The 14th annual Schnabel Engineering Lecture will be October 24, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. in Owen’s Banquet Hall. The lecture titled “Understanding and Developing Geotechnical Performance Requirements” will be presented by K.N. Gunalan, ASCE 2019 President-Elect.
Abstract: Major projects are being delivered using alternative methods such as public-private partnership in which the whole life cycle cost—including maintenance—is factored into the final assessment and award.
Understanding how to define and monitor long-term performance of geotechnical elements is therefore a critical component in pricing these projects.
Biography: K.N. Gunalan (Guna) is senior vice president of transportation alternative delivery, Americas at AECOM, based in Salt Lake City, UT. Guna has managed large complex infrastructure projects, providing technical advice on civil, structural, geotechnical, pavement, and materials issues on a variety of projects around the world. His collaborative approach has contributed to many successful programs and projects ranging from a few thousand dollars to more than three billion dollars. ASCE President Elect, Guna has spent many years as an active member of the organization.
He has held various leadership roles including Region 8 Director and Governor, Utah Section and Texas Section High Plains Branch president, and Chair of ASCE’s 2014 Global Engineering Conference in Panama City, Panama, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal. He most recently served as a Governor for the Geo-Institute and was a member of the steering committee for the 2017 ASCE India Conference. Guna has been married for 35 years to Duru. They have a son, Kabilar, and a daughter, Pallavi. He loves to read, travel, and learn about new cultures.