DIGGING DEEPER: Frédéric Massé on Urban Foundations and Real-Time Risk Management

What does it take to build safely in the middle of a crowded city?

In this episode of ROCK SOLID LEADERS, Frédéric Massé (Nicholson Construction) shares hard-earned lessons from projects in Pittsburgh and beyond. From unexpected underground obstructions to managing noise, vibration, and logistics, he explains how geotechnical contractors solve the toughest challenges when space is limited and the stakes are high.

Listeners will learn:

• How real-time monitoring has prevented costly failures on active sites

• How re-purposing exiting site features can save both time and money

• Why hands-on construction experience is essential for young engineers

• The rise of design-build contracting in U.S. geotechnics

If you’re building in urban environments—or preparing to—this episode shows what it really takes to succeed underground.

Forty years is a long wait for an update.

The new Foundations and Earth Structures Design Manual (DM 7.2) is here — modernized, reorganized, and built to guide engineers through the most critical foundation decisions of our time.

In this episode of ROCK SOLID LEADERS, Michael McGuire (Lafayette College), one of the manual’s lead authors, breaks down what’s changed, why it matters, and how it will shape the future of design education and practice.

Listeners will learn:

• The biggest updates in DM 7.2, from shear strength to deep foundations

• Why the manual is both a roadmap for students and a tool for practitioners

• Where AI fits into the next generation of engineering design tools

This isn’t just an update. It’s a design revolution.

P-Y curves may sound like a niche topic, but they’re central to how we design deep foundations under lateral loads.

In this episode of ROCK SOLID LEADERS, we get technical. Dr. Anne Lemnitzer (UC Irvine) explains why P-Y curves matter, how they’re evolving with new research, and what that means for geotechnical and structural engineering.

Listeners will learn:

• How new testing is reshaping old assumptions

• What engineers must consider when applying P-Y curves to real-world projects

• Advice for young engineers

If you’ve ever designed or relied on a foundation, this episode will change the way you think about laterally loaded piles.

The future of geotechnical engineering won’t look like its past.

In this episode of ROCK SOLID LEADERS, Dr. Carlos Santamarina (Georgia Tech) shares how geotechnical engineering is evolving — and how artificial intelligence is changing the way we study and design with soil.

Listeners will learn:

• How AI is transforming subsurface exploration and data interpretation

• Why cross-disciplinary thinking will define the next generation of geotechnics

• The challenges of applying new tools to old problems like liquefaction and slope stability

• How young engineers can prepare for a profession in transition

If you want to know where geotechnical engineering is headed — and how AI is accelerating that shift — this episode is for you.

Hidden Shaking: Russell Green on Earthquake Risks

When the Christchurch earthquake struck, entire neighborhoods sank as the ground beneath them turned to liquid.

In this episode of ROCK SOLID LEADERS, Dr. Russell Green (Virginia Tech) explains why liquefaction remains one of the most destructive—and misunderstood—earthquake hazards. He breaks down what happened in Christchurch, what those failures revealed, and the new tools engineers use to analyze and prepare for the next event.

If you want to understand how earthquakes really reshape the ground—and what engineers are doing to stay ahead—this episode delivers the inside look.

Buried Risks: When the Ground Rewrites the Plan

A shipwreck under a city block.
A bulkhead failing in a storm.
A sensor that says “stop—now.”

In this episode of ROCK SOLID LEADERS, Damian Siebert (Haley & Aldrich) takes us inside urban geotechnical work where surprises are guaranteed and decisions can’t wait.

You’ll hear:

• The enabling work that quietly makes—or breaks—projects

• How real-time monitoring can change the course of a project

• What it takes to deliver bad news and keep trust

• Designs that fail safely when the unknown shows up

• Why denser cities and aging utilities raise the stakes

If you build in cities, this is your field manual for the ground you can’t see.

The ground never lies — but it doesn’t always tell the whole story.

On this episode of ROCK SOLID LEADERS, I sit down with Dr. Ellen Rathje (University of Texas at Austin) to uncover the seismic truth behind earthquake risk.

Ellen reveals:

• Why small details determine survival or collapse

• How new tools are reshaping seismic risk assessment

• What past earthquakes teach us about preparing for the next one

If you’ve ever wondered how we design for resilience when nature calls the shots, this is the seismic truth you need to hear.

Deep Foundations: Paul Axtell on Drilled Shafts

What really holds up our biggest bridges?

In this episode, Paul Axtell (Dan Brown and Associates) talks about drilled shafts, field challenges, and the mindset required to lead in geotechnical engineering.

A conversation about risk, resilience, and building strength from the ground down.