On November 16, 2024, the 5th International Society of Environmental Geotechnology Intermediate Symposium & High-Level Forum on Environmental Geo-Engineering were opened at the International Conference Center of Nanjing University. The event was jointly organized by the International Society of Environmental Geotechnology (ISEG) and Nanjing University, co-hosted by the School of Earth Sciences and Engineering of Nanjing University and the Nanjing University High-Tech Research Institute at Suzhou, with support from 12 collaborating organizations, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Engineering Geology Committee of the Geological Society of China. The forum focused on the theme “Climate Change and Environmental Geotechnology” and included 11 key topics, such as the impact of climate change on geo-engineering, extreme climates and their geo-environmental effects, and geological carbon capture, utilization, and storage. Over 300 representatives from universities, research institutions, and enterprises from Asia, North America, Europe, Oceania, and Africa attended the conference. Academician Jun Chen from the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Academician Hilary I. Inyang from the African Academy of Sciences; Professor Charles W.W. Ng, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering; Academician Devendra N. Singh from the Indian National Academy of Engineering; Professor Irene M.C. Lo, a Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts; Dr. Yu Liu, Director of Earth Science Division III, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); Prof. Huiming Tang, Chair of the Engineering Geology Committee of the Geological Society of China; Prof. Xiancai Lu, Vice President of Nanjing University; and Prof. Rucheng Wang, Executive Vice Director of Frontier Science Center of Nanjing University, Ministry of Education and other guests attended the forum.
Figure 1 Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony was chaired by Prof. Chao-Sheng Tang, Secretary General of the organizing committee. Prof. Xiancai Lu delivered a welcome speech on behalf of Nanjing University. Dr. Yu Liu provided an overview of the current status and development directions in environmental geoscience from the perspective of the Foundation. Prof. Huiming Tang introduced the basic information of the engineering geology discipline and its role in addressing climate change. Prof. Bin Shi introduced the development history of ISEG and the preparations for the forum. The forum included one main venue, four sub-sessions, and one Youth Scholars Session. A total of 141 presentations were arranged, including 13 plenary keynote presentations, 34 theme keynote presentations, 56 oral presentations, and 38 postgraduate student presentations. Additionally, a panel discussion session was held.
During the two-day event, participants engaged in extensive and in-depth exchanges on the forum’s themes and topics, sharing the latest research achievements in the field of environmental geotechnology, covering areas such as climate change, pollution control, and geological disaster prevention. Guests including Professors Hilary I. Inyang, Charles W.W. Ng, Irene M.C. Lo, Enrique Romero from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain), Dr. Sue Struthers from Scapa Mining Services, Prof. Xuanmei Fan from Chengdu University of Technology, Prof. Liming Hu from Tsinghua University, and Prof. Farshid Vahedifard from Tufts University participated in the panel discussion on frontier issues in the field and future development directions.
Figure 2 Presentations and Panel Discussion
On the afternoon of November 17, Professors Bin Shi, Enrique Romero, and Farshid Vahedifard awarded the “Best Paper Award” to eight postgraduate students. Finally, Prof. Chao-Sheng Tang expressed his gratitude to the participants, exhibitors, and volunteers for their strong support and hard work, and announced the closing of the event.
