Society News

Files from the 2018 Terzaghi lecture, Protecting the Environment with Geosynthetics, delivered by Professor Kerry Rowe, are now on the WA event page.

A PDF of the presentation slides has been provided, along with a collection of References.

The abstract submission deadline for the ARMA 53rd US Rock Mechanics/ Geomechanics Symposium is extended to 30 November 2018.

Abstracts should be submitted online.

The symposium will be held in New York City, USA on 23-26 June 2019. The event will be held at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, a short walk from Manhattan.

The symposium program will focus on new and exciting advances in all areas of rock mechanics and geomechanics. Technical tours and field trips are also being planned. Sightseeing tours will include various city landmarks, social activities and other attractions. Short courses and workshops will be held immediately prior or after to the symposium and will be listed as they are confirmed.

Information on symposium registration, exhibition, accommodation and sponsorships can be found on the website: armasymposium.org or by contacting [email protected].

The most recent IAEG newsletter is available online.

This issue includes a number of calls for abstracts and general news.

The latest IAEG Connector is available on the IAEG website.

The 19th IAEG Connector is available on the IAEG website.

The briefing includes information about the recent AEG Annual Meeting and XIII IAEG Congress, the awarding of the Richard Wolters Prize, as well as information on upcoming conferences and geology news.

The October 2018 ISSMGE News & Information Circular is now available.

The circular includes links to the ISSMGE Bulletin as well as details of upcoming events and webinars.

The ISRM September 2018 newsletter is available online.

The September 2018 IAEG brief is available with photos from the recent San Francisco congress and details of the new officers chosen at that time. The brief also includes upcoming events and workshops, as well as a call for abstracts for the 2019 Coastal Hazards Forum.

The 2019 National Transport Infrastructure Workshop has been announced and will be held on February 13-14th, 2019 at the Pullman Hotel, Hyde Park, Sydney, NSW.

Registration details, along with a program are available at the NTIW-2019 website.

For the 23rd ISRM Online Lecture the ISRM invited Professor Maurice Dusseault, from University of Waterloo, Canada. The title of the lecture is “Subsurface Geomechanics Challenges in Naturally Fractured Rock Masses”. It will be broadcast on Thursday, 18 September, at 10 AM GMT and will remain available in a dedicated webpage. Click to read the lecture synopsis.

Maurice is a Professional Engineer and teaches Geological Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He carries out research in deep underground engineering issues including oil production, hydraulic fracturing, energy storage, geothermal energy, carbon sequestration, and deep injection disposal of granular solids and liquid wastes (including biosolids, oilfield wastes, and civil wastes).

He is involved in energy technologies that can be downscaled to community levels to provide robust and reliable heat and power: geothermal, natural gas approaches, compressed air energy storage, and heat geo-storage. Many of the general energy processes he works on involve hydraulic fracture implementation to generate communication, or analysis to prevent hydraulic fracturing onset.

The lecture will remain online so that those unable to attend at this time will be able to do it later. As usual, the attendees will be able to ask questions to the lecturer by e-mail during the subsequent five days. All online lectures are available from this page.

Papers and proceedings from the Sydney Symposiums 2010-2017, are now available for members.

View and download papers here.

The September ISSMGE circular is available online as well as Volume 12, Issue 4, August 2018 of the the ISSMGE Bulletin.

The ISSMGE bulletin for June 2018 is now available on the ISSMGE website.

We would like to invite you to submit abstracts to the ATC7 special session “Geotechnical Issues and Practices on Deltaic Deposits and Highly Compressible Soils” of The Sixteenth Asian Regional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (16ARC). The 16th ARC is scheduled to be held on October 14~18, 2019 at Taipei International Convention Center (TICC) in Taipei, Taiwan. The conference is organized by Chinese Taipei Geotechnical Society under the auspice of ISSMGE Board.

The ATC7 special session will provide the venue for geotechnical practitioners and researchers to present the latest research and innovations on a wide range of geotechnical topics, related to deltaic deposits and highly compressible soils, including but not limited to:

• Characterization of material properties
• Numerical and physical modelling
• Construction and development
• Ground improvement
• Foundations
• Environmental issues
• Risk, energy, earthquake, and other topics related to deltaic deposits and highly compressible soils

Instructions for Abstract Submission:

Please submit an abstract to ATC7 via email; [email protected]. ABSTRACT template is attached as 16ARC_Abstract-Template.doc.

IMPORTANT DATES of ATC7 at 16ARC

Abstract Due Date – 2018.08.20

Abstract Acceptance – 2018.08.31

Full-Paper Collections – 2019.01.15

Please feel free to contact ATC7 via email if you have any queries.

Please note the following opportunities for input to the revision of two important standards.

AS2870

Further to the recent announcement for a “townhall” meeting to discuss the development of a proposal to revise AS2870, there is a draft proposal as it currently stands, for your consideration.

If you are planning to attend the meeting, please pre-read the document to inform your contributions to the discussion. If you would like to express a view on the proposal, but cannot attend the meeting, I invite you to make a short written submission (short = <1/2 page!) that might also inform the discussion. I intend to collate the short written submissions into a single PDF document and to circulate this to the meeting attendees, prior to the meeting, to also inform the discussions. Please send your submissions to AGS – Secretary.

AS4678

Also attached are some thoughts on the revision to AS4678. Please send any feedback on the AS4678 document to Stephen Buttling.

The ISRM Rocha Medal has been awarded annually by the ISRM, since 1982, for an outstanding doctoral thesis in rock mechanics or rock engineering, to honour the memory of ISRM Past President Manuel Rocha while stimulating young researchers. Besides the Rocha medal awarded to the winner, one or two runner-up certificates may also be awarded.

Click here for details about the application process for the 2020 Award. 

Click here for more details about the award.

PAST AUSTRALIA WINNERS

• 2013 – Dr Anne Perera
• 1998 – Fiona MacGregor
• 1991 – T.H. Kleine
• 1985 – P.M. Dight

The next meeting of the AGS National Committee will take place in Sydney on Friday 23 March 2018. Please contact your National Committee representative should you wish to raise a point for discussion.

The Standards Development Advisory Committee (SDAC) from Standards Australia has conditionally approved a proposal for revision of AS 4678:2002 Earth-retaining structures.

Regular updates will be shared with the AGS membership.

The Editorial Panel of Australian Geomechanics invites submission of papers to the journal. To view the journal’s Aims & Scope and Guide for Authors, and for information on how to submit your paper, please refer to the Editorial Policy at the end of this issue.

If you are interested in publishing your photos in Australian Geomechanics, please submit your contributions to Richard Heath, AGS Media Officer. This is a great opportunity to showcase and share your work and projects. Your picture could also be selected for the cover page of the journal!

If you would like to be considered for reviewing papers for the journal please contact the Editor, Tanya Kouzmin.

We Won! The AGS bid to bring the International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering to Sydney in 2021 was unanimously accepted at the ISSMGE Council Meeting held in Seoul on Sunday 17 September 2017. A detailed report on the bid and the conference itself has been prepared by Graham Scholey for the 52.4 issue of the journal.

Following confirmation of Sydney as the venue for ICSMGE-2021, the AGS ran a free registration competition. The winning business card was drawn by Professor Dong-Soo Kim, Chairman of the Organising Committee of ICSMGE-2017, during the closing ceremony of the event in Seoul. The winner was Mrs Joanne Marie T Parafina, a young female design engineer from the Philippines.