Understanding and Working with Urban Soils
DISCLAIMER
Before purchasing, review the rules of your licensing or certifying entity. It is your responsibility to confirm this course meets your CE requirements. See the credit tab on the course page for details.
What’s Included: Full webinar recording, written course materials, expert instruction, a mandatory quiz, and a certificate upon completion.
Deliverability Timeline: All courses are generally available within 1-2 weeks after the live presentation.
CE Credits: AIA and/or LA/CES accreditation is available by request for courses recorded prior to March 11, 2026. All courses after that date include those accreditations by default, if applicable. With these accreditations, our courses qualify for credit in nearly all states for engineers, surveyors, architects, and landscape architects.
Learn more about the on-demand format in our FAQ or contact us at (715) 835-5900 or customerservice@halfmoonseminars.org
Agenda
Webinar instructions will be emailed before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before start time.
Friday, July 23, 2021
8:30 – 10:30 am CDT
Presented by
Ray Meyer, P.E., Senior Vice President and Principal with Paradigm Consultants, Inc.
Agenda:
What are urban soils and why are they important?
US Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service soil mapping
Finding and obtaining urban soil data
Issues with urban soils
• Compaction
• Drainage
• Contamination
• Modified and non-homogeneous soils, and fill
Working with urban soils
• Pavements
• Foundations
Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.
Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.
Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.
GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX Mavericks (10.9) – macOS Catalina (10.15)
Web Browser:
The two most recent version of the following browsers:
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled
Internet connection: Minimum of 1Mbps Hardware: 2GB RAM or more
For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com
Credits
Professional Engineers:
2.0 PDHs
Architects:
2.0 HSW CE Hours
AIA: (AIA credits only available for attending live Webinar)
2.0 LU|HSW
Landscape Architects:
2.0 HSW CE Hours
LACES: (LA CES credits only available for attending live Webinar)
2.0 HSW PDHs
International Code Council:
.2 CEUs (Sitework)
Continuing Education Credit Information
Individual courses for landscape architects, engineers and architects are not subject to pre-approval. HalfMoon Education does not apply for landscape courses in FL, NC, and NJ, unless expressly stated.
HalfMoon Education Certifying Entities
Landscape Architect Continuing Education System
American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (Sponsor No. J885)
International Code Council (Preferred Provider No. 1232)
American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
Boards of Engineering: Florida (No. 0004647), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00000700), North Carolina (No. S-0130), and North Dakota.
Course-by-Course Organizations:
International Society of Arboriculture
Society of American Foresters
Association of State Floodplain Managers
HalfMoon Education is deemed a New York-approved continuing education provider for landscape architects, engineers and architects via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (Regulations of the Commissioner §79-1.5(i)(2), §68.14(i)(2) and §69.6(i)(2)).
Completion certificates will be awarded to participants who complete this event, respond to prompts, and earn a passing score (80%) on the quiz that follows the presentation (multiple attempts allowed).
Speakers
J. Ray Meyer, P.E.
President of J.R. Meyer & Associates in Sugar Land, TXMr. Ray Meyer brings an extensive background of over 50 years in the field of Geotechnical Engineering, Construction Materials Engineering and Testing, and Forensic Investigations. His work is centered on challenges related to expansive and soft soils, soil-structure interactions, and the testing of construction materials for large, complex projects in the public and private sectors.
In his role as an Adjunct Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Houston, Mr. Meyer instructs courses on Construction Materials Testing, and Soils Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. This teaching role has refined his ability to demystify complex engineering concepts for individuals with little to no technical background, making him adept at conveying ideas to non-engineers and those with non-engineering backgrounds.
Mr. Meyer’s career spans a wide range of civil engineering projects, where he has applied his geotechnical expertise to design and analyze structures such as bridges, waterfront structures, deep foundations (e.g., piles, auger cast piers), slabs, pavements, runways, channels, levees, and drainage systems. His work includes critical aspects of industrial paving, airport runways, side slope stability, groundwater drainage, and complex construction scenarios like cofferdams and wet wells and earth retaining structures.
Additionally, Mr. Meyer is highly experienced in geotechnical forensic investigations, which involve analyzing structure issues such as foundation failures, pavement distress, slope stability, bulkhead and pier performance, and site moisture problems. His forensic expertise also addresses issues stemming from soil movement due to environmental factors like drought and rainfall, underground utility failures, and interactions between foundations and site vegetation.
Throughout his career, Mr. Meyer has served as a subject matter expert in disputes regarding foundation and pavement performance, making him a valuable resource for understanding and resolving complex geotechnical issues in civil engineering projects.
AIA Info
AIA Provider Statement:
HalfMoon Education Inc. is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number J885. All registered AIA/CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider of learning program may be sent to AIA/CES (cesupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).
This learning program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.
AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA/CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.
Course Title: Understanding and Working with Urban Soils
Delivery Method: Live Online
Course Description: This course examines the characteristics of soils in urban environments and why those characteristics matter to the design professional and buildings. Issues are explored, such as compaction, drainage, and contamination. The course explores how to work with urban soils for pavements and foundation design and construction.
Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 1:
Learners will be able to identify characteristics that are unique to urban soils and why they matter to building construction and building occupants.
Learning Objective 2:
Learners will be able to locate reference urban soil data that may influence design and construction decisions.
Learning Objective 3:
Learners will be able to identify and describe issues that are common to urban soils, including compaction, drainage, and contamination.
Learning Objective 4:
Learners will be able to describe urban soil conditions that must be taken into account for pavement and foundation construction.
LUs: 2.0 LU Type: LU|HSWs.
Prerequisites: Knowledge of assessment and site development
Advance Preparation: None
Program Level: Intermediate
Course Expiration Date: 05/04/2024
Complaint Resolution Policy:
Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to doug@halfmoonseminars.org or by calling (715) 835-5900. A HalfMoon Education representative will respond within 72 hours to resolve the complaint, which will include, but not limited to, access to another CE activity at no or reduced cost or a full or partial refund. Each instance will be resolved on a case-by-case situation.