On November 11, the Associated Research Centers of the Urban Underground Space Youth Group (ACUUS YG) Inaugural Conference, jointly sponsored by Shandong University and the ACUUS, was held at Qianfoshan Campus. Prof. Raymond Sterling, honorary professor of the Louisiana Tech University and former president of the ACUUS, Prof. Jacques Besner, visiting professor of the University of Montreal and co-founder of the ACUUS, Prof. Li Shucai, vice-president of Shandong University and dean of the School of Qilu Transportation, and related working staff from the School of Civil Engineering, the School of Qilu Transportation and the Geotechnical & Structural Engineering Research Center (GSERC) attended the conference.

At the beginning of the conference, Li expressed his thanks to the ACUUS for its trust and support to Shandong University and said that he has confidence in the cooperation between Shandong University and the ACUUS. He pointed out that the ACUUS Youth Group aims to strengthen the role of the younger generation in the development and utilization of underground resources and sustainable development of underground space, and to lead young engineers and scientists to share their expertise and valuable experience in underground space development.

Prof. Dimitris Kaliampakos made a video speech to the conference. He expressed his gratitude to Shandong University for hosting the ACUUS Youth Group, and elaborated on the important role of the Youth Group in underground space multidisciplinary research and international academic exchanges.

Sterling and Besner made a co-presentation, describing the development of the ACUUS in detail, and invited the teachers and students of Shandong University to attend the ACUUS International World Conference in Helsinki, Finland in 2020. Prof. Liu Bin from the School of Qilu Transportation introduced the research achievements of the GSERC in the field of tunnel forward geological prospecting, which were highly appraised by the two professors.

Besner, the Secretary General of the ACUUS Secretariat and Li signed the cooperation agreement and jointly unveiled the nameplate for the ACUUS YG. ACUUS YG aims to gather the strength of the younger generation, jointly explore urban resources and seek sustainable development of underground space, so as to promote international academic exchanges and cooperation.

On Nov. 9 and 10, the ACUUS fellows Sterling and Besner delivered impressive academic reports titled with "Underground Buildings: Some Examples of Lessons Learned" and "International Planning, Design and Management Experiences of Urban Underground Space and Large-Scale Underground Complexes", respectively. Accompanied by Associate Prof. Xu Zhenhao, Associate Prof. Li Yong and Dr. Li Huanqing, the deputy Secretary General of the ACUUS Secretariat, Sterling and Besner went on a laboratory tour to the Geotechnical and Structural Engineering Experiment Hall of Shandong University and discussed the opportunities and challenges faced by the development and utilization of underground space in Ji'nan spring area.

Source: the School of Qilu Transportation

Written by: Dong Xiaoyan,Wang Wenyang

Photo by: Yu Tengfei

Edited by: Xie Tingting