April 2026
📰 AEG St. Louis Chapter Newsletter
April 2026 Edition
Please forward to colleagues or students who may be interested!
🌐 Visit our website: https://www.aegstl.com
JAM PACKED MONTH!!!
Join us for a presentation given by Jim House, project manager at UES, Wednesday, APRIL 22nd!!!!!
And the Teklab Grand Opening Tour on the 28th!
Upcoming Chapter Meeting
📅 Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
🕒 Time: 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
🎤 Speaker: Jim House
📝 Topic: General Statistical Tools for Evaluating Groundwater
📍 Location: UES STL Office (11816 Lackland Road, Suite 150, Maryland Heights, MO 63146)
🎿 Event Highlights:
Cost: $10 for students, $20 for members, $25 for non-members
Dinner will be provided.
Jim House earned his B.S. in Geology from the University of South Carolina where he graduated in 2020. Jim has worked as a geotechnical and environmental geologist at UES/Geotechnology since 2020. Jim recently moved to the UES - St. Louis office where he has focused his efforts on environmental assessment, site characterization, remediation design, and groundwater statistical analysis. Jim recently became a Licensed Professional Geologist/Registered Geologist in Tennessee, Missouri, and Illinois. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, golfing, and amateur hunting dog training.
Upcoming Events
🧪 Teklab, Inc. Environmental Lab Opening – Facility Tour
📅 Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2026
⏰ Time: 5:30 – 7:30 PM
📍 Location: 120 United Dr., Collinsville, IL 62234
🔬 Event Highlights:
• 45‑minute guided laboratory tour
• General overview of Teklab’s environmental testing services and capabilities
🌍 AEG Land Subsidence Virtual Symposium📅 Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026⏰ Time: 7:45 AM – 1:30 PM💻 Format: Virtual (Live + On‑Demand Access)📝 Registration: Register HERE🎓 Professional Credit: Earn 5.5 PDH credits
🎙️ About the Symposium:
This virtual event brings together land subsidence experts from around the world. Sessions will be recorded and available for on‑demand viewing following the event.
👥 Featured Speakers (3 of 11):
🧠 What the Ground Remembers: Long‑Term Subsidence and Critical Heads in California’s Central Valley
👤 John Ellis, Principal Hydrogeologist & National Lead on Land Subsidence, INTERA• Empirical and modeling insights into subsidence under SGMA
• Evaluation of critical head thresholds using groundwater data, subsidence records, and MODFLOW CSUB modeling
• Informed by DWR Bulletin 118 – Update 2025
💧 From Data to Decisions: Mitigating Land Subsidence in the Greater Houston Region
👤 Ashley Greuter, Director of Research & Water Conservation, Harris‑Galveston Subsidence District• Regulatory framework and monitoring strategies used to curb subsidence
• Long‑term groundwater management success in southeast Texas
• Lessons learned through collaboration with regional water providers
🛰️ An Overview of NISAR: NASA’s New Mission for Land Surface Monitoring
👤 Cathleen Jones, Senior Research Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory• Overview of the NASA‑ISRO NISAR mission launched in June 2025
• High‑resolution InSAR applications for measuring land subsidence
• Mission status, data products, access, and early subsidence observations
🧬 AEG 5th Symposium – Naturally Occurring Asbestos & Elongate Mineral Particles
📅 Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
📍 Location: Nile Hall at Preservation Park
1233 Preservation Park Way, Oakland, CA
🎤 Event Format:
• In‑person presentations only
• No recordings or virtual attendance available
👥 Who Should Attend?
Environmental & Engineering Services Consultants, Developers, Local Government Professionals, Soils Technicians, Industrial Hygienists, Geologists, Certified Asbestos Consultants, Training Professionals, and others involved in NOA-related work.
🧪 Symposium Topics Include:
• Geologic Assessments for Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA)
• Worker Training Requirements
• Air Monitoring and Compliance Tips
• Soil and Air Testing Method Review
• Lessons Learned from Local Projects
• Air Quality Management District Compliance Overview
• And more — bring your questions!
💲 Registration Rates (Before April 17):
• AEG Members: $175
• Non‑Members: $225
• Includes lunch, coffee, and snacks
Register HERE
🏔️ AEG 69th Annual Meeting📅 Dates: Saturday, September 12 – Thursday, September 17, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00 AM (Sat) – 6:00 PM (Thu)
📍 Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee
🌄 About the Location:Join us in Chattanooga—named by Lonely Planet as one of the “Best in the U.S.” and by The New York Times as one of the “Top 45 Places to Go in the World.” Nestled between the mountains of Southeast Tennessee along the Tennessee River, Chattanooga is one of America’s most breathtaking cities.
🎤 Meeting Highlights:• Opening General Session
• Three days of technical sessions
• Earn up to 20 PDHs• Multiple networking events
💻 Virtual Day:• Monday, September 14, 2026
🚧 Optional Field Courses (Early registration ends 8/1/26):
• #1 – Dams: Raccoon Mountain Pumped Storage & Chickamauga Lock
📅 Tuesday, 9/15 | 💲 Early $115 / Late $140
• #2 – Chattanooga Area Tunnels and Trains📅 Tuesday, 9/15 | 💲 Early $115 / Late $140
• #3 – Chattanooga Brownfields Redevelopment📅 Tuesday, 9/15 | 💲 Early $115 / Late $140
• #4 – Zinc Mine Underground Tour📅 Tuesday, 9/15 | 💲 Early $115 / Late $140
• #5 – Lookout Mountain Geotourism📅 Saturday, 9/17 | 💲 Early $185 / Late $210
• #6 – Ocoee Gorge / Copper Basin Adventures (Rafting Option)📅 Saturday, 9/17 | 💲 Early $170 / Late $195
• #6B – Ocoee Gorge / Copper Basin Adventures (Orchard Option)📅 Saturday, 9/17 | 💲 Early $150 / Late $175
• #7 – Helene Impacts / Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Multi‑Day)📅 Saturday 9/12 – Monday 9/14
💲 $775 (Double Occupancy) / $995 (Single Occupancy)
✨ New This Year:• Package registration that includes the Annual Banquet and Special Event• Early Career Member Rate: $425
Register HERE
🎓 AEG Foundation & Diversity Field Trips Grant
Please consider contributing to the AEG Foundation in memory of Phyllis Steckel, former North Central Regional Director. Donations can be made individually or during AEG dues renewal.
Diversity Field Trips Grant:
Established by Phyllis and Richard Steckel, this grant supports Earth Science or STEM teachers working primarily with Black, Hispanic/Latino/a, Pacific Islander, and/or American Indian/Alaskan Native students.
🔗 Apply here: https://aegfoundation.org/grant-scholarships/
📧 Completed paper applications may be emailed to: staff@aegfoundation.org
💵 The St. Louis Chapter will match donations up to $500.
📣 If you donate in memory of Phyllis, please notify Luke Ducey at Luke.Ducey@wsp.com so we can match your contribution.
✍️ AEG Member Blogs
AEG now hosts member-written blogs — short articles (500–1,000 words) offering advice, insights, and professional knowledge. Topics include student engagement, field trip ideas, and meeting tips.
💡 Got an idea? Contact Sheri Maskow at manager@aegweb.org
🔁 Membership Renewal Reminder
If you haven’t renewed your 2026 membership, please do so soon!
🔐 Log in with your email and password to access renewal forms via the Membership section.
💼 Employment Opportunities
UES
Regional Director of Business Development
Driller Helper
Senior Lab Technician
Geotechnical Project Manager
🔗 Apply online
Rocksmith Geoengineering
Staff Geologist or Geological Engineer
Seeking candidates with experience in geotechnical, rock mechanics, hydrogeological, and environmental services
📧 Email: info “at” rocksmithgeo.com
Terracon
Multiple openings: Environmental Engineer, Architectural Historian, Geotechnical Manager, Geophysical Intern
🔗 Apply online
WSP
Multiple openings: Water Resources Engineer, Geological Engineer, Natural Resources Intern, Environmental Engineer
🔗 Apply online
The Joint Engineering Program (UMSL and WASHU)
The Joint Engineering Program (which is a night program which is shared between UMSL and WashU) is looking for someone to teach a foundation design course in Fall 2026. This is a pretty typical senior-level civil engineering foundations course – the course description is below. The previous instructor is willing to share notes, old exams, etc. The course historically has been taught Tuesday night 7:00-9:50 PM on the WashU campus, although I think there might be some flexibility. In general, the Dean insists on a master’s degree to teach.
Foundation Engineering course description: Principal problems in design and construction of foundations for bridges and buildings. Bearing capacity of deep and shallow foundations; pressure on retaining walls and shallow foundations; pressure on retaining walls and slope stability; modern developments in piling, cofferdams, open caissons, pneumatic caissons.
If anyone is interested or wants more information, they can contact me (cohen.m@wustl.edu) or Gary Moore (gmoore23@wustl.edu, the Civil Program Director.
📣 Jobseekers & Employers:
To post or update listings, contact Sean Garcia at sean.garcia@terracon.com
🔄 Webmaster Emy Ludwig will update job postings quarterly
👥 Chapter Officers (Aug 2024 – Aug 2026)
Chair: Luke Ducey – Luke.Ducey@wsp.com
Vice Chair: Ben Luetkemeyer – ben.luetkemeyer@terracon.com
Treasurer: Alex Hirsch – ahirsch@trccompanies.com
Secretary: Sean Garcia – sean.garcia@terracon.com
Past Chair: Matt Masterson – matt.masterson@wsp.com
Webmaster: Emy Ludwig – emy.ludwig@rocksmithgeo.com
Membership Chair: Amber Thrasher – amber.thrasher@rocksmithgeo.com
Region 7 Director: Caleb Kuhn – calebkuhnwg@gmail.com