The field of biogeotechnics is founded in the belief that new geotechnical technologies and practices that will substantially improve sustainability, infrastructure performance, and societal safety can be invigorated by studying, understanding, harnessing, translating, and applying biologically derived processes and ideas. Over the past 15 years, geotechnical engineers, microbiologists, and geochemists have collaborated to identify and control bio-mediated processes that can induce significant improvements in soil engineering properties. More recently, geotechnical engineers, biologists, and physicists have studied the forms, functions, and principles of behavior of biological systems to identify bio-inspired solutions for standing geotechnical engineering challenges. This webinar will present an overview of the emerging field of biogeotechnics by describing frameworks for exploring and developing bio-mediated and bio-inspired technologies, supported with several examples. Recent technical advances in bio-mediated processes that cement soil particles (biocementation), desaturate the pore fluid (biogas), and clog the pore space (biofilm) will be presented. Bio-inspired ideas, including tree-root inspired foundation/anchorage systems, worm inspired penetration processes, and snakeskin inspired anisotropic surfaces, will be presented to highlight how advances based on those ideas can improve the material and energy efficiency of existing geotechnical solutions. The presentation will conclude with priorities and opportunities to realize the potential biogeotechnics in the future.
Dr. Jason T. DeJong is a Professor at the University of California, Davis and a pioneer of biogeotechnics. He directs and coordinates research through the NSF ERC Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (with Arizona State University, Georgia Tech, and New Mexico State University), UC Davis Soil Interactions Laboratory, and UC Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling. Results from his research program have been disseminated through more than 200 publications. Dr. DeJong is also actively engaged with industry in implementing research advancements into practice. His ongoing research ranges from fundamental microbial science to industry collaborations for field implementation. Dr. DeJong received a B.S.C.E. from UC Davis and an M.S.C.E. and Ph.D. at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
This webinar is hosted by the Committee on Geological and Geotechnical Engineering (COGGE) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Any conclusions or recommendations provided by Dr. DeJong are his own and should not be thought of as recommendations from the National Academies or COGGE.