Geotechnical Education from Field

Abstract

Numerous engineering colleges in India teach civil engineering as an undergraduate course in which soil mechanics is a core subject. Foundation engineering is taught as a compulsory elective subject. However, the emphasis in the curriculum is on other topics. The primary study of soil mechanics or geotechnical engineering takes place at postgraduate level in a limited number of institutions. Rightly, these courses revolve upon the theoretical aspects of the subject because the students have no other avenue to learn the basics once they are out of the institute. Some premier institutions offer courses on design and construction practices using service of professionals from the field. The research programs like Master of Science in engineering or Doctoral research deal with narrower topics. The complex nature of the soil underground leaves several untold stories that make a geotechnical engineering graduate confused when the necessity of application arises. The classrooms are not making a geotechnical graduate look towards the right direction, and this results in a waste of time looking for the right answer. The soil mechanics taught in the classroom is applied in several forms, and this is blamed on the complexity of the soil. Learning the real geotechnical engineering starts on the field. An internship in a right organisation dealing with geotechnical design and construction shall be necessary for equipping the graduate to deal with practical problems. Well-documented case studies correlating with the mechanics are helpful. This paper is presenting some field cases and its correlation with classroom learning.