DFI Announces Keynote Speakers for 47th Annual Conference

Hawthorne, N.J.:  Three renowned experts are delivering keynote lectures at DFI’s 47th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations, being held October 4-7, 2022, in National Harbor, Maryland.

Giovanni Bonita, Ph.D., P.E., P.ENG, P.G., GEI Consultants, is presenting “An Underground Movement – Evolution of Ground Improvement Systems in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area.” Bonita is a senior vice president with GEI Consultants. His experience is in the areas of geotechnical and geostructural engineering, tunneling, hydrogeology, geophysics, groundwater and seepage and karst geology. He has close to 30 years of experience with complex underground structures, cutoff walls, underpinning, retaining systems, ground improvement, protection of adjacent structures, geological and geophysical investigations, and deep foundation systems.

Sissy Nikolaou, Ph.D., National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is presenting “A Glimpse Into the Geologic Splendor and Hidden Risks that Lie Beneath Washington, DC.” Nikolaou serves as leader of the Earthquake Engineering Group in the Materials and Structural Systems Division in the Engineering Laboratory at NIST. Currently she is co-leading the geotechnical engineering project in the National Construction Safety Team investigation into the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condominium of 2021 in Surfside, Florida.

Kris Zacny, Ph.D., Honeybee Robotics, is delivering a presentation on “Space Mining Robots for Solar System Exploration.”  Zacny is vice president at Honeybee Robotics. His interests include space mining, drilling, and In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). He is also a principal investigator of TRIDENT ice mining drill on PRIME1 lander and VIPER rover missions to the Moon.

More information on the DFI Annual Conference is available at www.dfi.org/Annual2022.

About the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI): DFI (www.dfi.org) is an international association of contractors, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, academics and owners in the deep foundations industry. Our multidisciplinary membership creates a consensus voice and a common vision for continual improvement in the planning, design and construction of deep foundations and excavations. We bring together members for networking, education, communication and collaboration. With our members, we promote the advancement of the deep foundations industry through technical committees, educational programs and conferences, publications, research, government relations and outreach. DFI has more than 4,000 members worldwide.