A Note from the Secretariat of ISSMGE
Professor Neil Taylor
I have now been Secretary General for thirteen years, and it has been a great pleasure to support the Society and to work with a wide range of organisations, associations and individuals who are all enthusiastic about the international community of geotechnical engineers represented by ISSMGE. For the most part, the people involved are contributing to the ISSMGE on a voluntary basis and it is great to see such keenness and dedication focused on the enhancement of our profession. The Secretariat of ISSMGE is the administrative hub of the society and our aim has always been to satisfy the needs and requirements of its Members and to keep the society in good financial shape. We operate from a small office in London, and communicate with our members almost entirely by e-mail and internet. The ISSMGE budget is mainly administrative and supports me in my role as Secretary General and the Administrative Officer (currently Paloma Peers).
In some respects, the ISSMGE is a slightly odd association. From the outset, the intention was to create a means by which representatives of National Committees could meet, exchange opinions and ideas and generally advance the knowledge, understanding and application of soil mechanics. This was stated clearly in reports from the 1948 International Conference in Rotterdam and the position has not changed significantly since. What were once called National Committees and are now commonly known as Geotechnical Societies of this or that country or group of countries and we refer to them as our Member Societies. These Member Societies are all important to the success and development of ISSMGE and represent its life blood.
Not only do Member Societies and their representatives have a vital role in the Council Meetings held every two years, but also they are essential in giving purpose to the ISSMGE: they nominate individuals who provide valuable input to our 30 Technical Committees, each engaged on important aspects of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering; they organise a wide range of conferences and symposia on all aspects of geotechnical topics, including the major quadrennial Regional and International conferences which provide excellent opportunities for networking as well as advancing our profession; they provide the key officers comprising the Board of ISSMGE.
Download ISSMGE Bulletin – Volume 6 Issue 3 June 2012 (pp. 1-3)
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