September Dinner Meeting & Board Elections

Join us for our fall dinner meeting on September 18th back at SkyLinks Golf Course in Long Beach. We are excited to have an excellent speaker, Marco Estrada from Pavement Recycling Systems to discuss, “Sustainable Engineering Strategies for Pavement and Building Applications”

Schedule:

5-6pm: Registration & Sponsored bar/happy hour

6pm: Dinner

6:30pm: Welcome, new board member selection/vote & dinner presentation

7:30pm: Q&A

Presentation: Sustainable Engineering Strategies for Pavement and Building Applications

Recently updated in both the Caltrans Highway Design Manual and the Greenbook Standard Specifications, Chemical Soil Stabilization and Cold Recycling, such as Full-Depth Recycling (FDR) and Cold-In-place Recycling (CIR), are founded on the principle that soils and asphalt can be recycled and engineered to provide structural and economic benefits over “removal and replacement” design and construction alternatives.

Speaker Bio: Marco Estrada

Marco is the Director of Business Development for Pavement Recycling Systems of California.  Marco is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, School of Engineering.  He is Chair Education Committee for the Recycling & Stabilizing Association of California, Chair of the Greenbook Stabilized Base Task Force, as well as Industry Co-Chair for the Caltrans Recycling Task Group.  For over 30 years, he has been involved in both the engineering and construction industries in the implementation of soil stabilization and asphalt recycling engineering strategies.

Tickets: Includes open bar from 5-6pm, dinner and speaker presentation.

Join the Board!

We are looking to add a new board member in September as our Past-Chair, Ed Hernandez will be leaving us after his time on the board. Please consider volunteering a small portion of your time to continue the success of the LA Chapter as we look forward to a great year.

Board Applicants:

Meet: Jerry Shen, Solmax

I’m a licensed Civil Engineer (PE) and currently serve as an Engineering Business Manager at Solmax, where I lead outreach efforts to promote sustainable and resilient infrastructure solutions using geosynthetics. Before stepping into this role, I spent four years in land development at Stantec and Fuscoe Engineering, designing communities across Southern California. I’m passionate about driving innovation and collaboration within our field, and I believe the Geo-Institute plays a critical role in shaping the future of geotechnical practice. As a board member, I’m excited to help lead initiatives that elevate sustainability, empower young professionals, and strengthen our professional community.

Meet: Idil Akin, UCLA

Idil Akin is an Associate Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UCLA. She earned her PhD in 2017 and MS in 2014 from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her BS in 2012 from Middle East Technical University, Turkiye. Her primary research focuses on the fundamental mechanisms that control physicochemical, mechanical, and hydraulic soil behavior. Her current research is in post-wildfire slope stability and biogeotechnics. Her research has been sponsored by NSF, DOTs, and industry. Among her awards are the ASCE Thomas Middlebrooks Award in 2025 and NSF CAREER Award in 2021.

Planned events coming up for 2026: 

ASCE-GI Cross Country Lecture – our chapter was selected as one of 5 nationally to receive the distinguished Cross Country Lecture this year. We are excited to host Dr. Santamarina in 2026.

Spring Seminar & GeoExpo, May 7th, 2026 – our largest event of the year bringing in over 200 attendees from Southern California to meet and see old friends, network and learn.