from ISSMGE Bulletin: Volume 1 Issue 2 (p.2)
Report of the Second Young African Geotechnical Engineering Conference (2nd YAGEC)
The venue of the 2nd YAGEC was at Yasmine Hammamet located 60 km from the capital Tunis. This conference, co-organized by the International Society of Soil Mechanics (ISSMGE) and Geotechnical Engineering and the Tunisian Society of Soil Mechanics (ATMS), was preceded by the board meeting of ISSMGE held March 15th 2007 at National Engineering School of Tunis (ENIT).
About seventy (70) participants, from nineteen (19) countries, attended the 2nd YAGEC. Five industrial institutions exhibited their products in geotechnical field. In the opening ceremony, after welcome by the ATMS president, the president PS Pinto briefly exposed the activities of ISSMGE and expressed his support for a better emancipation of geotechnical engineering in Africa.
Site Visit to Radès La Goulette Bridge
The proceedings of 2nd YAGEC included thirty six (36) papers among which twenty eight (28) oral presentations were given by young geotechnical engineers from seven countries (Algeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Libya, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia). For several reasons some young geotechnical engineers from Egypt, Nigeria and Sudan were unable to attend the 2nd YAGEC.
Board ISSMGE members contributed in this event by five keynote lectures presented by professors and chairing sessions for oral presentations (PS Pinto, N. Taylor, W. Van Impe, O. Kusakabe and M. Bouassida). The jury composed by the presidents of sessions selected the two best oral presentations for each ATMS awarded 250 Tunisian dinars.
The 2nd YAGEC ended by a technical excursion, the participants visited the project in progress “Radès La Goulette Bridge” and have been informed about soft soil improvement by geodrains.
All participants warmly expressed the good organization as well as well quality of papers presented in the 2nd YAGEC. This successful achievement greatly benefited the supports from the presidency of Tunisian Republic and the Ministry of High Education, Scientific Research and Technology.
Reported by M. Bouassida, Vice President of International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering for Africa
From ISSMGE Bulletin: Volume 1 Issue 2 (p.2)
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