GeoEngineering Graduate Student Association at Berkeley

The main objective of the GeoEngineering Graduate Student Association at Berkeley is to provide GeoSystems graduate students, postdoctoral and visiting researchers with:

an executive/steering committee to coordinate the activities of the abovementioned students,
a forum to share technical details of ongoing research,
a platform for constructive peer review and support, and
to promote student collaboration, outreach, and social interaction.

CalLink: https://callink.berkeley.edu/organization/geoengineering

Contact us here: geoengineering@berkeley.edu

Leadership Committee:

Chairs: Kurt Soncco and Ava Fathian Sabet

Vice Chair: Gabriela Paredes

Outreach Chairs: Mingliang Tang and Treves Li

Social Chair: John Sadek

Academic Chair: Andreas Kalyvas

Training video: How to make a coffee at the Geosystems Students Lounge

Events

GeoSymposium: The 9th annual GeoSymposium will be held from 1 pm - 5 pm on November 14, 2025 at Banatao Auditorium in Sutardja Dai Hall at UC Berkeley. This symposium showcases current research conducted in the GeoSystems Engineering group at UC Berkeley. All are welcome to attend.

Visit our page here: https://geotechnical.berkeley.edu/activities/annual-geotechnical-engineering-research-symposium

Past Events

Guest Lecture: In partnership with the UC Berkeley EERI chapter, we are pleased to have Dr. Srikanth S. C. Madabhushi from the University of Colorado, Boulder on October 20th, 2023 to present on: Misconceptions with Dynamic Earth Pressure Coefficients: Improving the Seismic Limit State Design of Earth Retaining Structures.

Mid of Term Happy Hour - 2024: Gathering of master and PhD students at Jupiter sponsored by ENGEO.

Start of Term Happy Hour - 2023: Celebration of welcoming the new master students to the program at LaVal's Pizzeria sponsored by SFGI.

Latest Student News

Register now and don't miss the 44th Annual Geosystems Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series & Juan Pestana Memorial Event, May 8

Apr 09, 2026 | General

The number of registrations continues to increase quickly, and we plan to close registration around April 15 or when the capacity of the venue is reached. If you have been considering joining your colleagues and classmates, we encourage you to register now. Don't miss this event which sold out in previous years!   May 8, 2026 | Krutch Theater, Clark Kerr Campus UC Berkeley, 8:30AM - 8:30PM   Registration UC Berkeley and ...

Registration is filling up - 44th Annual Geosystems Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series, May 8

Mar 26, 2026 | General

The number of registrations for the May 8 event have recently been increasing, and we plan to close registration around April 15 or when the capacity of the venue is reached. If you have been considering joining your colleagues and classmates, we encourage you to register soon!   May 8, 2026 | Krutch Theater, Clark Kerr Campus UC Berkeley, 8:30AM - 8:30PM   Registration UC Berkeley and SFGI ASCE are pleased to announce t ...

Berkeley GeoWall Team Competes at National Geo-Congress

Mar 25, 2026 | General

Did you know that GeoWall at Berkeley is UC Berkeley’s only geotechnical engineering competition team that competes each year at ASCE’s Mid-Pacific Conference and the National Geo-Institute Conference? They recently returned from the National Geo-Institute conference (Geo-Congress) held on March 9-12, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah, where, as finalists, they competed against other finalist teams from around the nation. Rune De Anda, Project Man ...

Berkeley Geosystems MSc Students Funded to Attend Geocongress Thanks to the Juan Pestana Legacy Fund

Mar 08, 2026 | General

We are so excited that eight of Berkeley’s Graduate MS students are attending Geocongress this year and will have the opportunity to learn the latest in the field and interact with geotechnical engineers nationwide in Salt Lake City from March 9-12, 2026. Although several more PhD students from Cal will also be attending to present their research work, and these students are typically funded through their research projects, MSc students typica ...

Honoring Juan Pestana's legacy at UC Berkeley - Make a year-end gift today

Dec 19, 2025 | General

The Geosystems Program at UC Berkeley has established a Legacy Fund to honor Professor Juan Pestana by supporting the education and experience of our geosystems engineering graduate students. Your gift can fund: Tuition funding and Fellowship support, Student funding to participate in conferences, Resources that enrich the classroom and hands-on laboratory experience. With only two weeks remaining in the year, your contribution ...