina: How did we get into this mess and what do we do about it?

2005

Chicago, IL

Stan Kaderbek

Engineers in Government

2004

Vancouver, BC

Wayne Savigny

Communicating the Impact of Lower Mainland Geology on Foundation Design

2003

Miami Beach, FL

Al DiMillio

Communications: The Right Way, The Wrong Way and the Government Way

2002

San Diego, CA

Scot Litke

Leadership, Management, and Implementation: Communication, the Uncommon Thread

2001

St. Louis, MO

Bengt H. Fellenius

Pitfalls of Communication

2000

New York, NY

Bengt B. Broms

Lessons from the Collapse of the New World Hotel in Singapore

1999

Dearborn, MI

Howard B. Stussman

Construction Trends, Issues and Answers

1998

Seattle, WA

Ron A. Lewis

Communication: The Key to Successful Construction

1997

Toronto, Ontario

C. William Bermingham

Communications

1996

San Francisco, CA

Melvin Febesh

Communication-The Key to Good Relations

1995

Charleston, SC

Peter J. Nicholson

The Information Age: Innovation in Construction??

1994

Boston, MA

Jorj O. Osterberg

Contractors, Suppliers, Engineers and Professors

1993

Pittsburgh, PA

Clyde N. Baker Jr.

Deep Foundations for the World’s Tallest Building Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur

1992

New Orleans, LA

George G. Goble

Communication of Technical Innovation

1991

Chicago, IL

Robert G. Lenz

Replacement Mississippi River Lock & Dam 26

1990

Seattle, WA

Joseph S. Ward

Investigation of Deep Foundations Failures

1989

Baltimore, MD

John Dunnicliff

Geotechnical Communication-Let’s Make it Better

John Mitchell Lecture

The John Mitchell Lecture was established at the 1991 4th International Conference on Piling and Deep Foundations in Stresa Italy. The Lecture was named in Honor of John Michael Mitchell, one of the earliest organizers of the DFI International Conferences and a pioneering supporter of DFI’s role as a leader in the global industry. John was killed on September 14, 1990, while observing piling works at a site in Central London.

illustration of john mitchell

John Mitchell Lecturers

Year

Location

Lecturer

Lecture Title

2022

Berlin, Germany

Maurice Bottiau

The Engineer, Lawyer and Contractor: A Philosophical Questioning About the Future of Geotechnical Engineering

2018

Rome, Italy

Prof. Michele Jamiolkowski

Geophysical to Geotechnical Design

2014

Stockholm, Sweden

Bengt H. Fellenius

Design of Piled Foundations as Reflected in Codes and Standards

2010

London, UK

Thomas O’Rourke

Geotechnical Practices in Urban Regeneration

2008

New York, NY

David Sherwood

Review of Major Developments in Geotechnical Engineering over the Last 20 Years and Current Trends

2006

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Harry G. Poulos

Ground Movements – A hidden source of loading on deep foundations

2002

Nice, France

William Van Impe

Communication and the Professional Geotechnical Practice

2000

New York, USA

Michele Jamiolkowski & Carlo Viggiani

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

1998

Vienna, Austria

Heinz Brandl

The Civil and Geotechnical Engineer in Society Ethical and Philosophical Thoughts; Challenges and Recommendations

1996

Bombay, India

William F. Loftus

Communication is a Wonderful Thing

1994

Bruges, Belgium

Trevor J Poskitt

Promoting Engineering – The Role of Effective Communication

1991

Stresa, Italy

Elio D’Appalonia

untitled

Osterberg Memorial Lecture

illustration of jorj o. osterberg

The annual Osterberg Memorial Lecture and Award was established by DFI Corporate Member Loadtest, in conjunction with the DFI Educational Trust, in honor of Dr. Jorj O. Osterberg, one of the true pioneers of geotechnical engineering. The Lecture and Award recognize innovations in the deep foundations construction related to engineering design, testing or education – all aspects of Dr. Osterberg’s lifelong contributions.

Dr. Osterberg has long been recognized for his innovations in soil sampling and testing (including his inventions: the Osterberg Sampler and the Osterberg Cell). Dr. Osterberg enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a teacher and consultant; he was Professor Emeritus of civil engineering, at Northwestern University.

The Memorial Lecture and Award are presented annually as the opening lecture of the DFI SuperPile conference. DFI will provide an annual donation to the DFI Educational Trust Scholarship Fund from the proceeds of the SuperPile Conference.

Osterberg Lecturers and Award Recipients

Year

Lecturer

Lecture Title

2023

Paul W. Mayne, Ph.D., P.E.

Application of Seismic Piezocone Soundings to Bi-directional Load Test Response

2022

Harry Poulos

Foundations for Tall Buildings – Design and Risk Reduction

2020 - 2021

Erik Loehr, Ph.D., P.E.

The Considerable Benefits of Bi-directional Loading

2019

Samuel Paikowsky, Ph.D.

Capacity Testing of Deep Foundations: Successes and Pitfalls

2018

John A. (Jack) Hayes, P. Eng., D.I.C.

High-Capacity Load Testing

2017

Richard J. Finno, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE

Lessons (Re)Learned from Geotechnical Failures

2016

David K. Crapps, Ph.D., P.E.

Lessons Learned from Dr. Jorj O. Osterberg and His Inventions

2015

Frank Rausche

Load Testing of Deep Foundations: Developments, Applications, Results

2014

Dr. Kyle Rollins

Deep Foundation Behavior in Liquefied Sands From Blast Liquefaction Testing

2013

Jean-Louis Briaud

Impact Load Tests for Embassy Protection Against Terrorists

2012

Dr. Dan Brown

Experiences with the Osterberg Cell Load Testing Method

2011

Dr. John H. Schmertmann

The “TROM” Method for the Most Economical Design and Construction of Non-Redundant Pile Foundations

2010

Dr. Bengt H. Fellenius

Redesign Tests Save Costs and Time: A Case History

2009

Hammamet, Tunisia

Experiences with Jorj Osterberg and How He Revolutionized the Deep Foundations Industry

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