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D. Scott Kieffer

background

Prior to joining the Colorado School of Mines in the summer of 2002, I acquired over ten years of industry experience that commenced in the field of engineering geology and progressed to the traditionally separate fields of geotechnical engineering and heavy civil design.  As an engineering geologist my work focused on geologic site characterization, paleoseismic investigations, and geologic hazards assessments.  As a geotechnical engineer, I have provided consultation for the siting, construction and rehabilitation of large dams and hydropower facilities in Europe, Central America and the U.S., and have designed stabilization schemes for both natural and excavated rock slopes.  Most recently as an Associate Design Engineer with Jacobs Associates, my work involved detailed geotechnical analysis and heavy civil design for major underground transit and water resources projects in Australia, Asia, and throughout the U.S.  Detailed designs have included soil nails, high-capacity tie backs, soldier piles, rock bolts and dowels, steel ribs, spiling, final shotcrete and steel linings, and heavy pipe umbrellas.  Design methods have ranged from empirical approaches and rock mass classification systems, to sophisticated numerical modeling of sequential tunnel excavation and support.  From holding positions of responsible charge as a Professional Engineer (P.E.), Certified Engineering Geologist (C.E.G.) and Registered Geologist (R.G.), the synergistic combination of geotechnical engineering, structural analysis and engineering geology has become clear.  Without a strong grounding in mechanics, the geologist cannot realize the engineering implications of observations made, as an engineer without a working knowledge of geology cannot appreciate the inherent fuzziness of geologic data and the potential impacts of geologic processes on engineered structures.  

Details regarding my educational and professional background are summarized below.

 

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Education         Ph.D., Civil Engineering (Geotechnical)

                            University of California at Berkeley, 1998

 

                             M.S., Civil Engineering (Geotechnical)

                             University of California at Berkeley, 1995

 

B.A., Earth Sciences (Geology)

University of California at Santa Cruz, 1989

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Professional      Registered Civil Engineer # 63196 - California

Certifications     Certified Engineering Geologist # 2156 - California

Registered Geologist # 6920 - California

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Professional      Assistant Professor

Experience        Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, 2002 to present

 

Associate Design Engineer

Jacobs Associates, San Francisco, CA, 1998 to 2002

 

Lecturer

San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, 2001

 

Independent Geotechnical Consultant

Berkeley, CA, 1994 to 1998

 

Graduate Student Instructor/Graduate Student Researcher

University of California at Berkeley,1994 to 1997

 

Staff Geologist

Harlan Tait Associates, San Francisco, CA, 1992 to 1994 & 1989 to 1991

 

Staff Engineering Geologist 

Dames & Moore, Honolulu, HI, 1991 to 1992

 

Staff Geologist 

Rogers E. Johnson & Associates, Santa Cruz, CA, 1988 to 1989

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Awards                Program of the Year Award

Association of Engineering Geologists, San Francisco Section, 2000

 

Douglas R. Piteau Outstanding Young Member Award

Association of Engineering Geologists (National Award), 1998

 

USCOLD Graduate Research Scholarship

United States Committee on Large Dams (National Award), 1996

 

Jane Lewis Graduate Research Fellowship

University of California at Berkeley, 1994

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Professional      Editorial Board Member

Service                Felsbau (Journal for Engineering Geology, Geomechanics and Tunnelling)

                              Austrian Society for Geomechanics

 

Scientific Committee Member

ISRM Regional Symposium

Eurock 2004 & 53rd Geomechanics Colloquy, Salzburg, Austria

 

Rock Mechanics Committee Member

Geo-Institute, American Society for Civil Engineers

 

Engineering Geology and Site Characterization Committee Member

Geo-Institute, American Society for Civil Engineers  

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Publications      Kieffer, D.S., 2003, Rotational Instability of Hard Rock Slopes.  Austrian Society for Geomech, 

                              Felsbau 21, No. 2, pp. 31-38.

 

                              Rozgonyi, T.R., Kieffer, D.S., Maidl, U., and Balci, C., 2003, TBM Considerations for Soft Ground Tunnels.

                              Proceedings of the International Symposium on Fusion Technology in Geosystems Engineering, Rock

                              Engineering, and Geophysical Exploration, Seoul, Korea.

 

Kieffer, D.S., 2003, Slope Stability Issues for Converting Open Pit Mine to Residential Subdivision.

Association of Engineering Geologists, Abstracts with Programs, Vail, CO.

 

Badr, S., Mendoza, R., Kieffer, S., Salamon, M.G.D., and Ozbay, U., 2003, Numerical Modeling

of Longwalls in Deep Coal Mines.  Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Ground

Control in Mining, Morgantown, WV.

 

Badr, S., Ozbay, U., Kieffer, S., and Salamon, M., 2003, Three-Dimensional Strain Softening

Modeling of Deep Longwall Mine Layouts.  Proceedings of the 3rd International FLAC and FLAC3D  

Symposium on Numerical Modeling in Geomechanics, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

 

Gibbs, P.W., Lowrie, J., Kieffer, S., and McQueen, L., 2002, M5 East - Design of a Shallow Soft Ground

Shotcrete Motorway Tunnel.  Proc. Int. Tunneling Assoc., March 2 – 8, Sydney, Australia.

Kieffer, D.S., Caulfield, R.J., and Cain, W., 2001, Seismic Upgrade of the Claremont Tunnel, Northern

California .  Society For Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Proc. 2001 Rapid Excavation and Tunneling

Conference, June 11-13, San Diego, CA.

 

Kieffer, D.S., McRae, M.T. and Chern, J.C., 2001, Chi-Chi, Taiwan, Earthquake of September 21, 1999,

Performance of Underground Structures, p. 162-172.  Earthquake Spectra, Supp. A to Vol. 17, Pub.

No. 2001-02, J. Uzarski and C. Arnold, Eds.

 

Goodman, R.E., and Kieffer, D.S., 2000, Behavior of Rock in Slopes.  Journal of Geotechnical and

Geoenvironmental Engineering, Vol 126, No. 8, August, 2000.

 

Kelson, K. I., Kieffer D. S., Sitar, N., Wright, R., Wells, D., and Perkins, W., 2000, Fault-related

Deformation Resulting from the Chi-Chi (Taiwan) Earthquake: Preliminary Conclusions of the NSF-PEER

Reconnaissance Team.  Proc. Seismological Society of America, pp. 484-492.

 

Kieffer, D.S., 1999, Implications of Faulted Marine Terrace Deposits at Mussel Rock, Daly City, CA.

Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, Berkeley, CA.

 

Kieffer, D.S., and Goodman, R.E., 1999, Analysis of the Safety and Performance of Scott Dam using FLAC.

ASCE Waterpower ’99 Conference, Las Vegas, NV.

 

Kieffer, D.S., and Goodman, R.E., 1999, FLAC Analysis of a Gravity Dam on a Soft Foundation. 

Proceedings of the 1st International FLAC Symposium on Numerical Modeling in Geomechanics,

Minneapolis, MN.

 

McRae, M.T., and Kieffer, D.S., 1999, Inelastic Rock Reinforcement Design for the Lake Mathews Outlet

Facilities.  Proceedings of the American Rock Mechanics Association, Vail, CO.

 

Kieffer, D.S., 1998, Rock Slumping: A Compound Failure Mode of Jointed Hard Rock Slopes.

Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, CA.

Kieffer, D.S., 1995, Surface Displacement Rate of a Deep-Seated Bedrock Topple.  Association of Engineering

Geologists, Abstracts with Programs, Sacramento, CA .

 

                              Kieffer, D.S., Lessin, E.E., Clahan, K.B., Fisher, G.R., Wright, R.H., and Wesling. J., 1994, Paleoseismicity

                              of the Cordelia Fault Zone, Solano County, California.  Geological Society of America, Abstracts

                              with Programs, Seattle, WA.

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