History of AGSSEA and the objectives

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AGSSEA

The Association of Geotechnical Societies in Southeast Asia (AGSSEA) had its origin at the 16th Southeast Asian Geotechnical Conference (16SEAGC) held in Kuala Lumpur in 2007. Currently, it has eight national member societies. They are the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society (SEAGS), Vietnam Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (VSSMGE), Hong Kong Geotechnical Society (HKGES), Geotechnical Society of Singapore (GeoSS), Thai Geotechnical Society (TGS), Chinese Taipei Geotechnical Society (CTGS), Indonesian Geotechnical Society (HATTI) and Malaysian Geotechnical Society (MGS). The current chairman is Prof. Yong Kwet Yew from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The founding President of Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society (SEAGS), Dr. Za-Chieh Moh has sensed the timing and mooted the idea of setting up a Federation of Geotechnical Societies in Southeast Asia. With the direct ISSMGE membership of many national societies or institutions in Southeast Asia, he conveyed a vision for the promotion of cooperation among the geotechnical societies in the region for the advancement of knowledge in geotechnical engineering and to provide necessary assistance to member societies with insufficient resources.

The inaugural meeting of AGSSEA was held on 5 December 2007 at the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia. A draft statute of the association was tabled and objectives were defined. Membership is opened to any professional society or institution engaged or otherwise actively interested in geotechnical engineering or related fields. The objectives are (i) to arrange for periodic local meetings within the region for the discussion of geotechnical topics in cooperation with the member societies, (ii) to arrange for geotechnical conferences, symposia, seminars and lectures to be held in the region jointly with one or more member societies; and (iii) to publish a technical journal which contain papers of interest to geotechnical engineers.

Since its inception in 2007, AGSSEA has organized many meetings to plan, discuss and co-ordinate the implementation of various activities. It has organized conferences, short courses, seminars, public lectures and touring lectures given by renowned speakers.  AGSSEA has supported many regional conferences and symposia. The “Geotechnical Engineering” journal is now jointly published by AGSSEA and SEAGS. The AGSSEA-SEAGS Newsletters are published on a regular basis.

The inaugural AGSSEA Geotechnical Conference under the joint “18th Southeast Asian Geotechnical Conference (18SEAGC) & Inaugural AGSSEA Conference (1AGSSEAC)” was held in Singapore in 2013. The 19th Southeast Asian Geotechnical Conference and 2nd AGSSEA Conference will be held in 2016. It is anticipated that more than 350 participants will be attending this conference.

Ir. Kenny Yee
Hon. Secretary- General, AGSSEA
18 Nov 2014

The inaugural AGSSEA Conference in 2013 under the 18SEAGC-1AGSSEAC in Singapore
The inaugural AGSSEA Conference in 2013 under the 18SEAGC-1AGSSEAC in Singapore

The Inaugural Meeting of AGSSEA on 5 December 2007 in Kuala Lumpur.
The Inaugural Meeting of AGSSEA on 5 December 2007 in Kuala Lumpur.

A 2-day short course on “Residual Soil Slope Engineering from Theory to Practice” conducted by Prof. Charles Ng in 2008.

A 2-day short course on “Residual Soil Slope Engineering from Theory to Practice” conducted by Prof. Charles Ng in 2008.

A 2-day short course on “Construction on Soft Ground and Stability of Clay Slopes” conducted by Prof. G Mesri in 2008.

A 2-day short course on “Construction on Soft Ground and Stability of Clay Slopes” conducted by Prof. G Mesri in 2008.

A 2-day short course on “Seismic Design using Eurocode EC8” conducted by Prof. Pedro S Pinto in 2009.)

A 2-day short course on “Seismic Design using Eurocode EC8” conducted by Prof. Pedro S Pinto in 2009.

AGSSEA members (Drs. TA Ooi, SF Chan and CT Chin) at the 3rd International Conference on Site Characterization (ICS3) in Taipei in 2008
AGSSEA members (Drs. TA Ooi, SF Chan and CT Chin) at the 3rd International Conference on Site Characterization (ICS3) in Taipei in 2008

Ir. Kenny Yee presenting the Geotechnical Engineering Journals to the 5 local universities in Hanoi (NUCE, UCT, WRU, Transportation Technology College, and Military Technical Academy) in 2013

Ir. Kenny Yee presenting the Geotechnical Engineering Journals to the 5 local universities in Hanoi (NUCE, UCT, WRU, Transportation Technology College, and Military Technical Academy) in 2013.

Group photograph at the end of the 2-day seminar in Hanoi in 2013 as part of the regional touring lectures by Prof. Jean L Briaud and Prof. Charles Ng.

Group photograph at the end of the 2-day seminar in Hanoi in 2013 as part of the regional touring lectures by Prof. Jean L Briaud and Prof. Charles Ng.

Group photograph of the speakers after the end of the 1-day seminar in Bangkok in 2013 as part of the regional touring lectures by Prof. Jean L Briaud and Prof. Charles Ng.

Group photograph of the speakers after the end of the 1-day seminar in Bangkok in 2013 as part of the regional touring lectures by Prof. Jean L Briaud and Prof. Charles Ng.