Appendix A
XVth International Conference of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
(ICSMGE)
Istanbul, Turkey
Sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation
Louisiana State University
Geo-Institute of ASCE
September 1, 2001
Louisiana State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison and
the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), through
support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), are holding a one-day
workshop in connection with the 15th ICSMGE. The International Society for Soil
Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) is the premier international
organization for geotechnical engineers and holds its world conferences in
every four years. The Geo-Institute of ASCE constitutes the U.S. National
Committee to this international organization. This year the15th international
conference will be held in Istanbul, Turkey from August 28 to 31, 2001.
Istanbul is in some ways the birthplace of modern Soil Mechanics, where the
father of this field Karl Terzaghi conducted his earliest research in this
field. As such this year's conference is expected to have significant
historical connotation to Geotechnical engineers.
The primary objective is to identify Geo-Engineering research
areas of mutual interest between U.S. and foreign investigators. Foreign
contacts, and therefore the resulting information and collaboration, are
anticipated to be primarily from Europe (western and eastern Europe and, in
particular, Balkans and Mediterranean basin), Turkey, Central Asia, and Middle
East due to the location of the workshop. Twenty-two U.S. investigators will
participate in the workshop.
The workshop is scheduled for Saturday, September 1, 2001, immediately following the ICSMGE conference. During the workshop, participants will report on the results of their interaction with their peers, identify current Geo-Engineering areas of research and mutual research interests, specific areas for collaboration, and discuss impediments to and recommendations to improve international collaboration on the department, university, and national levels. The U.S. investigators are a combination of senior and junior faculty, with primarily junior faculty (i.e., Assistant Professors and Associate Professors).
Turkish
and geo-researchers from other parts of the world get to know their U.S.,
mostly junior, counterparts for the purpose of establishing professional
relationships. Ideally this workshop
should lead to close collaboration in research and education between emerging
individuals or groups in different countries.
1.
Improve communication
between the international Geotechnical Communities.
2.
Bi-lateral technology
transfer between U.S. and Turkey and other countries
3.
Cooperation in
research projects carried out simultaneously and funded by the respective
agencies in both countries
4.
Cooperation in
research, development and design as part of existing/upcoming
geo-infrastructure build-up.
5. Exchange of students, researchers and faculty members.
WORKSHOP VENUE
Conference Hall, Mechanical Engineering Faculty of the Istanbul
Technical University, Gumussuyu campus
(within walking distance from the Istanbul Convention Exhibition Center, ICSMGE venue).
Facilities: Slide Projector, overhead projector, and PowerPoint
projector will be available
FORMAT
- The
workshop is a part of the 15th ICSMGE.
• Introduce the interested partners to each
other
• Examine possible avenues for collaboration
- Arrangements can be made
to visit a number of Turkish universities in the days following the 15th
ICSMGE. This will allow the
participants to get to know more closely, their Turkish counterparts and, in
particular, the activities at these universities.
PARTICIPANTS
-
A
listing of U.S. participants is attached.
http://icsmge-workshop.lsu.edu/ICSMGE_Participants1.htm
The selection of the
participants was made by the International Activities Council of the
Geo-Institute.
There will be two formal sessions .
-
Formal
Session 1: Saturday, September 1, 2001
• 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. Self introduction of
participants (1 transparency)
Name,
University, Educational obligations, Research Interest.
• 9:30 – 12:00. Introduction of Issues.
Each of the issues listed below will be briefly introduced (3
minutes) by one of the senior U.S. workshop leaders, followed by an open
discussion from the floor. The purpose
of having a set of predefined issues is to allow participants to think about
them. Prepared presentations are discouraged. If supporting materials are needed, it should be photocopied and
distributed. New issues can be brought up.
• 12:00 – 2:00 pm Lunch break (on your own)
- Formal
Session 2: Saturday, September, 1, 2001
.
• 2:00 to 3:30 p.m
Presentation of initial ideas on issues and concepts for collaboration
• 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Further discussion of issues, if needed
ISSUES
• Is there a benefit in research collaboration?
What is better - what is practical?
- Get
"common" research project, subdivide into parts, each partner works
on her/his part, and write report with separate chapters
-
Truly
collaborative concurrent research
-
Funding
In most cases, funding will
be from the respective national funding agencies with additional travel
money. Is this satisfactory or should
overarching international funding be found (see also "alliances",
below)
-
Use
of testing facilities
There are several
geotechnical testing facilities with unique setup/means of equipment in the
U.S. and other countries which might be used by counterparts from the other
country(ies). Is such a use desirable?
Feasible?
• Exchange of students/faculty members/researchers
Would the participants like
to see visitors/go on visits and if so, what is the optimal period of time?
-
Educational
exchange
Today this can range from
the classic sabbatical or similar visit, to sending students to the other
university, to full-fledged distance education.
-
Are
any of these possibilities more/less desirable than the others?
(advantages/disadvantages)
-
Global
Alliances
Many universities have
entered into national/international coalitions or alliances. Examples are the
Engineering Education Coalitions funded by NSF in the U.S. and the Alliance for
Global Sustainability involving the University of Tokyo. Many others exist. A single funding source and a more or less centralized
administration or coordinated allocation of the funds to sub entities
characterizes them. There are new
opportunities. With funding from the
National Science Foundation (NSF), the Office for Central Europe and Eurasia of
the National Research Council, the operating arm of the National Academies,
offers grants to individual American specialists who plan to establish new
research partnerships with their colleagues from Central/Eastern Europe (CEE)
and the Newly Independent States (NIS).
Special Opportunities for Junior
Investigators: American applicants
who have received their doctoral degrees within the past ten years will receive
special consideration. The COBASE
program allocates at least 25 percent of its grants to researchers in this
category in order to encourage beginning investigators to become involved in
international collaboration.
Is this a more desirable
structure than the separate funding and direct collaboration of several
partners?
• Impediments
Are there any impediments on
the department, university and national level to collaborate internationally?
• Recommendation to NSF
How could
NSF enhance international collaboration in the Geo-Eng areas?
• Other issues to be brought up prior to, or during, the workshop.
DELIVERABLES
and TIMETABLE
A final Workshop report will
be compiled and made available on the web site
http://icsmge-workshop.lsu.edu. The report will identify:
·
specific
Geo-Engineering areas of mutual international interest;
·
specific
people and institutions for cooperative research activities;
·
the
best mechanisms for and impediments to international collaboration on the
department, university, and national levels; and
·
recommendations
to NSF for enhancing international collaborative efforts in the Geo-Engineering
areas.
The G-I staff participating
in the workshop will be responsible for scheduling and coordinating the
workshop report ( Contact: Carol Bowers, Director, Geo-Institute, cbowers@asce.org. The report will be delivered to NSF by
February 28, 2002.
MISCELLANEOUS
Prior to the Workshop, arrangements will be made for
U.S. participants to meet informally to discuss the workshop topics. An
announcement will be made at the plenary sessions and/or the Conference
Bulletin Board. Additionally, U.S.
researchers are encouraged to hold one-on-one discussions with their peers
during the conference. These informal
meetings and discussions will provide the bulk of input for the Saturday,
September 1, 2001 workshop.
The funding for the Workshop is provided by the
National Science Foundation , http://www.nsf.gov, Division of International Programs, http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/int/anesa/start.htm,
and Division of Civil and Mechanical Systems , http://www.eng.nsf.gov/cms/About_CMS/GHS/ghs.htm
Carol Bowers
Director
ASCE Geo-Institute
Tuncer B. Edil
Chair, International Activities Council, ASCE
Geo-Institute
University of Wisconsin-Madison
608-262-3225
Mehmet T. Tumay
Principal Investigator, NSF Project
Louisiana State University
225-578-9165