September/October 2022 - 76

We are working to broaden the range of DFI and the Soil
Mixing Committee. On August 1-4, the Colorado School of
Mines hosted a short course on Grouting and Ground
Improvement. Several committee member companies
presented including Condon-Johnson, Keller, Menard,
Nicholson Construction, Trevi and myself. Specific soil
mixing topics included liquefaction mitigation, excavation
support, seepage control and environmental applications.
COMMITTEE CHAIR LUCKY NAGARAJAN
Women in Deep Foundations
The WiDF Committee had an active 2021 and great start to
2022. It is already August, and the committee is busy working
on many great initiatives.
To start, we added a " Know Your Members " segment to our
monthly meetings, to learn more about each other's personal
and professional lives and to create an inclusive and
interactive environment while building business
relationships. Some of the fun facts shared by our members
include the following: Johanna Emanuel, P.E., GeoStructures,
is an amateur baker and raises puppies; a middle school
robotics program got Rebecca Scherzinger, P.E., S&ME, excited
about engineering and she loves to bake, sew and garden;
Abeera Batool, P.E., Ph.D., GAI Consultants, has developed a
passion for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, is part
of the Geoprofessional Business Association, and has been
active in community outreach and interfaith advocacy.
Another proud accomplishment of the committee is
launching and testing the " Mentoring Pods Pilot Program. "
With the great number of interested committee members, we
created a total of eight pods consisting of both men and
women, with about six or seven members in each that meet
once a month. The pods have become an integral part of the
committee and an excellent way to obtain guidance, support
or suggestions from peers in the industry. The pods have also
become a safe haven for some difficult conversations. The
program was structured to promote organic growth of mentor
and mentee relationships.
Carol Domitric, Isherwood Geostructural Engineers, says,
" Our mentoring pod comes from different areas of the
industry including construction, consulting and sales. After
some conversation, we observed how most of us found we
could thrive once we landed in the right place in our industry.
Some early work experiences can be difficult in an
environment that doesn't suit you. But it's possible to find a
place where you are well-aligned, inspired, supported, etc.,
and then you really find out what you can do. "
Sarah Ramp, Menard USA, says " My pod is full of women
who wouldn't have otherwise become close since we are so
geographically spread out. Some of us work for contractors,
76 * DEEP FOUNDATIONS * SEPT/OCT 2022
others for consultants and others for
suppliers. Through sharing our unique
perspectives on being women in the
industry, we have found a lot of common ground. From the
first meetup, we quickly 'went deep' and shared candidly
about the challenges and stresses we are each facing. As
someone whose strength is not in networking, it is so nice to
build relationships with women in the industry outside of my
company or geographical region. "
Based on the success of the pilot program, DFI is
discussing how to implement this to those interested
throughout the organization.
Part of last and this year focused on learning about
" Women Legends " in the industry. This includes Ruth Doggett
Terzaghi, a geologist and civil engineer, and the wife of Karl
Von Terzaghi, Ph.D. She assisted her husband in many of his
geotechnical engineering and soil mechanics projects but is
rarely talked about or celebrated for her contributions. Others
covered are Emily Warren Roebling, the project manager for
the Brooklyn Bridge, and May George, the first Indian woman
chief engineer, who was also a social activist and advocate for
women. The committee is working on a collage or calendar of
" Women Legends. "
For Mother's and Father's Day 2022, the committee
debuted a column in Deep Foundations titled " It Takes a
Village, " a look at parenting from every angle. The first article
(in the May/June issue) covered challenges that are faced as
employees become parents from the perspective of both
employers and employees. The second article (July/August)
talked about personal experiences with changing daycare
facilities as we work through pandemic times.
Lastly, the WiDF Committee is involved in some of the
planning and delivery of DFI's Annual Conference. This year,
WiDF selected Steph Davis to be the speaker for the Hal Hunt
Lecture. We are also assisting with the Student Program, a
telethon fundraiser for the DFI Educational Trust and will
look to keep our title as the committee with the highest
participation in the 5K run. With the passion and activity of
our members, we will be tough to beat!
There are several other upcoming conferences that will be
great opportunities to share what knowledge has been gained.
This includes DFI47 in National Harbor, Maryland, October 47;
DFI-PFSF Piling & Ground Improvement Conference in
Sydney, Australia, November 16-18; and the 6th International
Conference on Grouting and Deep Mixing in New Orleans,
January 15-18, 2023. We look forward to seeing you there and
learning from each other.
September/October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2022
