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Dr. Don J. DeGroot, Geotechnical Group Coordinator

Professor


College of Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Massachusetts Amherst
20 Marston Hall
130 Natural Resources Road
Amherst, MA 01003
E-mail: degroot@ecs.umass.edu
Phone: 413-545-0088
Fax: 413-545-4525

 

Curriculum Vitae

Education

Ph.D. in Civil Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, August 1989.
M.S. in Civil Engineering. Concordia University, June 1985.
B.S. in Civil Engineering with Great Distinction. Dawson College, May 1983.
Diploma of Collegial Studies in Civil Engineering Technology, August 1979.

Professional Experience

  • Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Coordinator, Geotechnical Engineering Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1995-present
  • Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1989 - 1995
  • Gledden Visiting Senior Fellowship, Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems/University of Western Australia, 2005
  • Guest Researcher Fellowship, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo, Norway, 1997
  • Research Assistant, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1983 - 1989

Recent Papers Published

DeGroot, D.J. "Laboratory Testing of Soft Clays." Journal of Geotechnics and Ecology, Baltic Geotechnical Society, in press.

Ostendorf, D.W., DeGroot, D.J., and Hinlein, E.S. (2007). "Unconfined Aquifer Response to Infiltration Basins and Shallow Pump Tests." Journal of Hydrology. Vol. 338, No. 1, pp. 132-144.

DeGroot, D.J. and Landon, M.M. (2007). "Laboratory Testing of Undisturbed Soft Clay Samples to Determine Engineering Design Parameters." Studia Geotechnica et Mechanica. No. 1-2, pp. 23-37.

Ostendorf, D.W., DeGroot, D.J. and Dunaj, P.J. (2007). "Waterhammer Dissipation in Pneumatic Slug Tests." Water Resources Research, Vol. 43, W02413.

DeJong, J.T., Yafrate, N.J., DeGroot, D.J. (2007). "Design of a Miniature Piezoprobe for High Resolution Stratigraphic Profiling." Geotechnical Testing Journal, Vol. 30, No. 4.

Landon, M.M., DeGroot, D.J., Sheahan, T.C. (2007). "Non-Destructive Sample Quality Assessment using Shear Wave Velocity." Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. Vol. 133, No. 4, pp. 424-432.

Ostendorf, D.W., Hinlein, E.S., Rotaru, C., DeGroot, D.J. (2006). "Chloride Contamination of Groundwater by Outdoor Highway Deicing Agent Storage." Journal of Hydrology, 326, pp. 109-121.

Ostendorf, D.W., DeGroot, D.J., Dunaj, P., and Jakubowski, J. (2005), "A Closed Form Slug Test Theory for High Permeability Aquifers." Groundwater, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 87-101.

DeGroot, D.J., Poirier, S.E., and Landon, M.M. (2005). "Sample Disturbance – Soft Clays." Studia Geotechnica et Mechanica, Vol. XXVII, No. 3-4, pp. 107-120.

DeGroot, D.J. and Lutenegger, A.J. (2005). "Characterization by Sampling and In Situ Testing – Connecticut Valley Varved Clay." Studia Geotechnica et Mechanica, Vol. XXVII, No. 3-4, pp. 91-105.

Sheahan, T.C., DeGroot, D.J., Fu, Q., and Ryan, R. (2004). "Use of 'Zero Controlled Gradient' Tests to Determine EOP Compression Behavior." Geotechnical Testing Journal, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 314-321.

Ostendorf, D.W., DeGroot, D.J., Shelburne, W.M., and Mitchell, T.J. (2004). "Hydraulic Head in Clayey Sand Till over Multiple Time Scales." Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 89-105.

Recent Conference Proceedings

Judge, A., DeGroot, D.J. and Ostendorf, D.W. (2008). "Development of a Slug Testing Apparatus for Measurement of Hydraulic Conductivity in Continuously Screened Monitoring Wells." Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Site Characterization, Taipei, Taiwan, CD-ROM, 6pp.

DeGroot, D.J., Landon, M.M. and Lunne, T. (2008). "Synopsis of recommended practice for sampling and handling of soft clays to minimize sample disturbance." Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Site Characterization, Taipei, Taiwan, CD-ROM, 6pp.

Yafrate, N.J., DeJong, J.T., and DeGroot, D.J. (2007). "The Influence of Full-Flow Penetrometer Area Ratio on Undrained Strength Measurements." Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Offshore Site Investigations and Geotechnics, London, UK. pp. 461-468.

Dunaj, P.J., DeGroot, D.J., and Ostendorf, D.W. (2006). "High Frequency Data Acquisition System for Field Measurement of Hydraulic Conductivity in a Sand Aquifer." Proceedings GeoCongress '06: Geotechnical Engineering in the Information Technology Age, American Society of Civil Engineers Geo-Institute, CD-ROM. 6pp.

Landon, M.M. and DeGroot, D.J. (2006). "Measurement of Small Strain Shear Modulus Anisotropy on Unconfined Clay Samples Using Bender Elements." Proceedings GeoCongress'06: Geotechnical Engineering in the Information Technology Age, American Society of Civil Engineers Geo-Institute, CDROM. 6pp.

McAdoo, B.G., Baise, L.G., Morgan, E., and DeGroot, D.J., (2006). "Continental Slope Geomorphology and Offshore Geohazards." Proceedings of the Workshop on Offshore Studies of the Andaman-Sumatran Earthquakes, Hanover, Germany.

Ostendorf, D.W., DeGroot, D.J., Mitchell, T.J., and Hinlein, E.S. (2006). "Groundwater Dispersivity Induced by Stormwater Runoff." Proceedings of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual Meeting, Paper No. 062248. 12pp.

DeGroot, D.J. (2005). "Laboratory Measurement of Foundation Soil Response of Embankments During Stage Construction." Geomechanics: Testing, Modeling, and Simulation, Geotechnical Special Publication No. 143, American Society of Civil Engineers, Geo-Institute. 12pp.

DeGroot, D.J. and Sandven, R. (2004). "Session Report – Theme 9: Laboratory and Field Comparisons." Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Site Characterization, Porto, Portugal, Vol. 2, pp. 1775-1790.

Landon, M.M, DeGroot, D.J., and Jakubowski, J. (2004). "Comparison of Shear Wave Velocity Measured in Situ and on Block Samples of a Marine Clay." Proceedings of the 57th Canadian Geotechnical Conference, Quebec City, CD-ROM. 8pp.

Poirier, S.E., DeGroot, D.J., and Ostendorf, D.W. (2004). "Field Measurement of Hydraulic Conductivity of a Clayey Sand Drumlin." Proceedings of the 57th Canadian Geotechnical Conference, Quebec City, CD-ROM. 8 pp.

Ladd, C.C. and DeGroot, D.J. (2003). "Recommended Practice for Soft Ground Site Characterization." The Arthur Casagrande Lecture, Proceedings of the 12th Panamerican Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Boston, MA, Vol. 1, pp. 3-57.

Recent Research Contracts Funded

"Workshop: Seabed Sediment Pore Pressure: Genesis, Measurement and Implications for Design/Analysis." US National Science Foundation, Principal Investigator, Sept 2008 – June 2009, $43,000.

"Developing International Protocols for Offshore Sediments and their Role in Geohazards: Characterization, Assessment, and Mitigation." National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education Program, Principal Investigator (with Co-PIs, J.T. DeJong, L.G.Baise, T.C. Sheahan, and B.G. McAdoo), September 2005 – August 2010, $2,341,579.

"Salt Remediation Program." Massachusetts Highway Department, Co-Principal Investigator (with PI, D.W. Ostendorf, and Co-PIs, E.S. Hinlein and C.J. DeMoranville), April 2005 – June 2008, $4,939,418.

"Development and Implementation of Early Detection Systems for Ground Movements." Vermont Agency of Transportation, Principal Investigator (with Co-PI, A.J. Lutenegger), March 2005 – August 2006, $104,953.

"Development and Validation of a MassHighway Geotechnical Engineering In Situ Testing System." Massachusetts Highway Department, Principal Investigator (with Co-PI, A.J. Lutenegger), April 2005 –March 2007, $165,906.

"Highway Deicing Agent Impacts on Soil and Groundwater Quality (supplement)." Massachusetts Highway Department, Co-Principal Investigator (with PI, D.W. Ostendorf and Co-PIs, A.J. Lutenegger and C. Demoranville), March 2004 – June 2005, $419,239.

"Highway Deicing Agent Impacts on Soil and Groundwater Quality." Massachusetts Highway Department, Co-Principal Investigator (with PI, D.W. Ostendorf and Co-PI, A.J. Lutenegger), July 2003 –June 2005, $1,507,280.

"Collaborative Research: International Development of New Tools for Evaluating and Remediating Sample Disturbance." Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation, Sept 2002 – August 2006, $191,763.

"Salt/Premix Storage Practices and Groundwater Quality – Amendment to ISA 7721." Massachusetts Highway Department, Co-Principal Investigator (with PI, D.W. Ostendorf and Co-PI, A.J. Lutenegger), May 2001 to June 2003, $1,070,850.

Recent Honors and Awards

  • George F. Sowers State-of-the-Art Lecture Award, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006.
  • Gledden Visiting Senior Fellowship, University of Western Australia, 2005.
  • United Technologies Corporation Outstanding Laboratory Teaching Award, UMass Amherst, 1993.
  • Initiated as Faculty Member into Chi Epsilon by UMass Amherst Student Chapter for "Outstanding instruction in the classroom and laboratory." UMass Amherst, 1994.
  • Nominated for University Distinguished Teaching Award, UMass Amherst, 1993, 1995 and 1999.
  • James L. Tighe Civil Engineering Distinguished Teaching Award, UMass Amherst, 1997.

Links
Geotechnical Engineering Program: http://geotech.ecs.umass.edu/
NSF International Project on offshore geohazards: www.offshoregeohazards.org

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