Introduction

The work of the geoprofessional has evolved and expanded enormously over the past two decades. The breadth of the discipline is reflected by the number of related international societies (e.g. International Society for Rock Mechanics, International Geosynthet-ics Society, International Tunnelling Association, International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics, International Association of Hydrogeologists, International Association of Engineering Geology and the Environment to name but a few) and even in the change of name for the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering to the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. In particular, geotechnical practice has expanded far beyond the traditional areas of soil mechanics and foundation engineering to include what is now commonly referred to as“geoenvironmental engineering.”