DFI Traveling Lecturer
Lecture series runs from September 1 – August 31
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 DFI Traveling Lecturer 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
- Raising awareness of how DFI and its activities support the industry
Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions on our Traveling Lecturer series.
Nominate a Lecturer
Nominations from the DFI membership are accepted each year until February 1. All nominations received after February 1 will be considered the following year.
2024 - 2025 DFI Traveling Lecturer
Matthew E. Meyer, P.E., BC.GE
Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc.
Matthew Meyer is a principal with Langan Engineering and Environmental Services. He is a registered professional engineer in seven states with 29 years of geotechnical engineering experience and is a Board Certified Geotechnical Engineer. His experience is diverse in project type, location, magnitude and geologic setting including experience on private sector high-rise projects, resorts, industrial and retail developments, stadium projects, airports, marinas and port developments, universities, convention centers, public sector transportation projects inclusive of projects delivered utilizing Design-Build and P3 approaches with a focus on subsurface investigative techniques, deep foundations, ground improvement, groundwater control, karst-related risk reduction or mitigation, and verification or validation through full-scale load testing, nondestructive testing techniques and performance monitoring.
Meyer has a B.S. in civil engineering from The Citadel and an M.S. in civil engineering (geotechnical focus) from Virginia Tech. He previously served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Florida International University. Meyer has served previously in numerous leadership positions at DFI including trustee on the DFI Board, trustee liaison to the Industry Wide Working Platform Working Group, trustee liaison and chair to the Augered Cast-In-Place and Drilled Displacement Pile Committee and trustee liaison to the Soil Mixing Committee. He is a past president of the Miami-Dade ASCE Branch and the 2023 Martin S. Kapp Foundation Engineering Award winner. Meyer has lectured, published, presented or co-presented 45+ publications or presentations at various conferences, seminars or journals.
2024-2025 Lecture Topics
Geotechnical Challenges and Foundation Solutions for the Mercedes-Benz Stadium
The Mercedes-Benz stadium, which is home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MSL’s Atlanta United teams has a seating capacity of about 71,000 and was the first Green Building Council LEED Platinum-certified professional sports stadium in the U.S. Some of the prominent features include a unique camera-aperture retractable roof, a 16-story window with views of the city and a halo video board circling the roof opening. All of which contribute to the immersive fan experience. Some of the unique geotechnical aspects on the project included installation of various diameter drilled shafts up to diameters of 78 in and ranging in length from 20 ft and approaching 110 ft, augered cast-in-place piles ranging in diameter from 18 in to 24 in and having lengths varying from 35 ft to 150 ft, and the use of vibro piers as a ground improvement system to allow use of shallow foundations. The combination of these various systems resulted in a unique geotechnical solution and required a coordinated, collaborative effort among the various design and construction team members.
A Decade Long Journey of Geotechnical Challenges and Solutions at a Mega Resort in Variable Karst Conditions
Over a decade long plus period, multiple structures were designed and constructed at a mega resort in variable karst conditions. The karst conditions varied in their degree of complexity and the nature of the various proposed structures (i.e., high-rise, low-rise and parking structures) dictated unique solutions for the staged development of this mega resort. Some of the geotechnical solutions included ground improvement systems with intermediate and deep low-mobility grouting, augered cast-in-place piles of varied lengths and diameters, drilled shafts of varied lengths and diameters, and micropiles of varied length. As a result of the geotechnical challenges, phased subsurface investigations were implemented as a means of addressing the highly varied subsurface conditions. Full scale loading testing of the various deep foundation elements and ground improvement solutions were implemented along with some nondestructive or verification testing of production phase deep foundation elements.
Port of Miami Tunnel
The Port of Miami Tunnel (POMT) was constructed as a public-private partnership (P3). The twin 40-ft diameter, approximately 4,000-ft long tunnels provide direct access to and from the port by connecting directly to the highway system, reducing traffic congestion in Downtown Miami while increasing the flow of cargo at the port. This project was the first application of a large-diameter hybrid Earth Pressure Balance Tunnel Boring Machine (EPB TBM) in Florida’s highly variable soft sedimentary geology. At a depth of approximately 40 ft, the two entry/exit shafts located in man-made islands in Biscayne Bay were the deepest supported excavations constructed in South Florida at that time. The highly variable and challenging subsurface conditions required one of Florida’s most comprehensive investigations for a civil works project, utilizing numerous and diverse techniques to characterize the subsurface conditions. The project also included the widening of a major over-water bridge, approximately 2.5 miles of highway and roadway improvements, a new bridge overpass, and support buildings. The unique geotechnical aspects of this project included the construction of the bored tunnels, support of excavation for the entry/exit shafts (including cutter-soil mix walls, tie backs, tension elements and tremie), ground improvement programs, roadway improvement, bridge foundations, MSE wall embankments, and geotechnical tunnel monitoring.
Past to Present Day – Foundation Evolution in Miami
Miami has undergone a building boom and experienced economic prosperity, which have transformed the city into a vibrant downtown city and pushed the Magic City into one of the top 10 cities in the U.S. This presentation focuses on the building booms which have occurred in Miami from the early 1980s to present day. Over this timeline, the foundation solutions have included driven piles, various approaches to ground improvement, drilled shafts, augered cast-in-place piles as well as others. The unique subsurface conditions of Miami will be presented along with the various foundation solutions for buildings ranging in height from 10 stories to as much as 70 stories with recently proposed high-rises approaching or slightly exceeding 1,000 ft.
Experiences and a Perspective on Forensic Geotechnical Engineering
Forensics and a study of the potential causations that are contributing factors to distress of constructed facilities or failures provides insight into our design methodologies, subsurface investigative techniques and verification techniques as it relates to foundation or geotechnical systems. These lessons learned or insight gained are critical to our evolving geotechnical engineering field. This presentation provides an overview of the field of forensics as it relates to geotechnical engineering and specific examples of how the most plausible causations were determined within a reasonable degree of engineering certainty. In addition, the presentation discusses how these causations were addressed as it relates to remediating the distressed condition or providing a final concluding opinion on the subject topic and assignment.
Past DFI Traveling Lecturers
DFI wishes to thank all our previous traveling lecturers for their dedication and expert insight.
Jesús Gómez, Ph. D., P.E., BC.GE • 2023-2024
Vice president of GEI Consultants
Dan Brown, Ph. D., P.E., BC.GE • 2022-2023
Chief Engineer and Senior Principal at Dan Brown and Associates
Thomas D. Richards, Jr., P.E., BC.GE • 2021-2022
Retired chief engineer and current consultant at Nicholson Construction Company
David B. Paul, P.E. • 2020-2021
Managing partner of Paul GeoTek Engineering and retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Willie M. NeSmith, P.E. • 2019-2020
Former chief geotechnical engineer for Berkel & Company Contractors
John R. Wolosick, P.E., BC.GE, F.ASCE • 2018-2019
Director of engineering at Hayward Baker Inc. (HBI) and past president of DFI