June 13, 2023, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil – Gustavo Vianna, Director of Operations at Knight Piésold Brazil, was appointed as chair of the International Slope Stability Symposium 2024 (Slope Stability 2024). Happening on April 14–19, 2024, the conference will be held for the first time in Brazil, at the Dom Cabral Foundation (Fundação Dom Cabral), located in the municipality of Nova Lima, in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

Slope Stability 2024 is organized by the Brazilian Association of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ABMS, Associação Brasileira de Mecânica dos Solos e Engenharia Geotécnica), a non-profit, technical-scientific institution leading technical and regulatory standards of geotechnical practice in Brazil, and is supported by the Large Open Pit Project, an industry-sponsored, international research and technology transfer project focused on the stability of large slopes associated with open pit mines.

Themed “Slopes of the Future,” the conference aims to gather professionals from all over the world to discuss the latest international guidelines and standards, exchange knowledge, and disseminate best engineering practices related to slope stability for open pit and associated infrastructure. Topics include diversity and geotechnics; innovations in geomechanics; mine closure and climate change; slope stability and weak rocks; risk, communication, and decision making in open pit mining; and new generation of geoprofessionals.

Vianna has over 26 years of experience in geotechnical engineering for mining, deep foundation, and infrastructure projects across Brazil. He has taught geotechnical-related workshops, short courses, and graduate courses as an assistant professor, facilitator, and guest lecturer at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais and FUMEC University. He has held various roles at ABMS for many years, elected to serve for consecutive terms, including president and vice president of the Minas Gerais State Chapter and secretary general of the National Board. He currently serves as vice president of the Minas Gerais State Chapter.

“After a very successful Slope Stability 2022 in Tucson, Arizona, USA, I am working with an amazing team to host the first International Slope Stability Symposium in Brazil. We are working hard to bring insightful programming in slope stability geotechnics for professionals around the world and showcase the best of Belo Horizonte and the country,” said Vianna. Joy Foley, Staff Engineer at Knight Piésold USA, and Matteus Hamade, Geotechnical Engineer at Knight Piésold Brazil, are members of the organizing committee for Slope Stability 2024.

“At Knight Piésold, we are delighted to be involved in Slope Stability 2024 and to contribute our technical knowhow for the advancement of this critical field,” said Vianna. “We are looking forward to discussing with and learning from the international mining community on best practice for safe open pit mining operations.”