University teaching staff from the northern Brazil region benefited from a three-day IGS Educate the Educators (EtE) session.

IGS Brazil's seventh edition of the EtE program welcomed academics from seven states – Amazonas, Pará, Acre, Roraima, Rondônia, Amapá, and Tocantins – where they were introduced to a range of geosynthetics concepts and materials.

The 17 participants, representing the seven universities of the northern region, not only received the comprehensive EtE curricula but were also able to learn about the application of geosynthetics to engineering problems in the region, such as erosion processes and mining.

Lectures, workshops and case studies were complemented by two practical workshops, one on the types of geosynthetics, their properties and functions, and the second on designing with geosynthetics. In the latter, the group had to analyze real engineering projects and describe the geosynthetics used including properties and functions, before presenting to their peers.

Attendees also had the opportunity to visit the facilities of companies Tech Ground and Nortene, both in Manaus, where they observed the manufacture of geomembranes by the plane matrix and balloon matrix methods.

The two-day program held on November 6 to 8, last year, at the Federal University of Amazonas, in Manaus, was organized by Professor Maria das Graças Gardoni, President of IGS Brazil, with activities delivered by herself and Professors Delma Vidal and Ennio Marques Palmeira.

Prof. Gardoni said: "IGS Brazil is delighted to have hosted its seventh EtE event. We received highly positive feedback with the learning, course satisfaction and quality of content highly evaluated by the participants.

"We're proud to have once again provided training for university undergraduate teachers, promoting a rich environment for interaction and knowledge exchange. Thanks to all sponsoring companies, funding from the IGS Foundation, and support from the IGS Pan-American Regional Activities Committee (RAC)."

Francisco Pizarro, chair of the IGS Pan-American RAC, said: "The Committee is delighted to support the development of these activities since they reflect the essence of the IGS. The two events elevated geosynthetics for a discussion focused on making more and better infrastructure but most importantly it was able to bring knowledge to Manaus and the north of Brazil, a region disconnected from the industrial or most populated areas. This reinforces the IGS's approach on diversity and sustainability."

The IGS Educate the Educators program delivers the core principles of geosynthetics to university teaching staff and how these can be incorporated into existing curricula. Sessions are delivered and funded between the IGS and an IGS Chapter with all events and educational materials free for participants.

To find out more and organize your own events, visit the IGS EtE page here.

Keep up-to-date with IGS Brazil activity via its website here.