Young Members Photo Contest – Winners Revealed

Geosynthetics captured in sunset are among the winning images for the latest IGS Young Members (YM) Photo Competition.

The call-out was launched at the GeoAmericas 2024 conference in April 2024, welcoming entries over the year. The five winning photographers were revealed this month.

First place, and awarded $200, was Laura Cassini with her image of a coffee irrigation reservoir in Minas Gerais, southeast Brazil, lined with smooth HDPE geomembrane to enable continuous irrigation.

Laura, a civil engineer in TechGround's geomembrane division at AzulPack, one of the largest geomembrane suppliers in Latin America, has been a Young Member since 2022.

She said: "I have great joy and pride being one of the winners. I entered with this specific photo to highlight the significant growth in the use of geomembranes in agribusiness, especially in the construction of large water reservoirs. Sharing projects like this helps broaden the dissemination of practical applications of geomembranes as barriers for water resources, aiming to encourage the use of innovative and sustainable solutions in the field."

Ramon Santos picked up the second place prize of $100 with his photo of a landfill site at Santana do Parnaíba, southern Brazil, which he took while on the IGS Job Shadowing program. Mr Santos is currently researching the use of geotextiles in sanitary landfills as part of the Graduate Program in Civil Engineering at the Federal University of São Carlos, in São Paulo, Brazil.

He said: "The landfill site I photographed applies a wide range of geosynthetics including geomembranes, geotextiles, GCLs, geocells, and geogrids, each playing a specific role in the project. "As a Young Member I believe it is extremely important to take part in events and competitions that promote the dissemination of geosynthetic technologies and their applications in various engineering projects.

"I've been a Young Member since 2023, and have found great value in the articles, events, contests, and most importantly the sharing of knowledge with society."

In third place was Moises Ferreira whose photo of a reservoir lined with smooth HDPE geomembrane, at Fazenda Bela Bahia in São Desidério, northeast Brazil, won him $50. He also works for AzulPack TechGround as a field technician.

The competition also awarded the Student Member prize to Reza Darvishi for his image of a geogrid-reinforced soil retaining wall at 35,000-unit housing project Pardis New Town in Tehran, Iran.

Reza, who joined the IGS last month (June), is a Technical Office Engineer (Senior Technical Specialist) at Faradid Consulting Engineers.

He said: "I'm absolutely thrilled and deeply honored to be one of the winners. It's incredibly rewarding to have my work recognized by such a prestigious organization as the IGS, and it truly motivates me to continue my contributions to the field of geosynthetics."

And a public vote online of shortlisted images gained Joelson Rocha the Social Media award and $100, for his photo of a waste containment facility at Leopoldina, also in Minas Geras, Brazil, which showed the installation of a HDPE geomembrane.

Joelson, who also works in the TechGround geomembrane division at AzulPack, said: "This recognition from IGS makes me even more motivated to continue sharing my daily technical fieldwork."

Contest co-organizer Gino Sicha Flores, chair for the Americas Region of the IGS Young Members Committee, said: "The YM Photo Competition is a great initiative designed to involve everyone, regardless of location, and make Young Members feel part of the IGS community as they are our future. It also aims to widen the perception of the use of geosynthetics among young professionals and students by sharing these inspiring images.

"I hope the competition gains momentum each year so more people are interested in participating in the future – and show off the projects they are most proud of."

This year's edition drew 15 entries with Young Members Committee Chair Viviana Mangraviti, Past Chair Dawie Marx, and Dr. Sicha shortlisting 10. An external jury made up of IGS Council Member Jacques Cotes, IGS Secretary General Laura Carbone, YMC Chair for Africa and the Middle East Region Hamza Mridakh and IGS Executive Director John Kraus then ranked the 10 before the final winners were confirmed.

IGS Young Members membership is open to anyone aged 36 and under. You can find out more about the IGS Young Members Committee here. Student membership of the IGS is free. For more about membership options, and to join the IGS, visit the webpage here.