Annual Southeastern Transportation Geotechnical Engineering Conference (STGEC)

History

The first meeting of this annual event was held in 1969 when the Federal Highway Administration proposed that the southeastern states would meet to discuss landslide problems on I-40 near Rockwood, Tennessee, and I-75 in northern Georgia, and settlement problems with high interstate embankments.

The first STGEC meeting was held in Atlanta, Georgia, near the Georgia Tech campus on December 5th through 7th, with Professor George Sowers as the guest speaker. There were approximately 50 attendees to this meeting, and because this event was such a success, interest spread quickly, and an annual meeting was soon scheduled due to the overwhelming response. A "Steering Committee" was formed to be a governing body consisting of one member of each State involved, as well as one member from FHWA and TRB. The Committee also established a set of by-laws to assist in governing the group. The main objective in these meetings is to discuss the transfer of technology concerning the rapidly advancing technology of Soil Mechanics and to share success or problems in the Geotechnical field to meet the demands for economical and successful transportation systems.

The previous name of this conference until 1976 was Southeastern Soil Engineering Conference when the present name was adopted. The steering committee chaired by the host member selects the time, place, and duration of each conference for the following year. The conference rotates among all member states, and this method ensures that each state involved has hosted multiple times since the conference's existence.

In terms of economics, the conference has always been self supported as a non-profit organization. The registration fee charged to all participants covers the costs incurred to provide meeting facilities, transportation, banquet, etc. Any excess funds are passed along to help fund the next meeting. Over the past 37 meetings the attendance has varied from 40 to 160 participants. There are 193 people registered for this year's conference.

STGEC 2008 will be held in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee on October 27 - 31, 2008. For more information visit the website at: http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/stgec08/default.asp

For more information, contact:

Ben Rivers
Geotechnical Engineer
FHWA Resource Center
(404) 562-3926
benjamin.rivers@dot.gov

History of Southeast Geotechnical Engineers Conference

No	Year	Site
1	1969	Atlanta, Georgia
2	1970	Jackson, Mississippi
3	1971	New Orleans, Louisiana
4	1972	Montgomery, Alabama
5	1973	Orlando, Florida
6	1974	Covington, Kentucky
7	1975	Gatlinburg, Tennessee
8	1976	Raleigh, North Carolina
9	1977	Hot Springs, Arkansas
10	1978	Wheeling, West Virginia
11	1979	Charleston, South Carolina
12	1980	Atlanta, Georgia
13	1981	Virginia Beach, Virginia
14	1982	Jackson, Mississippi
15	1983	Montgomery, Alabama
16	1984	Winter Park, Florida
17	1985	Gatlinburg, Tennessee
18	1986	Louisville, Kentucky
19	1987	Hot Springs, Arkansas
20	1988	Raleigh, North Carolina
21	1989	Charleston, West Virginia
22	1990	New Orleans, Louisiana
23	1991	Charleston, South Carolina
24	1992	Williamsburg, Virginia
25	1993	Natchez, Mississippi
26	1994	Atlanta, Georgia
27	1995	Huntsville, Alabama
28	1996	Cocoa Beach, Florida
29	1997	Chattanooga, Tennessee
30	1998	Louisville, Kentucky
31	1999	Asheville, North Carolina
32	2000	Little Rock, Arkansas
33	2001	Roanoke, Virginia
34	2002	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
35	2003	Charleston, South Carolina
36	2004	Biloxi, Mississippi
37	2005	Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia
38	2006	Florence, Alabama
39	2007	Bowling Green, KY October 8 - 12, 2007
40	2008	Pigeon Forge, Tennessee October 27 - 31, 2008

Member Federal and State DOT organizations include: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the FHWA. *Each State hosts it every 11 years