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University of Hawai'i |
(808) 956-8856 Telephone |
For Immediate Release: |
August 1, 2000 |
Contact: Jim Manke, University and Community Relations, (808) 956-6106
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| 1999 UH Engineering Grad Selected as Delegate to International Conference |
Morioka will be one of five geotechnical engineers representing the U.S.
People usually take the ground for granted, but geotechnical engineer Brennon Morioka (UHM '99) understands the importance of the ground as a resource.
Morioka has been invited to the International Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference (YGEC) 2000 which will be held in the United Kingdom Sep. 8-13. Morioka will be one of five delegates representing the U.S. "I was kind of shocked," Morioka said.
The conference is sponsored by the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering which organizes conferences, committees and regional societies that deal with geotechnics and its engineering and environmental applications. YGEC allows geotechnical engineers under the age of 35 to present and have their work evaluated by an international audience. "We'll be discussing our feelings about our profession from the younger engineers' perspective," Morioka said.
Morioka will present research he did at the University of Hawai'i as part of his Ph.D. dissertation, "Using the CPT (cone penetrometer) to evaluate engineering properties of calcareous sand." A CPT is a field instrument that measures the hardness of the ground and helps determine engineering parameters to aide in the design of building foundations.
Before earning a PhD in civil engineering specializing in geotechnical engineering from UH, Morioka attended UC Berkeley where he received bachelors and masters degrees in civil engineering. He remembers enjoying his time at UH. "A lot of the faculty were very helpful and not only the ones who were not directly related to my research," he said. "They were always interested in what I was doing [because] I was one of the first Ph.D. candidates. There's only been three of us."
Morioka is a senior geotechnical engineer for URS Corporation, an engineering consultant company. He specializes in trenchless technology which allows for major underground construction, such as the installation of sewers, without digging up the ground. Morioka also serves as chair of the Geotechnical Committee for the Hawai'i chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
