Abstract
The world is facing unprecedented challenges related to energy resources, global climate change, material use, and waste generation. Failure to address these challenges will inhibit the growth of the developing world and will negatively impact the standard of living and security of future generations in all nations. The solutions to these challenges will require multidisciplinary research across the social and physical sciences and engineering. Although perhaps not always recognized, geotechnical engineering expertise is critical to the solution of many energy and sustainability-related problems. Hence, geotechnical engineers and academicians have opportunity and responsibility to contribute to the solution of these worldwide problems. Research will need to be extended to non-standard issues such as thermal properties of soils; sediment and rock response to extreme conditions and at very long time scales; coupled hydro-chemo-thermo-bio-mechanical processes; positive feedback systems; the development of discontinuities; biological modification of soil properties; spatial variability; and emergent phenomena. Clearly, the challenges facing geotechnical engineering in the future will require a much broader knowledge base than our traditional educational programs provide. The geotechnical engineering curricula, from undergraduate education through continuing professional education, must address the changing needs of a profession that will increasingly be engaged in alternative/renewable energy production; energy efficiency; sustainable design, enhanced and more efficient use of natural resources, waste management, and underground utilization.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 611-621 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This manuscript evolved as a result of a weekly workshop conducted at Georgia Institute of Technology during Fragaszy’s tenure as a Goizueta Scholar, while working for the National Science Foundation. Additional funding was provided by the Goizueta Foundation. Any opinion, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies or the United States Government.
Keywords
- CO sequestration
- climate change
- education
- energy
- geothermal
- hydrate
- research
- sustainability
- underground storage
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Civil and Structural Engineering