Welcome to Delaware Valley Geo-Institute!
January Ethics Webinar
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Join the Delaware Valley Geo-Institute (DVGI) for an Ethics Webinar titled, “Ethical Issues in Geotechnical Engineering Business Development,” presented by T. Michael Toole, PhD, PE, former Dean of Engineering at the University of Toledo and a nationally recognized leader in engineering education, construction safety, and professional ethics.
This one-hour webinar will explore ethical decision-making in engineering practice, drawing on real-world case studies from industry, academia, and public service. The first part of this one-hour webinar will provide an overview of the American Society of Civil Engineers Code of Ethics and the ethical content of professional engineering regulations from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The second part will apply these codes 3-4 “real-world” scenarios involving business development for geotechnical engineering services.
The webinar will be held via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM.
Registration for this event is closed.
About the Speaker
T. Michael Toole, PhD, PE has had a 30-year career as an entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary leader in the military, industry and academia. Before serving as the Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Toledo from 2017-2024, he spent 18 years at Bucknell University that included serving as an Associate Dean of Engineering, a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Director of the Institute for Leadership in Technology and Management. Mike received his B.S. from Bucknell and his Masters and Ph.D. from M.I.T. A professional civil engineer registered in Pennsylvania and a Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers, he initiated and maintains https://designforconstructionsafety.org. His professional employment includes serving five years of active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps and management positions with a publicly traded homebuilder and a multidisciplinary engineering firm.
DVGI-SEI Joint Dinner Meeting
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
5:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Join the Delaware Valley Geo-Institute (DVGI) and Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Philadelphia Chapter on Tuesday, February 24, 2025 at Valley Forge Casino’s Parkview Ballroom for our Joint Dinner Meeting featuring a presentation by speaker Bryan Healy, PE, Catherine Chia-Calabria, PE, and Craig Calabria, PhD on James Street Bridge Replacement over the Christina River – Newport, Delaware.
Click the button below to register by Friday, February 20, 2026 at 1 PM. Meal selection is not guaranteed after 2/16/26.
Abstract
The existing James Street bridge was the only means by which large trucks could have access to a major industrial park located on the north side of the Christina River. The replacement bridge was constructed slightly off alignment to allow large trucks continued access across the existing bridge. On the south side of the river is the Christina River Force Main (CRFM), a 72” diameter non-redundant sanitary sewer in poor condition. The sewer line runs parallel to the river and is directly beneath the approach roadway of the existing bridge. Concern for the integrity of the CRFM took centerstage throughout design and construction.
The presentation will discuss various design and construction constraints and how the design team envisioned means and methods to protect the CRFM. The project team encountered a myriad of challenges during construction. The presentation will show how the project team worked together to overcome these challenges.
About the Speakers
Bryan Healy, PE is a Manager at McCormick Taylor with over 25 years of experience in the fields of structural and transportation engineering. He has experience in both large and small bridge design projects with both steel and concrete bridges. He also has experience as an integral part of the project team for larger interchange and highway reconstructions projects and other transportation structures such retaining walls, noise walls, sign structures and pedestrian and transit facilities. He is a licensed engineer in 4 states and a graduate of Penn State and Villanova Universities.
Catherine Chia-Calabria, PE is Senior Manager for Structural Engineering at McCormick Taylor. She is a registered Professional Engineer in six states and has 40 years of experience in the design and construction of transportation structural facilities. Her extensive project experience includes steel and concrete bridges, culverts, retaining walls, noise walls and sign structures. Catherine graduated from Drexel University. She is a member of ASCE, ASHE and ACEC-PA. Catherine has been an active participant in Pennsbury School District’s annual K-12 career fair since 2001 and encourages young girls to believe that they too can aspire to be Civil Engineers.
Craig Calabria, PhD has more than four decades of experience in the engineering and construction industry. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geotechnical/geo-environmental engineering from Drexel University and a Doctorate in Civil Engineering from University of Salford, Manchester, UK. Dr. Calabria is a Registered Professional Engineer in several states and has worked on projects throughout the USA and in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Canada and the Caribbean. He serves as a part time consultant and has taught at Drexel University, Widener University and University of Pennsylvania, and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Salford. Craig is also Board Advisor and Governor Emeritus of the DVGI.
Upcoming Events
Annual Student Night
March TBD
Mike Giovannitti
ASCE Philadelphia Section 2025
Geotechnical Engineer of the Year Keynote
Villanova University – Connelly Center
800 E Lancaster Ave
Villanova, PA 19085
Joint Multi-Tech Meeting
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Speaker TBA
Presentation Topic TBA
The Inn at Swarthmore
10 S Chester Rd
Swarthmore, PA 19081
DVGI May Dinner Meeting
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Speaker TBA
Gardner Lecture Presentation Topic TBA
Valley Forge Casino Resort – Parkview Ballroom
1160 1st Ave
King of Prussia, PA 19406
Past Events
January Dinner Meeting – Tuesday, January 20, 2026
On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, over 70 DVGI members and friends DVGI welcomed the new year at our January Dinner Meeting. The meeting featured a presentation by Dr. George R. Koerner, PhD, PE, CQA, F.ASCE., Director of the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), on the Lifetime Predictions of Exposed HP-TRM and Geogrids Used on MSE Structures.
November Dinner Meeting – Tuesday, November 18, 2025
On Tuesday, November 18, 2025 DVGI gathered for its monthly dinner meeting at Valley Forge Casino’s Parkview Ballroom. The meeting featured a presentation by speakers Catherine Chia-Calabria, PE of McCormick Taylor and Jason Taylor, PE, PG of Susquehanna Civil on The Story of Hanging Rock – SR 320 Section M07, Montgomery County, PA.
PennDOT District 6 had long considered Hanging Rock a “legacy” project. Due to its complex nature of design, location, and environmental permitting issues this project was with the Department for more than 20 years. After many attempts to advance the project, PennDOT subsequently selected McCormick Taylor and was successful in bringing the project to construction, completing the design in just 3 years. The project team worked through the rigorous environmental clearance process and complexities of the site to achieve a new design that reconstructed the flood prone roadway, raising it above the 100-year flood elevation.
The project installed nearly 1,000 linear feet of retaining wall for support against the fast-moving waters of Gulph Creek during storm events. A 600-foot-long section of the retaining wall features a cantilevered roadway over the creek to move the travel lanes away from the historic Hanging Rock. This simple yet innovative solution allowed for conventional means and methods of construction to achieve the project goals and restore mobility and safety on PA 320. Thank you for sharing your project with us!
K-12 Outreach – GETT Expo – Saturday, November 1, 2025
On Saturday, November 1st, members of the DVGI volunteered their time at the Girls Engineering Tomorrow’s Technology Expo at the Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. DVGI has participated in the Girls Exploring Tomorrow’s Technology (GETT) Expo every year that it has been held since 2016. GETT is an initiative of the Innovative Technology Action Group (ITAG), a program under the Chester County Economic Development Council. It is hosted by a K-12 school in the greater Delaware Valley. The GETT Expo is an annual day-long event for girls in grades 5 through 10 and their parents to learn about career opportunities in a broad scope of STEM related industries. The day is filled with exciting, enlightening, and experiential workshops led by successful women in STEM fields. This year, the DVGI estimates about 250 young girls participated in DVGI’s activity. This year DVGI prepared a Soil Layers activity for girls to create edible soil profiles in a cup!
Grass = Green Sprinkles/”Jimmies”
Topsoil = Crumbled Oreos Cookies
Subsoil (Clay) = Chocolate Pudding
Bedrock/Weathered Rock = Chocolate Rocks
The girls were also able to top their educational treat with gummy worms!
We would like to thank our members who volunteered time to support this year’s GETT Expo efforts: Amanda Hess (Villanova), Ashley Kellmyer (GTA), Cassidy Niederland (GTA), Elisabetta Iannetti (Pennoni), Grace Hepler (WSP), Kristin Sample-Lord (Villanova), Marissa Ciocco (Princeton Hydro), Melinda Eason (USACE), and Theresa Loux (Aero Aggregates). See www.gettpa.org for more information about the expo!
October Dinner Meeting – Tuesday, October 14, 2025
On Tuesday, October 14th, DVGI gathered for its monthly dinner meeting at the Valley Forge Casino. The meeting featured a Geotechnical Review of Beach Nourishment at Indian River Inlet presented by speaker Melinda Eason, a Geotechnical Engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District.
The Indian River Inlet in Delaware is a vital access point to the Delaware Inland Bays, supporting commercial, recreational, and U.S. Coast Guard navigation. Initially authorized by Congress in 1937 and modified in 1945, the project includes parallel jetties spaced 500 feet apart, a 200-foot-wide channel dredged to a depth of 15 feet extending 7,000 feet into the bay, and additional dredging of a 9-foot-deep channel through the bay and river.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District received funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for maintenance repairs, including design and construction of jetty restoration, repair of a failed bulkhead on the interior north shore, and beachfill nourishment to reduce erosion. Melinda’s presentation highlighted the importance of coastal resilience and the impact USACE’s projects have in protecting our coastlines and communities. Thank you for sharing your project with us!
September Dinner Meeting – Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Please join us in congratulating the 2024-2025 DVGI Geotechnical Project of the Year Award recipient, Peirce Engineering, Inc. for Roberts Children’s Health at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The campus expansion project in University City will include an inpatient tower building connected to the flagship hospital. Peirce Engineering collaborated to provide geo-structural services required to jumpstart the project.
On Tuesday, September 16th, DVGI was joined by speaker Jennifer Brandt, P.E. of Peirce Engineering, Inc. for a presentation discussing the project. Jen detailed the project’s challenges (the congested city location surrounded by medical buildings, the unknown geotechnical conditions, and adjacent research buildings and potential noise and vibration impacts) and a variety of geotechnical solutions including soil nailing, underpinning, rock bolting, soldier beams and lagging, tieback anchors, and drilled shafts.
The DVGI presented the team with their award at the conclusion of the presentation. Thank you for sharing your project with us!
DVGI Annual Golf Outing – Thursday, June 19, 2025
On Thursday, June 19th, 2025, 81 DVGI members and friends participated in the annual DVGI Golf Outing at Kimberton Golf Club in Phoenixville. Engineers, contractors, and suppliers took time out of their busy schedules to support the DVGI scholarship fund. The weather was perfect, and the refreshments were cold for the 9 a.m. start at the beautiful venue. The outing was a scramble format inviting all levels of golf skill.
The Keystone-Foundation team posted the best team score overall, while the ECS/Peak Utility Locators team had the dubious honor of the worst or “most honest” team score. After the round of golf, participants gathered for lunch and drinks on the patio. Michael Derr, P.E. (Geo-Technology Associates, Inc. (GTA)) won the longest drive hole while Michael Shedlosky (MENARD USA) won the closest to the pin prize, and Andrew Crivelli (GeoConstructors Inc.) mastered the Shortest Driver.
The event was a great chance for DVGI members and friends to socialize in a more casual setting. Shout-out to DVGI Director, Conrad Cho, P.E., LEED AP (Langan Engineering & Environmental Services) for staffing the registration table and roaming the course with refreshments. And a big THANK YOU to DVGI Director, Lei Gu, PE, PMP, ENV SP (Michael Baker International) for his continued efforts as our Golf Outing Chair!
Special thanks to our 21 sponsors which made the event a huge success and provided over $7,000 for the DVGI Scholarship Fund. The money will be distributed to students during DVGI’s annual Student Night dinner meeting next March. Thank you for helping us make this a record-setting year! We hope to see you all again, at next year’s outing.
DVGI May Dinner Meeting – Tuesday, May 20, 2025
DVGI concluded its successful run of 2024-25 dinner meetings on Tuesday, May 20th at the Valley Forge Casino. Attendees were in for a real treat as the ASCE Geo-Institute’s 2024-2025 Cross-USA Lecturer, Prof. Richard Bathurst, Ph.D., P.Eng., of the Royal Military College of Canada, presented “From measurement to LRFD calibration of MSE walls.” Prof. Bathurst reviewed how measurements from instrumented full-scale field and laboratory tests of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls have been used to calibrate load and resistance factors in the AASHTO load and resistance factor design (LRFD) procedure for tensile strength and pullout failure modes of these walls. Such calibrations have improved the accuracy of the MSE wall design process, allowing for more reliable predictions of wall safety and performance as well as value engineering of these structures. Moreover, Prof. Bathurst explained how a simple closed-form solution – easily calculated in a spreadsheet – may be used to incorporate these advances in the LFRD model for MSE walls, negating the need for complex probabilistic simulations for these designs.
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