The First Geotechnical Engineering In Situ Testing Forum was successfully held on May 16, 2023. Co-sponsored by the Department of Earth Sciences of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Technical Committee for In-situ Testing TC102 of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, and the Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Branch of the Chinese Society of Civil Engineering.The forum was jointly organized by Anhui Jianzhu University and Southeast University in Hefei and Nanjing. The forum was conducted in English and broadcast live on the Zoom online conference and online platform simultaneously.
Professor Paul W. Mayne, Professor Anand J. Puppala, Academician Yunmin Chen, and Academician Jianmin Zhang served as the chairs of the Academic Committee for the forum, which focused on the theme of "Intelligent In-Situ Testing and Data Mining" in geotechnical engineering. Renowned experts and scholars from the United States, Australia, Norway, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, China, and other countries in the field of in-situ testing were invited to give academic reports. The forum covered various cutting-edge topics, including modern in-situ testing theory in geotechnical engineering, research and development of in-situ testing technology and equipment in marine engineering, ultra-deep in-situ testing technology, in-situ testing data analysis and processing, multi-source data-driven geotechnical engineering development frontier, and in-situ testing technology intelligence and database construction technology.
Several experts presented in-depth reports on the application of in-situ testing in major projects worldwide, such as cross-sea bridges, dams, and offshore wind farms. They also highlighted its significant role in the low-carbon development of contemporary geotechnical engineering.
The opening ceremony of the forum was presided over by Prof. CAI Guojun, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Forum, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of Anhui Jianzhu University, and Vice President of Anhui Jianzhu University. Prof. CAI warmly welcomed scholars from both domestic and international backgrounds and provided a brief introduction of the guests and an overview of the forum. Prof. Jason T. DeJong, Chairman of TC102 of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, and Prof. Zhang Jianhong, Secretary General of the Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Branch of the Chinese Society of Civil Engineering, delivered speeches on behalf of the organizers. Prof. Chen Jun, Dean of the School of Transportation at Southeast University, also delivered speeches as an organizer representative.
The forum was divided into morning and afternoon sessions, featuring a total of nine distinguished scholars from both domestic and international backgrounds who delivered invited presentations. These scholars included prominent figures in their respective fields, such as Professor Paul W. Mayne from the Georgia Institute of Technology, who served as the keynote speaker for the 2023 "Tersharky Lecture," Professor Mark F. Randolph from the University of Western Australia, who is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Australian Academy of Sciences, and Professor Anand J. Puppala from Texas A&M University, who was the 2019 Peck Lecturer.
Other esteemed experts who contributed to the forum were Professor Chai Jinchun from Saga University, an Academician of the Japanese Academy of Engineering, Professor Yue Zhongqi from the University of Hong Kong, Professor Tom Lunne, the Principal Engineer at the Norwegian Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, Professor David J. White from the University of Southampton, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Professor Liu Songyu from Southeast University, and Professor Kok-Kwang Phoon, a Fellow of the Singapore Academy of Engineering, from the Singapore University of Technology and Design.
These experts engaged in in-depth discussions on cutting-edge topics, such as modern in-situ testing theory in geotechnical engineering, research and development of in-situ testing technology and equipment in marine engineering, ultra-deep in-situ testing technology, and intelligent in-situ testing technology and database construction. Additionally, they explored the application of in-situ testing in significant projects worldwide, including cross-sea bridges, dams, offshore wind farms, and the role of in-situ testing in promoting low-carbon development in geotechnical engineering.
The closing ceremony of the forum was chaired by Professor Liu Songyu, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the forum and from Southeast University. He declared the meeting a resounding success. The forum brought together renowned experts in the field of in-situ testing from both domestic and international backgrounds, and their insightful presentations highlighted the future development direction of digitization and intellectualization in geotechnical engineering's in-situ testing. The aim was to promote the advancement of in-situ testing theory and technology in geotechnical engineering.