Symposium on Shear Testing of Soils

(In-person only event)

Date: January 29, 2025 - January 30, 2025

Event Location: Hyatt Regency Houston Downtown, Houston, Texas, United States

Organized by: ASTM Committee D18 on Soil and Rock

About the Event

The Symposium on Shear Testing of Soils will be held January 29, 2025 - January 30, 2025. The symposium is organized by ASTM Committee D18 on Soil and Rock, and will be held at the Hyatt Regency Houston Downtown, Houston, Texas, United States in conjunction with the standards development meetings of the committee. The language of the symposium will be English.

Objective and Scope

This symposium will provide a forum for experts from around the world to discuss the need for new or revisions to current ASTM standards used in laboratory ring shear, direct shear, direct simple shear, and triaxial compression testing of soils, which includes specimen preparation, reconstitution, consolidation, and drainage during consolidation and shearing. This symposium also will provide a forum for experts to discuss the need for new or revisions to current ASTM standards used in field shear testing, e.g., field vane shear, T-Bar, cone penetrometer, pressuremeter, and any other field shear test.

Abstract Submission

To participate in the symposium, authors must submit a 2- to 3-page abstract using the ASTM Extended Abstracts template found below and in the online Abstract Submission Portal no later than September 1, 2023. To ensure your abstract was received into the ASTM database, please email symposia@astm.org and let us know that you have submitted an abstract. Abstract authors who submit but do not use the extended abstract template will be asked to resubmit using the correct format.

The abstract must include a clear definition of the objective and approach of the work discussed, pointing out material that is new, and present sufficient details regarding results. The presentation and manuscript must not be of a commercial nature nor can it have been previously published. Because a limited number of abstracts will be accepted, be sure that the abstract is complete to allow for careful assessment of the paper's suitability for this symposium. The symposium chair(s) will notify you via email by September 11, 2023 of your paper’s acceptability for presentation at the symposium. If the preliminary abstract is accepted, the author will be requested to submit a final abstract a few months before the symposium. The final abstracts will be distributed in a program booklet at the symposium.

Publication Information

Based on the technical quality of the abstracts, presenters may be contacted to submit a full paper for the planned special issues of ASTM’s Geotechnical Testing Journal (GTJ). The GTJ is focused on publishing papers on new or modified testing methods and procedures, particularly those that may lead to new ASTM testing standards. Only papers that fit the scope of the GTJ will be considered. You will be notified by October 6, 2023, if the Co-Editors of the journal would like you to submit a full paper for a special issue. Please note that all submitted papers are subject to peer review by two independent reviewers.

Manuscripts to be peer reviewed for the special issue are due online at the ASTM Editorial Office no later than January 31, 2024. Papers submitted to the Geotechnical Testing Journal will be peer reviewed prior to publication in the Special Issue. The corresponding author will receive a copy of their paper in an electronic format. All published authors will have the opportunity to purchase reprints of their papers at a nominal cost.

Technical Program

Registration

Registration opens approximately 10 weeks before the start of the symposium.

Registration

Registration is now open. The fees to attend this event are listed below.

	Through December 31, 2024	Starting January 1, 2025
ASTM Member	$280.00	$330.00
Non-member	$330.00	$380.00
Presenter	$140.00	$190.00
Session Chair	$140.00	$190.00
Student	Waived	Waived

Not an ASTM Member? An Individual Membership costs only $115.00 a year. If you would like to become a member of ASTM International and Committee D18 to begin taking advantage of all the ASTM membership benefits, including attending this event for a reduced fee, please use the link below to join ASTM before registering for the event. After you have become a member, please return to this webpage to register for the event as an ASTM Member.

ASTM International Membership

All Attendees – All attendees are urged to register for this symposium before arriving onsite. All attendees must check in at the ASTM Registration Area to obtain their name badge before entering the event room.

Presenters and Session Chairs - Presenters and Session Chairs must register themselves for this symposium.

Students – Students may be eligible for a reduced registration fee provided they meet certain requirements. To qualify for the reduced fee you must be an active ASTM Student Member, full-time student, not employed full-time, and be able to provide a current valid university email address for registration. To register as a student, please email ASTM Symposia Operations at symposia@astm.org.

Cancellations – A refund of the symposium fee will be honored only if requested at least 10 business days prior to the start of the event. To cancel your registration, please click the "Modify My Registration" button found in your registration confirmation email and follow the prompts to cancel your registration. Please contact Symposia Operations at symposia@astm.org or 610-832-9522 if you need assistance.

If you have questions concerning online registration, please contact Symposia Operations at
symposia@astm.org Tel: 610-832-9522, or ASTM Technical Support at https://www.astm.org/contact.

Technical Chair Contact Information

Additional information about the symposium is available from the Symposium Chair and Co-chairs:

Symposium Chair:

Timothy D. Stark
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Email: tstark@illinois.edu
Phone: +1 217-333-7394

Symposium Cochairs:

Navid Jafari
Louisiana State University
Email: njafari@lsu.edu
Phone: +1 225-578-8475

Michael Laney
Braun Intertec
Email: mlaney@braunintertec.com
Phone: +1 805-340-2075

Abedalqader Idries
Langan
Email: aidries@langan.com
Phone: +1 225-475-1308

Continuing Education Units

Symposium attendees interested in receiving 1.35 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) must complete the CEU application form in the back of the program booklet and email it to ASTM Symposia Operations at symposia@astm.org. You must be registered and have attended the entire event in order to receive the CEU’s. A certificate will be sent to you via email approximately 1 to 2 weeks after the symposium concludes.

Hotel Information

All meetings will be held at the Hyatt Regency Houston Downtown, 1200 Lousiana St., Houston, TX 77002.

Hotel Reservations:

Please support ASTM International by reserving your sleeping room at our official January Committee Week Hotel and Meeting site.

The discounted rate will be honored until the ASTM block is full, but no later than December 27th, 2024 The ASTM rate is $199, plus taxes and a $6.15 State Recovery Fee (automatically included when you see the room rate). The ASTM Group code is G-ASTT. You may be charged a higher rate if reservations are received after the cutoff date, or when the block is full. The hotel requires a credit card to guarantee your reservation, once submitted a confirmation number will be provided electronically.

To book accommodations using the ASTM rate, please click here: Hyatt Regency Houston Downtown

To book accommodations using the government per diem rate, please click here: Government Room Rate

The Hyatt Regency Houston Downtown has a limited number of rooms at the government per diem rate. The government per diem rates are set by fiscal year, effective October 1 each year; you will be charged the prevailing rate at the time of the meeting, not at the time of booking. To find current rates in the CONUS visit GSA.GOV. The government per diem rate reservations may be made via our online reservation system, using the blue hyperlink above. You must present your ID at the front desk upon check-in.

CANCELATION POLICY: To prevent a one-night charge, please cancel at least 48 hours before 11:59 p.m. local time on your scheduled check-in date.

IMPORTANT! ASTM Rates are non-commissionable. If you book your reservation through an online travel agent, they must ask for a non-commissioned ASTM Group Rate. ASTM cannot adjust your higher rate if the accommodations were reserved via an online (Expedia, Trivago, Kayak, etc.) travel agency.

The January Committee Week Hotel provides prime meeting space for your committee meetings, events, and activities. ASTM International is legally bound to fill the contracted guest room block and an inability to fill the block will result in severe financial penalties which could affect negotiations and increase costs for future meetings.

INTERNET: The Hyatt Regency Houston Downtown offers free Internet access.

Standards Development Meetings

Committee D18 invites you to attend its future standards development meetings. There is no fee to attend these meetings, and membership in ASTM International is not required to attend. For more information about the committee and its future meetings, please visit the Committee D18 Homepage.