The XIV Congress of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG) hosted by Chengdu University of Technology (CDUT) kicked off at the Chengdu Century City New International Convention and Exhibition Center at 8:30 AM on September 22nd, Beijing time. It is learned that this congress, known as the "Olympics" of the engineering geology world, is hosted for the first time in China. The congress was attended by He Yanzheng, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, Vassilis Marinos, President of IAEG and professor at the National Technical University of Athens, Tang Huiming, chairman of the Engineering Geology Committee of the Geological Society of China and professor at China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Chungsik Yoo, president of the Federation of International Geo-engineering Societies (FedIGS) and professor at Sungkyunkwan University, Liu Qingyou, vice secretary of the Party Committee and president of CDUT, and Xu Qiang and Ju Nengpan, vice presidents of CDUT, and it was presided over by Fan Xuanmei, deputy director of the State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection of CDUT. Further, more than 1,300 representatives from domestic and international universities, research institutes and production entities participated in the congress. The congress featured 11 keynote speeches, 704 oral presentations, three seminars, four poster sessions, one BOEG session, and one Meeting of the IAEG Asian National Groups. The congress specially included three thematic training courses and carefully planned three highly characteristic field scientific expedition routes. It can be called a feast for the engineering geology world.
Congress Opening Ceremony Site
Fan Xuanmei Presiding over the Congress Opening Ceremony
Themed "Engineering Geology for a Habitable Earth", the congress will discuss engineering geology and environment issues such as engineering geology and global climate change, geo-hazard assessment and prevention, rock and soil mass structure and engineering geological characteristics, and marine, transportation, urban and ecological and environmental protection in major engineering construction; moreover, it will explore engineering geology and resilience engineering construction, smart engineering geology as well as new theories, new methods and new technologies in engineering geology, so as to promote the development of international engineering geology and environmental discipline and research and contribute ideas and exert efforts for major projects, ecological civilization and a habitable Earth.
Congress Opening Ceremony Site
After the opening ceremony, keynote speeches were delivered, including "Revisiting Engineering Geology Core Values. Experiences from the Integration of Geology to Engineering the Last Two Decades" by Vassilis Marinos, "Double-block Mechanics and Accurate Landslide Prediction" by He Manchao, "Global Tunnelling Updates, Innovations and Way Forward" by Yan Jinxiu, "Impact Mechanisms and Rational Design of Debris Flow against Multiple Rigid Barriers" by Charles Wang Wai Ng, "Geo-engineering Aspects of the 6 February 2023 Devastating Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes of Turkey and Lessons Learned" by Resat Ulusay, "Sustainable Infrastructure Development – Fundamentals and Global Challenges" by Chungsik Yoo, "Radar Technologies for Landslide Monitoring and Rapid Mapping" by Nicola Casagli, "Earthquake and Climate Change Induced Chains of Geological Hazards" by Fan Xuanmei, and "Challenges and Strategies of Risk Mitigation on Catastrophic Landslides in China" by Yin Yueping.
It is learned that the Congress of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment is a quadrennial global academic event initiated by IAEG, aiming to propagate the latest research results in the field of engineering geology and the environment, facilitate international academic exchanges and interdisciplinary integration and promote the disciplinary construction of engineering geology and the environment. So far, the congress has been successfully held for 13 editions.
