IGS Panama Shares Revitalization Plans

Celebrating more than a decade championing geosynthetics in the region, a refreshed IGS Panama has set out bold commitments for the year ahead.

Here, IGS Panama Secretary Kenneth Thompson offers insight into the Chapter's development, accomplishments and exciting plans for 2025.

Congratulations on your anniversary! Tell us a bit about where it all started.

Our Chapter's story began in 2014, when Eng. Nicomedes Alexis Vergara presented on 'Geocomposites in the expansion of the Panama Canal', at an IGS event in Honduras. It inspired the idea of establishing a dedicated group in Panama.

Recognizing the potential of geosynthetics in Panama, then-IGS President Jorge Zornberg supported the initiative at a global level while Eng. Vergara took charge of its local execution. Back in Panama, conversations with colleagues in the geosynthetics sector fueled interest, leading to the official formation of the IGS Panama Chapter.

To ensure strong leadership and credibility within the local engineering community, Eng. Amador Hassell was chosen as the first President, with Eng. Vergara serving as Vice President. This marked the official global recognition of the IGS Panama Chapter.

Although the journey was not without challenges, IGS Panama continued to grow, making its mark at major global events such as the International Conference on Geosynthetics (ICG) in Berlin in 2014, ICG Seoul in 2018, and ICG Rio in 2020.

Additionally, a Panamanian company associated with the IGS since 1998 served as a Corporate member until 2012, further reinforcing the country's longstanding involvement in geosynthetics.

We currently have 20 individual members and five Student members.

What has been the Chapter's most recent development?

Our new era began just one year ago, with a revitalized Board of Directors focused on fostering student engagement and strengthening technical expertise within the local engineering sector, as well as a greater focus on sustainability.

Since our formation we have actively contributed to global discussions on geosynthetics, participating in key international conferences and fostering local engagement, which I'm sure we will continue into the next decade.

What does this revitalization mean for the Chapter and its members?

Looking ahead to 2025, our strategic plan includes expanding our membership base, creating local technical committees, collaborating with government agencies on geosynthetics specifications, and launching knowledge-sharing initiatives such as conferences and webinars.

We are committed to bridging the gap between international advancements in geosynthetics and the needs of Panamanian engineers and students.

What about Young Members?

Yes, we are empowering the next generation through the Young Members Committee and academic contributions at the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (Technological University of Panama).

Let's dig in to your Strategic Plan for 2025. What are your main priorities?

We are focused on:

• Expanding our community: growing our chapter to more than 40 members in the first semester.
• Technical Committees: establishing dedicated technical groups to enhance research, analysis, and discussion of geosynthetic applications in Panama.
• Government collaboration: engaging with key institutions such as the Environmental Ministry and the Ministry of Public Works to develop national specifications for geosynthetic materials and their proper use.
• International knowledge exchange: organizing a conference series in May 2025 featuring local experts.
• Continuous learning: launching bi-monthly webinars based on findings from our local Technical Committees.
• Empowering the next generation: supporting a student leader from the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá to spearhead the Young Members Committee, which already has five registered members.
• Academic contributions: actively participating in the Geosynthetics Design course within the Masters in Geotechnical Engineering program at Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá.
• Global representation: introducing the IGS Ambassadors Program in October 2025 to connect Panamanian engineers with international industry leaders.
• Commitment to growth: strengthening the sector by fostering the development of new generations and integrating advanced technologies into Panamanian engineering.

 What's next?

Our vision remains clear: to bridge the gap between global advancements and local applications, ensuring geosynthetics play a pivotal role in Panama's engineering landscape. We believe that through knowledge, collaboration, and innovation, we can drive positive change in our industry.

Any final thoughts?

What started as an idea in Honduras has grown into a thriving reality – a story of dedication and collaboration that we continue to build together, believing that knowledge and innovation can transform our environment.

We firmly believe that geosynthetics can play a transformative role in addressing societal challenges through sustainable engineering solutions. As we move toward 2025, our goal is to expand our reach within the engineering community and reinforce our strategy toward sustainability.

IGS Panama is ready for this new chapter. With strong leadership, an engaged community, and a forward-looking vision, we will continue driving the development of geosynthetics in Panama.

Spanish speakers can follow IGS Panama activity via its LinkedIn profile here.