Paul B. Pizzimenti presented a Golden Apple to Mr. Korbin (Photo by Walter J. Papp, Jr.)

The 7th Annual William Barclay Parsons Lecture in Underground Engineering was held at the CUNY Graduate Center in Manhattan on April 21, 2009. Dr. Gregg E. Korbin, a consultant that has worked on over 100 projects and published over 30 papers and technical reports, delivered a lecture titled "Lessons Learned – 35 Years in Underground Design and Construction".

Dr. Korbin shared his extensive practical experience based on various types of projects involving different types of tunnels and other underground facilities. The presentation focused on exploration programs and different types of tunnel boring machines (TBMs).

Under exploration programs, Dr. Korbin discussed various water pressure tests and stress measurement methods. The spoke of the importance of the statistically-significant sampling of water pressure measurements during hydrojacking tests. He presented five case histories while speaking about stress measurements.

Dr. Korbin spoke about open and closed methods of tunneling and discussed how the different methods appear to be blending in current practice. Some of the case studies discussed in this presentation were Balsam Meadows, Dinky Creek, Calaveras, South Bay Ocean Outfall, Arrowhead, Hallandsas and Lake Mead Intake.

Before closing the lecture, the audience was treated to some fabulous views of wine caves in California lined with shotcrete, which serve a wide range of functions, such as wine crushing, storage, and even an acoustically designed performance space!