General Report Education and Research in Geotechnical Engineering

Education and research in geotechnical engineering are drifting away from their mission of providing manpower and technical knowledge for solving problems of design and construction. Design weaknesses and construction blunders and their associated cost over-runs are the result. The reason for the shortcomings in education and research lie in the teaching, administrative and economic weaknesses of the universities and research institutes. Those who teach, undertake research, and manage both have inadequate experience in design and construction. Those who provide funds favor short-term publicity instead of long term cost-effectiveness. By requiring teachers and researchers to become involved in design and construction activities and by utilizing practicing engineers and geologists to teach and to guide research, teaching and research can be integrated into the total design-construct process.