ISRM Newsletter No. 69 - Spring 2025

EUROCK 2025: Final Countdown to the Conference! 

Dear EUROCK Community,

The EUROCK 2025 conference is just around the corner, and registration is open! Don't miss your chance to be part of this exciting event. Visit our registration page, https://eurock2025.com/registration, to sign up today!

Keynote Speakers and Papers: We have confirmed seven top-quality keynote speakers and have about 200 oral presentations planned and approved, in addition to some very fine poster presentations, promising a rich and diverse program.

Workshops and Technical Tours: Enhance your conference experience by attending one of our pre-conference workshops or technical tours. These sessions will offer valuable insights and hands-on learning opportunities.

Sponsor and Exhibitor Opportunities: There are still some sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities available. Showcase your products and services to a global audience of top-level rock mechanics and rock engineering professionals. Visit our website to learn more on how you can get involved: https://eurock2025.com/sponsors-and-exhibitors

For more information on registration, workshops, tours, and all things EUROCK 2025, visit our website at www.eurock2025.com.

We look forward to seeing you in Trondheim, Norway from June 16-20, 2025!

Best regards,

The EUROCK 2025 Organizing Committee

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Richard Goodman 1935-2025 

It is with great sadness that we inform of the passing of Professor Richard Goodman.

Professor Goodman's immense contributions to rock mechanics and geological engineering have greatly influenced our field, and his work has guided and inspired many professionals around the world.

Professor Goodman’s research, including block theory, the DDA method, and the Goodman Jack, has been groundbreaking. Beyond his innovations, he was a dedicated teacher and mentor who shaped the careers of many students, leaving a lasting impact on our community. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

At the ISRM we received an email, copied below from Prof. Yosef Hatzor, on behalf of his students and with a link to a complete obituary of Professor Goodman.

My Dear colleagues of the ISRM,

It is with great sadness I inform you of the passing of Professor Richard Goodman, member of the US National Academy of Engineering and a Professor of Geological Engineering and Rock Mechanics at U. C. Berkeley for 30 years (ca. 1964 – 1994). Professor Goodman has mentored outstanding PhD students over the years who have become leaders of rock mechanics both in the US and abroad. He has made substantial contributions to the ISRM by promoting the research of discontinuous deformation in rocks, pioneering block theory, and together with Dr. Genhua Shi the DDA method. He has also invented the “Goodman Jack” methodology to determine in situ stresses, the “joint element” for implementation in the finite elements method, and the “base friction” apparatus to study physical models of discontinuous deformation. The books he authored, primarily Introduction to Rock Mechanics, have become mandatory textbooks in rock mechanics courses worldwide.

On behalf of all his students I would be very grateful to you if you could distribute this information to ISRM members along with the attached obituary composed by Professor Nick Sitar of Berkeley. With sincere thanks and kind regards,

Yossi Hatzor

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Volume 26 - 2023 of the ISRM News Journal is online 

The 2024 issue of the ISRM News Journal is available on the website. It reports the ISRM activities in 2024 and presents technical articles.

You will find information about the Board and Council meetings, the President's and Vice President's reports on the ISRM activities, the Secretary-General's report on the evolution of ISRM National Groups and ISRM's membership in recent years, the awards, the reports of the Technical Oversight, Education Fund, Young Members and Communication Committees, the Online Lectures, the anual review, conference announcements and reports, and many other articles of interest for the rock mechanics community.

Six technical articles are included in this issue:

  • the Franklin Lecture 2024 delivered by Dr Vikram Vishai from India;
  • the Rocha Medal presentation by Dr Kazuki Sawayama from Japan, winner of the Rocha Medal 2024;
  • the paper of the winner of the John Hudson Rock Engineering Award, Prof. Yufang Zhang from China;
  • the paper of the winner of the Young Rock Engineer Award, Gabriel Walton, from the USA;
  • the papers of the winners of the Science Achievement Award, Prof. Pinnaduwa H.S.W. Kulatilake from the USA and Prof. Weiren Lin from China.
     

Click here to read the News Journal directly on our website, or download it.

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Presidential election for the 2027-2031 term of office - two candidates nominated 

The candidates for the ISRM Presidency are Pinnaduwa Kulatilake, nominated by Sri Lanka and Sergio Fontoura, nominated by Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Paraguay.

The election of the ISRM President for the term of office 2027-2031 is set for 16 June 2025 during the ISRM Council meeting in Trondheim, Norway. The elected candidate will immediately join the Board as President-elect and officially assume the role of President after the ISRM International Congress in 2027, which will take place in Seoul, Korea.

In addition to their nomination documents, the candidates were asked to submit videos outlining their backgrounds and objectives.

Clich here to read the nomination documents and watch the videos on the ISRM website.

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ISRM Young Members' Seminar on the ISRM Young Members YouTube channel 

The last Young Members' Seminar took place on 13 March (click here to download the program) and featured presentations from researchers from China and Australia:

  • Predicting Peak Shear Strength of Rough Rock Joints via Normal Deformability Test -  Yingchun Li (Dalian University of Technology, China)
  • Micro-and macro-scale class-II fracture behaviour of brittle rocks in well-controlled Brazilian tests - Fauzan Yudho Pratomo (University of Adelaide, Australia)
  • Granular Materials’ Dynamics and Bio-consolidation - Yuqi Song (Monash University, Australia)

Watch the Seminar on the ISRM Young Members YouTube channel.

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ISRM Workshop on Soft Rocks (ISRM-WSR2025) - Bulletin No. 2

The ISRM Workshop on Soft Rocks will take place in Porto, Portugal, 15-16 May 2025, organised by the ISRM Commission of Soft Rocks, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), the China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing, the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering (CSRME) and the Portuguese Geotechnical Society (SPG).

The new deadline for submission of papers is 10 April.

Click here to download Bulletin No. 2.

For more information, click here to visit the Workshop website.

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Session on intergenerational dialogue in geotechnics at the 74th Geomechanics Colloquium - participate in the survey!

We have received at the ISRM a request (copied below) from the organisers of the 74th Geomechanics Colloquium (Salzburg, Austria, 9-10 October 2025) to share with the ISRM members a "Survey to explore potential differences between generations in geotechnical engineering and neighbouring disciplines".

Dear Colleagues

Have you ever wondered whether your older or younger colleagues approach work differently than you? This online survey explores generational differences in the geo-disciplines with respect to technology, values, work habits and more, to learn lessons for the future. Share your experiences today by following this link (https://forms.office.com/e/zbV9tvqhQ7​).

The survey takes about 15 minutes, and the results will be anonymized. Please answer as many questions as you like, but be sure to hit the “submit” button at the very end!  Please share the link within your relevant network. We welcome professionals from all geo-related disciplines, including, but not limited to, geotechnical engineering, engineering geology, and mining engineering. Your input will help turn speculations into solid facts! 

This survey is part of the “Generational Dialogue in Geotechnics” session at the Geomechanics Colloquium 2025 (October 9-10, Salzburg – event details). Survey participants can also receive the results via email. 

Thank you for contributing to this important discussion! 

Alexander Kluckner, Georg Erharter, Andreas-Nizar Granitzer, Bettina Mair, Suzanne Lacasse
Survey organizers

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ISRM Rocha Medal 2027 - nominations to be received by 31 December 2025

Nominations for the Rocha Medal 2027 are to be received by the ISRM Secretariat by 31 December 2025. The winner will be announced during the 2026 ISRM International Symposium in New Delhi, India, and will be invited to receive the award and deliver a lecture at the ISRM International Congress in 2027.

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 2027.

ISRM Sponsored Conferences

Click here to open the conferences webpage

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