Report for New Zealand – November 2021
The report addresses ISRM matters since the June 2021 edition of NZ Geomechanics News.
ISRM Congress 2027 Hosting Bid:
NZGS are bidding to host the 16th ISRM International Congress in 2027! This is ISRM’s flagship event and occurs every four years. A little like the Olympic Games, potential host countries must bid many years in advance to be able to host the Congress. An organising committee has been formed which comprises Paul Horrey, Stuart Read, Eleni Gkeli, Romy Ridl and Christoph Krauss. The Committee, with the valued support of Tourism New Zealand has selected Christchurch as our host city and developed a promotional video and supporting information pack which were presented to the ISRM Council on 17 November. The Council will consider this over the next year and a vote will be held at next year’s Council Meeting which will be in Asuncion, Paraguay in October 2022. At that point we will know if we have been successful. Then the real work will start! The ISRM National Groups of Korea and China are also bidding to host the Congress.
Board and Council Meetings:
The 2021 ISRM Council and Board meetings were held online 16-18 November 2021.
ISRM Awards:
Nominations for the Rocha Medal 2023 are to be received by the ISRM Secretariat by 31 December 2021. The winner will be announced during the 2022 ISRM International Symposium, LARMS 2022 in Asuncion, Paraguay, and will be invited to receive the award and deliver a lecture at the ISRM International Congress in 2023.
Presidential Election:
The election of the ISRM President for the 2023-2027 term of office 2023-2027 took place during the ISRM Council Meeting on 17 November 2021. The successful candidate will become the President-elect for the two years until 2023.
The candidates are Anna Maria Ferrero, nominated by Italy; Jian Zhao, nominated by Australia; Seokwon Jeon, nominated by Korea. At the time of writing an announcement was imminent.
International Symposia 2022-43
- Eurock 2022 — Rock and Fracture Mechanics in Rock Engineering and Mining in Espoo, Helsinki-region, Finland, 12 to 15 September 2022.
- The 2022 International Symposium will be held in conjunction with the IX Latin American Congress on Rock Mechanics, Rock Testing and Site Characterization in Asuncion, Paraguay on October 12-19, 2022.
- 2023 ISRM 15th International Congress, Salzburg, Austria 9-14 October 2023.
- Other regional events and specialised events are listed on the ISRM website.
Website
The ISRM website (www.isrm.com) has been updated. It has a new design and is more suitable for mobile phones and tablets and features new functionalities and easier access to content.
Newsletter
The latest ISRM newsletter (No 55 dated September 2021) is available on the ISRM website
New Suggested Method Video
A new video covering the Suggested Method for the Needle Penetration Index Test has been produced.
Training Opportunities
Your attention is drawn to the excellent technical resources available on the ISRM website. These include Suggested Methods, Reports, Glossary (multi-lingual), digital library, Slide Collection, Online Lectures, Videos, Online Courses and Book Series. Some items are available for purchase, but many are free of cost.
Young PROFESSIONALS’ Webinars
The ISRM Young Rock Engineers group have set up an organizing community to establish the ISRM Young Members Monthly Seminars. The organizing community to date includes a Young Member from the following countries:
- Spain
- France
- Japan
- Italy
- South Africa
- New Zealand
The plan is to run eleven monthly seminars throughout the year, except for December.
Each monthly seminar will comprise two presentations. Each presentation will be 20 minutes in length with 10 minutes of questions. Each seminar will seek to include both a research focused presentation and an industry focused presentation. The invited speakers will range from PhD students to early career professionals, 40 years old or younger.
The primary purpose of the seminars are as follows:
- Provide a platform for younger members of the ISRM to showcase their work,
- Increase awareness of the ISRM, especially within the younger membership age group, and
- Establish international collaborations within the younger members.
The seminar series is subject to ISRM Board approval. The organising team are currently putting together a schedule of potential speakers and topics for the coming year.
ISRM On-line lectures
Two on-line lectures have been given since the last report:
- September 2021
The 35th Online Lecture “Findings from Numerical Modelling at the Site of a High Dam on the Jinsha River” Dr. Christine Detournay - June 2021
Rock Slope Engineering: A Combined Remote Sensing-Numerical Modelling Approach
Prof. Doug Stead
These have been recorded and are available on the ISRM website.
Paul Horrey
NZGS ISRM Liaison
Romy Ridl
NZGS ISRM YGP Coordinator
November 2021