Articles

November 2026 G-I Track

GEOTECHNICAL INSTITUTE (G-I) TRACK

EXPANSIVE SOILS IN PRACTICE: LESSONS FROM CASE STUDIES

Yonghoon Lee, P.E., PMP
Geotechnical Engineer
WJE

Mr. Yonghoon Lee is a geotechnical engineer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. and has 19 years of geotechnical engineering experience in diverse transportation, civil infrastructure, commercial, and industrial development projects in various locales. Mr. Lee’s technical specialties include geotechnical forensic assessment of geo-structures, including retaining walls and excavation shoring, slope stability, foundations and underpinning, and issues related to compressible and expansive soil as well as geotechnical design and construction observation.

VERIFYING WHAT YOU DON'T CALCULATE: AI ACROSS CIVIL PRACTICE AND THE ENGINEER'S DUTY TO CHECK

Nishant Dayal, P.E.
Founder and Principal Engineer 
The Geotech Guys

Mr. Dayal is the founder and principal engineer of The Geotech Guys (TGG), a Richardson (TX) based geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing firm. With 24+ years of experience spanning geotechnical investigation, CMT program management, and infrastructure delivery, Nick has led projects for municipal clients, transportation agencies, energy developers, and institutional owners throughout Texas and the US. Mr. Dayal holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the National Institute of Technology (India), an MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. He is licensed as a professional engineer in Texas. A practicing engineer at the intersection of geotechnics and emerging technology, Mr. Dayal developed TGG's GeoAI Platform—a proprietary and integrated tool for subsurface data synthesis, anomaly detection, design computations, and accelerated reporting—and the PSEReviewAI Platform for automated construction document review. His work in applied AI for geotechnical practice reflects a broader conviction that data-driven workflows can meaningfully improve both the speed and rigor of engineering deliverables. Beyond his practice, Nick served as Chair of the ASCE Texas Geotechnical Institute (TXGI) for 2024–2026 and was instrumental in the inception of the Texas Geotechnical Conference, which launched in San Antonio in 2025 as a dedicated annual forum.

GEOTECHNICAL RISK IN PROJECT DELIVERY: HOW TO REDUCE RISKS AND CLAIMS

Hosam Salman, PhD, PE, F. ASCE
Senior Vice President 
WSP

Mr. Hosam Salman, PhD., P.E., F. ASCE, is a pavement and geotechnical senior vice president with professional licenses from Texas, New York, Arizona, and Kansas. Mr. Salman holds a BSc degree in civil engineering from Ain Shams University in Egypt, a Master of Engineering from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, and a PhD in civil engineering from Texas University at Arlington, Texas. Salman has over 30 years of professional experience in analysis, design, and management. He has been involved with a variety of work and projects that range from small- to large-scale projects with private and public sectors. Currently, Salman is working with WSP USA in Dallas, Texas. In his current work, Salman performs various tasks such as pavement design and rehabilitation, soil investigation, and geotechnical engineering for various projects that are located across the globe. Mr. Salman is an adjunct professor for the civil engineering department at SMU University in Dallas, Texas, and has authored several technical papers to cover various engineering subjects such as shell foundation, pavement design and rehabilitation, subgrade stabilization and retaining wall supported on combinations of piles, and geogrid. Mr. Salman also was the reviewer of several technical papers that are to be published with ASCE and other conferences.