COURSE 4: MONITORING WHILE DRILLING

Professor Jean Benoît has been at the University of New Hampshire since 1983 and as Emeritus Professor since May 2021. He served as Department Chair for 9 years from 2001-2010. He received his Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique in Montréal in 1977 and his Masters and Doctorate in Civil Engineering from Stanford University in 1980 and 1984, respectively. He has expertise in geotechnical, geological and geoenvironmental engineering and has published extensively on these topics especially in the areas of in situ testing. Prior to his arrival at UNH, Professor Benoît worked in industry for Woodward-Clyde Consultants on projects in the US and overseas including Egypt, Iran and Algeria. During two sabbatical leaves and professional collaborations, he has also held faculty and research positions at Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Université de Nantes, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris and has conducted research at ISMES in Italy. Professor Benoît’s current research focuses on rockfall and monitoring while drilling where he is currently leading the MWD Users Group in the US.

Michael B. Rodgers, Ph.D., P.E. currently serves as a Research Assistant Scientist in the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment at the University of Florida. Dr. Rodgers’ research is focused on novel site characterization methods and full-scale construction monitoring techniques, where his main area of expertise is intelligent systems in the domain of geotechnical measuring while drilling (MWD). His Ph.D. topic was MWD, and he has been a pioneer for the emerging practice for over a decade. Throughout his tenure he has investigated MWD for bored pile QA/QC, including drilled shafts and auger cast piles, as well as MWD site investigation and characterization methods including rock coring and general geotechnical drilling applications. Dr. Rodgers has published numerous MWD scholarly journal papers and recently published the first MWD standard test method in the United States on behalf of the Florida Department of Transportation. In 2023, Dr. Rodgers founded MWD One to support growth of the developing MWD practice worldwide.

Dr. Philippe Reiffsteck received his Master of Science in Civil Engineering from CUST School of Engineering, France, in 1992 and his Doctorate in Civil Engineering from Blaise Pascal University, France, in 1996. He is currently a senior researcher at the University Gustave Eiffel, France, in charge of the laboratory of soil mechanics and special in situ testing. His scientific projects aim to improve existing knowledge on physical phenomena involved in the interaction of structures with the supporting soil. He has coordinated numerous research works in the field of foundation, natural hazards, in situ testing and has also been working on improving and implementing different geotechnical field tests, including: self-boring pressuremeter, special samplers, cone loading tests, Permeafor and Measuring-While-Drilling. In recent years, he has been particularly involved in the European standardisation of tests (ISO TC182 and CEN TC341) and co-authored CEN ISO 22476-15 standard on MWD and part 2 of Eurocode 7 dedicated to Ground properties.

Ben is a senior geotechnical engineer with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Resource Center. As part of his responsibilities, Ben advances geotechnologies and champions proven and effective geotechnical related innovations for transportation applications. He is currently focused in program areas related to geotechnical site characterization, geohazards, geotechnical asset management and performance, and digital technology advancements for improved transportation project and management applications. Ben leads the ongoing A-GaME initiative to advance geotechnical site characterization practices, communication, and digital delivery for transportation applications, which includes MWD.

Bruma Souza received her bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Natal, Brazil). Upon completing her BSCE, she received her M.Sc. degree in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire (USA) in 2021. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of New Hampshire and Université de Lyon (France). Research topics investigated in her Ph.D. research include Measurement While Drilling and rockfall hazards. Additional research work performed by Bruma Souza includes characterization, strength, and deformability assessments of granular materials and soils with geosynthetics.