The first issue of Géotechnique was published in June 1948 and, to mark the birthday of Géotechnique, we are planning a special 60th birthday issue and other celebrations.
For the 60th birthday issue, which will be published in June 2008, we are breaking with tradition and issuing invitations to authors. There will be four paper-length articles, one on the history of Géotechnique, one on the personalities of the founders, one on geotechnical engineering before Géotechnique and one looking to the future.
There will also be a number of technical note length articles on different topics each cataloguing and reviewing papers published in Géotechnique which, in the opinion of the authors of the notes, have had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of geotechnical engineering.
On Wednesday 9 July 2008 there will be an informal afternoon discussion meeting at One Great George Street. This will be followed by a dinner of the Geotechnical Society which will be open to all geotechnical engineers and their guests.
The special issue and other celebrations are being planned by a small group from the Géotechnique Advisory Panel consisting of myself, Beatrice Baudet, Bill Craig, Chris Martin and Paul Morrison together with John Burland, Steve Brown and Mike Chrimes, ICE head of knowledge transfer. We are supported by Ben Ramster and Craig Schaper from the publishers, Thomas Telford.
I believe that the special 60th birthday issue will be both informative and an historically important document which geotechnical engineers and researchers will read with interest and use in their work. I look forward to seeing many friends and colleagues in July 2008.
