Inside This Issue1 – A Message from the Vice President |
Editorial BoardPedro Sêco e Pinto Download ISSMGE Bulletin – Volume 1 Issue 3 September 2007 |
A Message from the Vice President
By Professor Madhira R. Madhav
I am delighted to reach through this bulletin all the members of the prestigious ISSMGE. I have been blessed to represent a very vibrant region of the world that accounts for a major part of the world’s population. I am also aware that I am following the footsteps of eminent Geotechnical Engineers who have preceded me and thus consider this responsibility as onerous. It is also a fact that the Asian region is going through rapid development in all its facets and thus providing immense challenges to all of us pursuing a career in Geotechnical Engineering.
One of the most remarkable developments has been the creation of lands to which Geotechnical Engineers can be rightfully proud. Several new airports have been and are being built on reclaimed land. Starting with the Changi Airport in Singapore, similar developments took place in Japan (Kansai International Airport), Hong Kong (Chek Lok Kok), Korea (Incheon), etc. The construction of Suvarnabhumi International Airport on soft Bangkok clay threw up equally challenging geotechnical tasks. Lands are being reclaimed to meet the ever-increasing demands for industrial, commercial and recreational needs of land-starved countries. Putting a man on the Moon or sending a rocket to far-flung planets are considered as engineering feats and catch the imagination of our societies. Reclaiming land and building a vital infrastructure facility such as an airport with its concomitant stringent requirements and tolerances in terms of its long-term performance is an equally challenging feat. We should proudly take credit for the same and appraise the societies of the same.
Developments associated with the Three Gorges Project in China, the 2020 development in Pusan, Korea, the Golden Quadrilateral and the East-West and North-South corridor highway project in India, the new capitol at Astana in Kazakhstan, the hydro-electric dam projects in Pakistan and Iran, the mitigation of Tsumani affected lands in Indonesia, are some of the many significant projects that are giving impetus to growth of Geotechnical Engineering in our region. It is a proud and significant event that a new institute exclusively for Natural Hazard Mitigation is being set up in Semarang, Indonesia shortly.
The Asian region comprises of eighteen national societies. I am glad to welcome Uzbekistan in to our fold from the coming month. Amongst forty-one technical committees of ISSMGE, the Asian region is hosting five very important committees, viz., TC3 Geotechnics of Pavements, TC4: Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering and Associated Problems, TC23: Limit State Design in Geotechnical Engineering, TC34: Prediction Methods in Large Strain Geomechanics, TC35 Geo-Mechanics from Micro to Macro, TC39: Geotechnical Engineering for Coastal Disaster Mitigation and Rehabilitation, and TC40: Forensic Geotechnical Engineering. Asian Technical Committees are examining several topics such as ATC3 Geotechnology for Natural Hazards, ATC7 Deltaic Deposits, ATC8 Groundwater Environment and Quality Management, ATC9 Protection of Cultural Heritage from Landslides and Weathering, ATC10 Urban Geo-Informatics, ATC12 Land Reclamation and Coastal Structures in Asia, ATC15 Geotechnical Engineering of Collapsible Soil/Ground ATC17 Waste Management in Geo-Environmental Engineering, ATC18 Mega Foundations etc. The list is not exhaustive and considerable scope exists for study several other topics or areas.
The Asian region buzzes with activities at some part or the other. GeoShanghai 2006 is an important milestone in our region as it is held conjointly with GeoInstitute, ASCE and several organizations from USA and Europe. Recently the 16th Southeast Asian Geotechnical Conference was held at Kuala Lumpur during May, 2007. The Sri Lankan Geotechnical Society celebrated the 20th Anniversary of its founding with the First International Conference on Soil and Rock Mechanics during August. All the National Societies conduct their annual or half-yearly conferences. Two countries, China and India have been bidding to host the 6th International Conference on Environmental Geotechnics in 2010. All the members of the Asian region are looking forward to meet in Kolkata for the 13th Asian Regional Conference on SM&GE in Dec. 2007. Preparations are in full swing and participants may expect once again magic carpet a they did in 1994 during the 13 IC SMGE. India is the venue also for the 6th Asian Young Geotechnical Engineers conference to be held in Dec. 2008 at Bangalore during the centenary year of the premier Indian Institute of Science there.
It is a great pleasure and honor to greet all the members of the International Society for Soil Mechanics & Geotechnical Engineering.
