NGI Invited Lecture Series: Prof. Kenichi Soga

When and where? 24 March 2025, 15:30 to 16:30 at Sandakerveien 138, Oslo. More details below.

Geotechnical engineers ensure the safety and cost-effectiveness of infrastructure assets by addressing uncertainties related to their lifespan and performance during hazards. Safety is often achieved by minimizing adverse outcomes through evaluating the probability of failure based on experience and reliability analysis. At the same time, emerging sensing, communication, and computing technologies now make it feasible to continuously and economically monitor geotechnical structures during construction and operation. This enables us to:

(a) respond appropriately and effectively if a failure starts to happen,

(b) cope with future "unknown" demands, and

(c) find potential improvements for future design, construction, and operation of new infrastructure.

The lecture will present several case studies demonstrating how distributed sensing data can provide geotechnical insights, enabling us to adapt to ever-changing demands.

Bio of speaker

Kenichi Soga is the Donald H. McLaughlin Chair in Mineral Engineering and a Distinguished Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor at UC Berkeley. Soga is also the Director of the Berkeley Center for Smart Infrastructure, a faculty scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and a Special Advisor to the Dean of the College of Engineering for Resilient and Sustainable Systems.

Soga’s research focuses on infrastructure sensing, performance-based design and infrastructure maintenance, energy geotechnics, and geomechanics. He has published over 500 journal and conference papers and co-authored "Fundamentals of Soil Behavior" with Professor James K Mitchell.

He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the UK Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the Engineering Academy of Japan.

Details of the lecture

Title: From Geo-monitor to Geo-adapt: Leveraging Distributed Sensing and Data Analytics for Performance-Based Design, Construction, and Maintenance
Speaker: Professor Kenichi Soga, UC Berkeley
Date: 24 March 2025
Time: 15:30 – 16:30 (with coffee and snacks)
Venue: Sandakerveien 138, Oslo
Registration Information:

In-person attendance: Limited to 20 external participants

First-come, first-served basis via a Microsoft Form registration using this link.

Online attendance: Available via Teams 

(Meeting-ID: 318 845 794 804 Password: uQ2Hq9iq)

This is a fantastic opportunity to hear from one of the most respected figures in geotechnical engineering.