Engineers, geologists and transportation planners from across the region will meet at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., Tuesday, July 30, through Thursday, Aug. 1, for the nationally recognized Appalachian States Coalition for Geohazards in Transportation’s 13th annual technical forum, “Geohazards Impacting Transportation in the Appalachian Region.”
Coordinated by Marshall University’s Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences (CEGAS), this year’s forum is hosted by the Virginia Department of Transportation. It is a joint endeavor with the Interstate Group on Abandoned Underground Mines (ITGAUM) that deals with abandoned mines’ impact on transportation infrastructure.
Members of the Appalachian coalition meet annually to share information about research developments and projects related to rock falls and landslides along highways, seismic activity and hazard-prone areas impacting transportation infrastructure in the region. Risk assessment and emergency response also will be covered.
Coalition members represent the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Corporation, the Federal Highway Administration and the departments of transportation and state geological surveys in Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. ITGAUM is comprised of members from 19 states, one turnpike authority, the Canadian federal government and one Canadian province.
Dr. Tony Szwilski, CEGAS director and chairman of the coalition said, “It is an exciting prospect to work with federal, state and private entities to share best practices on the prevention and remediation of geological problems that affect transportation throughout the Appalachian region and nationally.”
Presenters from Marshall include Dr. William Niemann from the College of Science, Dr. Wael Zatar, dean of the College of Information Technology and Engineering  and Dr. Paulus Wahjudi, also with the College of Information Technology and Engineering.
This year’s event includes a pre-conference field trip and workshop which will be of interest to geologists, geotechnical engineers, environmental scientists, planners and others interested in geohazards.
