Dr. Anand J. Puppala delivered the opening keynote presentation at the 19th National Geotechnical Congress (19th CNG) in Vila Real, Portugal, held from May 11–14, 2026. The conference was organized by the Portuguese Geotechnical Society (SPG) in collaboration with the Departments of Engineering and Geology of the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD). Dr. Puppala had an engaging conference with Prof. Nuno Cristelo, one of the conference organizers, and enjoyed meeting with the president of Sociedade Portuguesa de Geotecnia (SPG), Paulo da Venda Oliveira, at the event.
Dr. Puppala’s keynote, titled “Balanced Sustainability and Resilience Assessments of Methods/Technologies for Supporting Civil Infrastructure,” addressed the growing vulnerability of civil and transportation infrastructure, particularly pavements and bridges, to more frequent extreme weather events such as severe rainfall and extreme cold storms. The talk highlighted innovative technologies, including shallow geothermal bridge deicing systems to mitigate bridge icing, wicking geotextiles to reduce moisture-induced distress in pavements built over expansive soils, and silica-rich stabilization methods for chemical soil treatment. Drawing on research and case studies conducted across the United States, Dr. Puppala presented findings from a resiliency-based sustainability analysis that included Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), demonstrating the long-term economic and environmental benefits of these approaches for building more resilient transportation infrastructure.
