ACI technical committee Chairs are expected to attend this breakfast workshop to meet with fellow Chairs, TAC members, and ACI staff to hear updates on important recent developments of interest to ACI technical committee Chairs. There will be table discussions and short presentations. If you are unable to attend, please ask the Secretary of your committee or another committee member to represent you in your absence. Attendance is by invitation only.
Title: Mastering the Art of Interviewing: Strategies for Success
More information coming soon.
Chapter Officers are invited to come and enjoy a delicious hot breakfast, while networking with peers from around the world.
Moderators: Karin T OBrien, Mr Trevor Towery
Luke & Billie Snell have made significant contributions to documenting the history of concrete, often highlighting its evolution and its transformative role in construction. Their work includes research on concrete's origins, how its changed in composition over time, and practical history that demonstrate the material's enduring importance. Presentations will highlight a select few of Luke and Billie's prolific publications.
Moderator: Dr Amir Behravan
This session will provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of how advanced material characterization techniques, commonly used in academic research, can be effectively applied to real-world forensic investigations of concrete failures. The focus will be on identifying the root causes of issues in both new construction and existing concrete structures. Presentations will highlight how these techniques can uncover underlying problems; help mitigate risks and improve the long-term durability of concrete. Participants will gain valuable insights into how material science tools can diagnose concrete issues, provide actionable solutions, and ultimately prevent failure. This session is designed for professionals across multiple disciplines, including consultants, contractors, engineers, researchers & scientists, material Scientists. In general, anyone involved in the design, construction, and maintenance of concrete structures will benefit from attending.
Learning Outcomes:
(1) Recognize frequent issues that arise during the construction phase and in existing concrete structures;
(2) Learn about the material characterization tools used to diagnose concrete-related problems;
(3) Gain insight into which forensic methods are best suited for specific types of concrete failures and understand the data they provide;
(4) Explore how concrete deterioration manifests in hardened concrete and the long-term consequences these issues may have on structural integrity;
(5) Understand practical solutions to avoid future failures and improve the quality and longevity of concrete structures through proper material selection, construction practices, and monitoring techniques.
Moderator: Mr Onur Ozturk
Moderators: Aaron Allan Miller, Mrs Keila Heitmeyer
Moderator: Dr Kimberly Waggle Kramer
This session provides an overview of construction tolerances in reinforced concrete, focusing on reinforcement placement, concrete properties, and dimensional control. Key topics include allowable deviations in elevation, plumb, location, and cross-sectional dimensions for foundations, cast-in-place elements, bridges, and tilt-up construction. Attendees will gain practical knowledge on interpreting and applying ACI tolerance specifications to improve constructability, minimize rework, and ensure quality. Emphasis will be placed on how tolerances impact structural performance and inspection requirements, equipping professionals with tools to better manage field variations and align with project specifications.
Learning Objectives:
(1) Identify the key tolerance categories defined in ACI standards for concrete construction and reinforcement placement;
(2) Interpret allowable deviations related to plumb, location, elevation, and cross-sectional dimensions across various concrete applications;
(3) Evaluate the impact of construction tolerances on structural performance, quality control, and inspection processes;
(4) Apply tolerance specifications to real-world scenarios to reduce rework and improve constructability on reinforced concrete projects.
All attendees are welcome to the Student Awards Program featuring a keynote presentation followed by the announcement of the winners of the student competition. Preregistration is not required.
Title: Matriculating in Concrete
Speaker: Henry Prenger, P.E., F.A.C.I.
Cement, Technical Service Engineer
Holcim (US) Inc.
Description:
A discussion of concepts and values that have proved invaluable over a long career in the concrete industry — many of which aren't typically covered in engineering school. This reflection includes insights gained later in my career while working with students on concrete competitions, particularly the Wilson Cup. Through these experiences, I’ve come to better understand what I wish I had known earlier in my professional journey, as well as how today’s students are inspiring confidence that the next generation of engineers will be well prepared for the challenges ahead.
Moderator: Dr Ali Ghahremaninezhad
There has been an increased interest in carbonation as a means for the development of construction materials in the recent years. There have been significant advances in fundamental and applied research related to carbonation curing for sustainability of concrete. The primary objective of this session is to bring together experts in both academia and industry to discuss the recent developments in cementation through carbonation. Abstracts that provide fundamental or practical contributions are invited.
Moderator: Dr Amir Behravan
This session will provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of how advanced material characterization techniques, commonly used in academic research, can be effectively applied to real-world forensic investigations of concrete failures. The focus will be on identifying the root causes of issues in both new construction and existing concrete structures. Presentations will highlight how these techniques can uncover underlying problems; help mitigate risks and improve the long-term durability of concrete. Participants will gain valuable insights into how material science tools can diagnose concrete issues, provide actionable solutions, and ultimately prevent failure. This session is designed for professionals across multiple disciplines, including consultants, contractors, engineers, researchers & scientists, material Scientists. In general, anyone involved in the design, construction, and maintenance of concrete structures will benefit from attending.
Moderators: Dr Somayeh Nassiri, Mr James Mack
While the session doesn’t have a direct international theme, the topics and insights are highly relevant to an international audience. Many regions worldwide are grappling with questions about the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of extended pavement life cycles, making this session valuable for global attendees. A longer life cycle has traditionally been known as a sustainable practice by delaying reconstruction and major rehabilitation. However, questions arise whether designs exceeding 40–60 years make economic and environmental sense. Factors such as the discount rate used in life cycle cost analysis, uncertainties in future community needs and planning, electrification and automation of truck traffic, climate data, and limitations of durability prediction tools affect the viability of longer-life pavement designs. This session will explore these issues through four presentations addressing various aspects of designing concrete pavements for extended life spans and the necessary considerations.
Moderator: Mr Onur Ozturk
Moderators: Rachel Cook, Robert J Thomas
The ACI 123 Student Poster Session compliments the existing Research in Progress and Open Topic Presentation sessions and provides further opportunity for the presentation of original, unpublished results from ongoing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology throughout the world.
Moderators: Dr Ben Dymond, Dr Jacob Henschen
You learned the basics of concrete materials and structural design in your introductory course in college. Now, take home some additional design skills you probably did not see there. The goal of this sessions is to take a closer look at design of low-carbon concrete using the new ACI Code-323-24: Low-Carbon Concrete - Code Requirements and Commentary. Experts in academia and the private sector will lead the session for new or seasoned professionals.
Moderator: Dr Tara L. Cavalline
This session will provide an overview of recent research supporting mitigation of environmental concerns associated with use of recycled concrete aggregates in new infrastructure. Both bound and unbound uses will be included in the presentations, with a focus on potential impacts to water and air quality, as well as other community impacts. Case studies of the successful specification, use, and monitoring of recycled concrete aggregates will be presented, with a focus on strategies to address and mitigate potential environmental concerns.
Moderator: Mr Mark Kenneth Weaver
In light of the barge impact disaster involving Baltimore’s Key Bridge in early 2024, a session is proposed with its primary objective being to highlight recent advances in the analysis and design of concrete structures for impact loads. Engineers with an interest in impact and penetration response phenomenology should attend.
Learning Objectives:
(1) Learn common scenarios where impact involving concrete structures is a design concern;
(2) Understand what analytical methodologies are available and presently being used to address these scenarios;
(3)
(4)
Moderators: Dr Mehdi Bakhshi, Dr Verya Nasri
Moderator: Dr Shahria Alam
The use of Fiber Reinforced Polymer reinforcement in concrete columns and bridge piers has gained significant momentum as a sustainable and corrosion-resistant alternative to traditional steel reinforcement. This special session invites high-quality contributions that address recent advances in the behavior, design methodologies, numerical modeling, experimental validation, and construction practices of FRP-reinforced concrete columns and piers under various loading scenarios, including axial, lateral, seismic, and environmental conditions.
Learning Objectives:
(1) Recognize and understand the differences between conventional and FRP RC columns and piers
Identify issues related to the modeling, analysis, design, construction and performance of FRP RC columns and piers, i.e., performance through analysis, experimentation, field observation, etc. ;
(2)
Learn about current research and construction practices related to FRP RC columns and piers;
(3) Recognize existing codes and standards for the design and construction of FRP RC columns and piers;
(4)
Moderator: Mr Benoit Bissonnette
This session will discuss lessons learned from major wildfire events including the Marshall Fire in Colorado as well as the January 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires as these communities look to rebuild. Concrete, as a fire-resistant building material, can experience damage and require repair following wildfires. This session will discuss lessons learned as communities look to rebuild using existing foundations and concrete pavements remaining after the fires. The session will also cover approach to assessment of concrete to determine the extent of repair required.
Moderator: Dr Abbas Mokhtar-zadeh
The response spectrum (RA) analysis technique is a valuable tool for finite element seismic analysis; however, its application to structures and foundations requires caution. The method's inherent technique of disregarding the sign of resultants can lead to oversimplifications and potentially inaccurate outcomes. This is especially critical when dealing with the unique characteristics of structural systems, including shear walls, floor slabs, mat foundations, and design mechanism including buckling, failure modes, and anchorage design during seismic events. In this session, practitioners and researchers present different limitations of the Response Spectrum (RS) analysis and provide practical resolutions and/or work around tips.
Learning Objectives:
(1) Explain different classes and the nature of RSA simplifications' limitations;
(2) List RSA limitations on analysis, design, combinations, failure mechanisms, and stability assessments;
(3) Discuss practical solutions for FE approximation of RSA techniques;
(4) Review alternative examples and approaches in FE dynamic analysis for practitioners.
Practical Applications of 3D Printing," is designed to provide ACI Attendees actionable insights into the rapidly evolving field of 3D printing in construction. Led by 3D printing company representatives with on-site printing experience, this session will dive into diverse topics such as materials, equipment, and standardizing protocols for training, all essential for achieving operational excellence in 3D-printed construction projects. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of current challenges and successes in the field and leave with a vision of the colleaborative effort needed to support 3D printing as a transformative construction tool.
Moderators: Dr Mehdi Bakhshi, Dr Verya Nasri
Low-carbon concrete mixtures typically have low cementitious materials and/or high content of supplementary materials. Also, Type 1L cement contains inter-ground limestone of up to 15%. Concrete mixture with Type 1L cement and/or high content of supplementary materials usually require relatively low water-to-cementitious ratios (w/cm) to achieve satisfactory strengths and other properties such as drying shrinkage, modulus of elasticity, etc. Low water amount, low w/cm and/or low cementitious materials lead to low past volume, which can cause poor workability, poor workability retention and other related challenges.
Please join WACI for this reception/networking event. During this reception, the Women in ACI will introduce the winners of the Young Professional Convention Sponsorship, recognize award winning women who have made significant contributions to ACI, and share the legacy of the Women in ACI. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy food, fellowship, and fun. This event has a long history at ACI and has grown from a small gathering of women attendees to an event attended by all convention demographics. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the Concrete Art Auction Sponsored by Women in ACI. Proceeds from the auction benefit young professionals by providing the opportunity for convention registration. Please come join the Women in ACI and support young professionals!
Doors open/Cocktail Reception: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Dinner: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Awards Presentation: 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Post-Reception/Red-Carpet Photographs: 9:00 –10:00 pm
The ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards will showcase and honor some of the most creative concrete projects from around the world nominated by ACI Chapters, ACI International Partners, and project team members. Project nominations were judged by industry professionals with technical expertise in each of the eight award categories. First- and second-place awards will be announced in each category, in addition to the concluding overall “Excellence” Award. Following the Awards, celebrate the accomplishments of those recognized at the red-carpet post-reception. A cash bar will be available.
PREREGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND. Tickets may be purchased at the ACI Registration Desk up to 24 hours prior to the event, based on availability. Please notify the ACI Registration Desk if you have any dietary restrictions.
Moderator: Dr Nishant Garg