Distinguished Prof Jie Han

Dr. Jie Han is a Roy A. Roberts University Distinguished Professor in the Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering Department at the University of Kansas. He has published more than 450 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers. Prof. Han is the president of the ASCE Geo-Institute, the treasurer of the International Geosynthetics Society, and the chair of the US Transportation Research Board (TRB) Transportation Earthworks Committee. He serves as the chief editor of the Geotechnical Engineering Section of the Frontiers in Built Environment journal, an associate editor for the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Engineering and Geotextiles and Geomembranes, and an editorial board member for more than ten other international journals. Dr. Han has been invited to give more than 200 keynote/invited lectures and short courses around the world, including the 18th UK IGS Lecture in London in 2018. He has received numerous awards from the profession including but not limited to the 2011 Shamsher Prakash Prize for Excellence in Practice of Geotechnical Engineering, the 2014 the International Geosynthetics Society Award, the 2017 ASCE Martin S. Kapp Foundation Engineering Award, and the 2021-2023 GMA Robert M Koerner Award. Dr. Han was elected to the ASCE Fellow in 2014.

Geosynthetics have been successfully used for many civil engineering applications by serving different functions. In recent years, engineers have recognized that improving soil mechanical properties by geosynthetics may involve two different functions – reinforcement and mechanical stabilization, which depend on geosynthetic/soil properties and loading conditions. This class will illustrate the differences and relationships between reinforcement and mechanical stabilization by geosynthetics in walls and roads; discuss limit equilibrium and serviceability of geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls constructed under regular and special conditions (e.g., limited space walls, tiered walls, and load-carrying walls) including their design guidelines; and present recent developments in geosynthetic-stabilized roads including mechanisms, design methods, field evaluation, and case studies.