ISRM Newsletter No. 63 - September 2023
- Message from the President
- 15th International ISRM Congress, Salzburg, Austria
- 43rd ISRM Online Lecture by Prof. Ana Maria Ferrero
- ISRM International Symposium 2024 and ARMS13, 22-27 September 2024, New Delhi
- Eurock2024, Alicante, Spain, 15-19 July 2024
- Online Course of Slope Engineering by Professor Wu Shunchuan on the ISRM website
- Election of the ISRM Regional Vice Presidents 2023/2027
- 1st Chilean Congress on Rock Mechanics, Santiago, Chile, 22-24 November 2023
- 1st SLRMES Conference on Rock Mechanics for Infrastructure and Geo-resources Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2-7 December 2023
- Activities of the Vice President for Latin America
- ISRM Rocha Medal 2025 nominations by 31 December
- ISRM Sponsored Conferences
Message from the President 
Dear ISRM colleagues and friends,
We are approaching the end of the term (2019-2023) of office of the current Board. In the mid of October 2023, other colleagues will substitute us in the command of our Society under the leadership of our dear colleague Prof. Seokwon Jeon. Particularly 2020 and 2021 have been difficult years for the whole world due to the Covid-19 pandemic as we all know. I think all the Board members can look behind and be proud of the work developed in these four years serving our Society.
We sincerely thank to the Presidents of our National Groups for their participation and collaboration in the activities proposed by the Board. We feel especially pleased because our Society has continued to grow since the start of this present term of office. We succeeded in bringing 3 countries, Mongolia (2019), Sri Lanka (2022) and most recently Bangladesh (2023), to join us as new members of ISRM. We have now 59 National Groups. In addition, Romania intends to return to ISRM and Botswana is in the process of establishing a national group. We started in the mid of September 2019 with 8500 individual members and have now 9300 members. We had also a growth in the number of corporate members which are now 172.
In 2023, one interim Board meeting was held in May and the annual Board meeting will be held on 8 October in Salzburg, Austria, preceding the ISRM Commissions and Council meetings on 10 October. As done in the previous years, until the end of September 2023, ISRM organized three on-line Lectures which were given by Profs. Norikazu Shimizu, Antonio Bobet and Anna Maria Ferrero. As ISRM Board, we thank these lecturers for their kind contributions
.
15th International ISRM Congress, Salzburg, Austria
Only a few more days and we will host the 15th International ISRM Congress together with the 72nd Geomechanics Colloquium 2023 here in Salzburg.
To date we have about 1,300 registrations for the congress, and more are coming every day.
If you are not registered yet, use the time until October 1, because after that the fee will increase! REGISTER NOW.
There will also be various interesting workshops, excursions and sightseeing programs where places are currently still available.
For further questions or ideas please contact our Secretariat.
If you want to see the venue of the Congress and the city click here.
For more information visit the Congress website at www.ISRM2023.com.
Wulf Schubert
President of the Austrian Society for Geomechanics
Chairman of the ISRM Congress 2023
43rd ISRM Online Lecture by Prof. Ana Maria Ferrero
The 43rd ISRM online lecture was delivered on September 21st at 10 A.M. GMT by Professor Anna Maria Ferrero, from Italy. The lecture title is: “Design of rock fall protection works”.
Anna Maria Margherita Ferrero is a Professor in Geotechnics at the Department of Earth Science at the University of Turin, Italy.
She graduated in Civil engineering and received her PhD in Georesources at the Polytechnic of Turin, Italy; she obtained her Diploma from Imperial College of London in Rock Mechanics in 1996.
Her main activity deals with different subjects of rock mechanics and rock engineering and in particular, the study of the mechanical behaviour of rock materials, rock discontinuities and rock masses, the development of new methodology for rock characterization and monitoring, the study of rock degradation with climate changes and pollution. She worked in the numerical modelling development applied to the stability analysis of rock masses by FEM and DEM modelling.
She has been deputy director for research at the Department of Earth Science since 2022, former deputy director for teaching (2019-2022) and Coordinator for the PhD school in Earth Sciences (2012-2021).
Since 2022 vice president of the Italian national group of geotechnical engineers, she has been a member of the board of presidents of the Italian Geotechnical Association (AGI) and vice president of the Association of Georesources and Environment (GEAM). In 2022 delegated by the rector of UNITO for the Natural, Environmental and Anthropic Risk research of the national research and development plan (PNRR).
In 2021 she co-chaired EUROCK 2021, and she has been a member of several conferences' scientific committees in the rock mechanics sector. She gave several invited talks and keynotes at international events, such as Second World Landslide Forum, 2011, Rome; Eurock 2014, Vigo, Spain, 2014; XXV AGI conference, Baveno, Italy in 2014; MAG's Fifth Symposium, North Macedonia 2014; Jean Mandel Lecture, Paris France (2022).
She is Associate Editor of the journal Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering; former associated editor of Géotechnique Letters for the rock mechanics area and the Arabian Journal of Geosciences; she is on the editorial board of several national and international journals in Rock Mechanics and related fields. She is consultant for geotechnical aspects in different mining and civil works and auditor for the allocation of funding for research projects in the field of Geotechnical engineering for the Italian minister of research and the European Union.
She is the tutor of 12 PhD students and more than 100 Master's students at the Politecnico of Turin, the University of Parma and the University of Turin.
Click to open the online lectures dedicated webpage.
ISRM International Symposium 2024 and ARMS13, 22-27 September 2024, New Delhi - Abstract submission deadline extended to 20 October 2023
International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (India) is hosting the prestigious ISRM International Symposium and the 13th Asian Rock Mechanics Symposium 2024 (ARMS13) from 22-27th September 2024 at New Delhi, India.
Papers are invited for the above event; interested organization / individual are requested to submit the abstract before the extended deadline that is 20th October 2023. Registration link for symposium is operational for the event. For exhibition and sponsorship details are available on the website. The important dates are mentioned below:
Important Dates:
- Abstract Submission Deadline - 20th October 2023
- Notification of Abstract Acceptance - 30th November 2023
- Full paper submission opening - 01st December 2023
- Deadline for final paper submissions - 31st March 2024
- Deadline for Early-Bird Registration - 31st March 2024
- Deadline for online registration - To be announced
The extended deadline for abstracts is 20th October 2023. Submit your paper here: https://www.arms2024.org/UserRegistration.aspx
Registration is open!
Take advantage of the early booking until 31st March 2024.
“ISRM India cordially invites all the concerned participants”
For more information, click here to visit the ARMS13 website.
Symposium Secretariat email: contact@isrmindia.org, secretary@cbip.org
Eurock2024, Alicante, Spain, 15-19 July 2024
Dear Colleagues,
We are delighted to provide you with an update on the upcoming International Society on Rock Mechanic (ISRM) European Rock Mechanics Symposium, scheduled to take place in Alicante, Spain between 15 and 19 July 2023. Our team has been diligently working on the organization of this event, and we are excited to share some significant developments.
To date, we have received an overwhelming response from the global rock mechanics and rock engineering community, with more than 300 contributions submitted for presentation at the conference.
Additionally, we are pleased to announce that several esteemed companies have expressed keen interest in sponsoring and exhibiting their cutting-edge products and services during the conference. Their participation will greatly enrich the conference experience and provide attendees with valuable insights into the latest advancements in the industry.
Furthermore, in addition to the diverse array of presentations, we are pleased to announce the inclusion of three workshops and two excursions, offering enriching opportunities for hands-on learning and collaboration. These events are designed to enhance the conference experience by providing a platform for in-depth discussions and practical insights.
To stay updated on conference developments, we invite you to visit our official conference webpage eurock2024.com and follow us on social media platforms. You can find us on Twitter at [@eurock2024] and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/groups/9313199/.
We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to come together in Alicante, where we can exchange knowledge, engage in productive discussions, and forge new connections. Your contributions and presence at the conference are invaluable to the success of this event, and we look forward to welcoming you to Alicante.
Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to the field of rock mechanics and rock engineering.
Eurock2024 organizing committee
Online Course of Slope Engineering by Professor Wu Shunchuan on the ISRM website
The online Course of Slope Engineering produced by Professor Wu Shunchuan from Kunming University of Science and Technology, China, is now complete. It was uploaded on the ISRM website and is available in the following link: https://isrm.net/page/show/1682. The ISRM is thankful to to author for this important contribute to the rock engineering community.
Focusing on the stability of slope engineering, the course starts from the basic concept and theory of slope, and then introduces the influencing factors, calculation methods, treatment measures and engineering effect monitoring of slope stability. The course has 10 parts, with a total of 37 lectures.
Election of the ISRM Regional Vice Presidents 2023/2027
The election of the ISRM Regional Vice Presidents for the term of office 2023-2027 will take place during the 2023 ISRM Council meeting, on 10 October, in Salzburg, Austria, on the occasion of the 15th ISRM International Congress.
The nominations submitted, including the nomination documents and videos, are available on the ISRM website in the following link https://isrm.net/page/show/1209?tab=1671.
1st Chilean Congress on Rock Mechanics, Santiago, Chile, 22-24 November 2023
The Chilean Society of Rock Mechanics (ISRM National Group of Chile) and the University of Santiago (USACH) welcome you to the First Chilean Congress on Rock Mechanics, an ISRM sponsored Specialized Conference.
We are pleased to inform you that a total of 148 abstracts have been accepted for presentation, with 118 selected for oral presentations and 30 for poster sessions. This diverse array of contributions ensures a comprehensive exploration of rock mechanics topics, fostering meaningful discussions and knowledge sharing among participants.
We are delighted to announce the participation of six distinguished keynote speakers: Catalina Alvarez (Itasca Chile), Carlos Carranza-Torres (University of Minnesota), Mark Diederichs (Queen’s University), Esteban Hormazábal (SRK), Stephen McKinnon (Queen’s University), and Eduardo Rojas (Codelco).
For more information and to register click here to visit the conference website.
1st SLRMES Conference on Rock Mechanics for Infrastructure and Geo-resources Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2-7 December 2023
Dear Geo-professional,
The 1st SLRMES Conference on Rock Mechanics for Infrastructure and Geo-resources Development - an ISRM Specialized Conference will be held in Sri Lanka on December 2-7, 2023.
As of August 31st, 2023, 4 Keynotes, 12 Session Lead Lectures, and 66 Regular lectures are expected to be presented on December 4-5, 2023. Three practically oriented short courses and one workshop are listed on the conference website for participants to select and learn on December 2-3, 2023. Two technical tours are listed on the conference website for participants to select and engage on December 6-7, 2023.
Possible sightseeing places are listed on the website for participants to make their own arrangements at leisure with a sightseeing tour agent to enjoy visiting beautiful tourist locations in Sri Lanka. Highly affordable accommodation places are listed on the conference website for participants to stay during their short stay in Sri Lanka.
The early bird registration deadline is set for September 30th, 2023. In order to take advantage of the highly affordable reduced registration fees, please register through the conference website (www.slrmes.org) as soon as possible and not later than the early bird registration deadline. If you need an invitation letter, please send me a request.
Pinnaduwa Kulatilake (kulatila@arizona.edu)
Conference Chair
Activities of the Vice President for Latin America
The ISRM Vice President for Latin America, Jose Pavon, was invited last July to present a seminar, “Geologic Concerns with Itaipu Dam”, at the Seoul National University (SNU). During his stay in Korea, he visited several works in progress, like Gimpo-Paju TBM tunnel (14m in diameter), slope construction at the express highway site Ahnsung-Yong-In, and Yemi underground research laboratory (1.000m). It was an opportunity to exchange experiences and evaluate the potential for future cooperation between the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics (KSRM) and the Latin American Societies.
Last August, with the support of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (KSRM), webinars were given as a cooperation between KSRM and Latin American Societies. This cooperation will contribute to the advancement of rock mechanics and engineering. The chosen topics were related to rock excavation, tunneling, and slope stability, given by relevant lecturers. The webinars will be hosted on the internet platform (https://www.youtube.com/c/GeotecniaBrasil), available for viewers. A kind invitation is extended to colleagues to visit the website.
José Pavon, ISRM Vice President for Latin America
ISRM Rocha Medal 2025 - nominations to be received by 31 December 2023
Nominations for the Rocha Medal 2025 are to be received by the ISRM Secretariat by 31 December 2023. The winner will be announced during the 2024 ISRM International Symposium in New Delhi, India, and will be invited to receive the award and deliver a lecture at the ISRM International Symposium in 2025.
The 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 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 to download the announcement with details on the Rocha Medal 2025.
ISRM Sponsored Conferences
