Attendees can earn CLE and CEU credits, with certification available upon request during registration.
18 Years of Providing Real-World Tunneling Education Breakthroughs in Tunneling Short Course
In 2025, the Breakthroughs in Tunneling Short Course and Risk Management in Underground Construction will come together as a combined event, offering an unparalleled educational experience. This premier event will take place September 8-11, 2025, at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado.
Now in its 18th year, the Breakthroughs in Tunneling Short Course remains the longest-running and most-attended course of its kind, featuring insights from leading practitioners worldwide. The expanded program will cover all aspects of tunneling and underground construction, including cutting-edge case studies, emerging technologies, and critical risk management strategies for contractors, insurers, consultants, and owners.
Course Directors for the Tunneling Short Course

Levent Ozdemir, Ph.D. , PE, is President of Ozdemir Associates and spent 32 years as Professor of Mining and the Director of the Excavation Engineering and Earth Mechanics Institute (EMI) at the Colorado School of Mines. During his tenure at Mines, he developed and taught courses in tunnel design and construction, mechanized rock and soil excavations, site investigations, excavation project management and underground mining. He built EMI to a world-class research organization and directed pioneering research in all aspects of mechanized tunneling and underground construction. His outreach activities at Mines have also included the development of several short courses for the tunneling industry. He currently serves as a consultant to the tunneling and the underground construction industries worldwide.

Timothy Coss, president of Microtunneling Inc., started the Microtunneling Short Course in 1994 at a time when microtunneling was still gaining acceptance in the utility construction industry. A former contractor, Coss recognized the need for an educational venue to help owners, contractors and engineers better understand the emerging technology. Since its founding, the Microtunneling Short Course has become the premier event for the microtunneling community worldwide, offering first-class educational and networking opportunities.
