In recent years, with the continuous development of marine resources, marine geological disasters have become more frequent. These disasters not only affect the construction of marine engineering projects but also pose risks to their safe operation, presenting new challenges to the development of marine system engineering. In order to enhance the exchange and discussion of key issues in the field of marine geo-disaster reduction, the 21st International Symposium on Geo-disaster Reduction was successfully held at Tongji University from August 5th to 8th.

 

This conference serves as the annual academic meeting of the International Consortium on Geo-disaster Reduction (ICGdR) and was jointly organized by Tongji University and the UNESCO Chair on Earth Environment and Disaster Mitigation. The conference was held in a hybrid format, combining both online and offline sessions, and attracted significant attention from numerous experts and scholars worldwide. Over 80 representatives from countries including China, the United States, Italy, Turkey, Japan, and others participated, sharing and exchanging the latest research findings.

 

Group photo of the conference attendees

 

The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor ZHENG Hu, the Secretary-General of the conference. The keynote speeches were delivered by Professor ZHU Hehua, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Professor SHI Zhenming, Assistant President of Tongji University; Professor HUANG Yu, Head of the College of Civil Engineering at Tongji University; and Professor WANG Fawu, the President of the International Consortium on Geo-disaster Reduction (ICGdR).

 

Academician ZHU Hehua pointed out the frequent occurrence of marine disasters in recent years, posing potential threats to engineering construction, and emphasized the urgent need for international collaboration to explore new technologies for disaster prevention and reduction. Professor SHI Zhenming expressed sincere gratitude and warm welcome to all the participants on behalf of the university, and briefly introduced the work conducted by Tongji University in the field of disaster prevention and reduction. Professor HUANG Yu expressed gratitude on behalf of the College of Civil Engineering and organizing committee, and expressed expectations for the conference to provide new ideas for marine disaster prevention and reduction. President WANG Fawu introduced the establishment of the International Consortium on Geo-disaster Reduction and expressed hope that the attendees would focus on cutting-edge research, actively engage in discussions, and make greater contributions to disaster prevention and reduction efforts.

 

             

Academician ZHU Hehua                                                                                     Professor SHI Zhenming

 The opening ceremony 

 

At the end of the opening ceremony, Prof. Fawu Wang hosted and presented ICGdR Award Ceremony. The winners of the ICGdR Award 2022~2023 and the Best Paper Award of Geoenvironmental Disasters 2022, the official journal of ICGdR, are listed in the table below.

 

Table 1 The winners of the ICGdR Award 2022~2023

ID	Winner	Award Type	Institute
1	Masakatsu Miyajima	ICGdR Outstanding Activity Award	Kanazawa University
2	Haitao Yu	ICGdR Outstanding Young Scientist Award	Tongji University
3	Huafu Pei		Dalian University of Technology
4	Qiong Wu		China University of Geosciences, Wuhan
5	Xingsen Guo		University College London
6	Tingkai Nian	ICGdR Technology Invention Award	Dalian University of Technology
7	Shengwen Qi	ICGdR Science Achievement Award	Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
8	Jianyong Qiao		China University of Mining and Technology Beijing
9	Hong Zhang	ICGdR Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award	Ocean University of China

 

Table 2 The Best Paper Award of Geoenvironmental Disasters

ID	Authors	Title of Paper
1	Sim, K.B., Lee, M.L. & Wong, S.Y.	A review of landslide acceptable risk and tolerable risk
2	Subedi, M., Acharya, I.P.	Liquefaction hazard assessment and ground failure probability analysis in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal

 

The conference featured 8 keynote presentations and over 40 special topic presentations, focusing on significant scientific issues and key technological approaches related to marine engineering construction and disaster prevention and reduction of geological hazards. The reports covered a wide range of topics, including analysis of submarine landslide disaster mechanisms, causes and characteristics of earthquake disasters, and AI-based risk assessment of marine geological hazards.

 

                       

Academician HE Manchao                                                    Professor HUANG Yu

                  

Dr. Beena AJMERA                                                  Professor  Ranjan Kumar DAHAL

Keynote Speeches

 

The closing ceremony of the conference was presided over by Professor LI Bo, the Secretary-General. The organizing committee presented certificates to the selected outstanding presenters, which is listed in Table 3. The host of the next conference introduced the preparation status of the upcoming event. Finally, Professor Wang Fawu, representing the organizing committee, delivered the closing remarks, expressing gratitude to the attendees and inviting them to continue participating in and supporting the activities of the consortium.

 

Table 3 The winners of the Best Student Presentation Award

ID	Winner	Institute
1	Chenyang CAO	Taiyuan University of Technology, China
2	Wenqing NIU	Tongji University, China
3	Xingliang PENG	Tongji University, China
4	Sifan YUAN	Chang'an University, China
5	Jiangkun HE	Southwest Jiaotong University, China

 

                

Photo of the Best Student                                                                       Professor WANG Fawu

Presentation Award ceremony

                                  

Through this symposium, scholars from both domestic and international backgrounds shared their latest research findings, engaged in extensive academic discussions, and put forward creative new ideas and approaches. The conference has sparked further global attention from numerous scholars regarding the issues of disaster prevention and reduction in marine geological hazards. It provided a systematic summary and exploration of the existing research achievements and shortcomings in the field of marine disasters. Furthermore, it played a significant role in enhancing disaster prevention and reduction capabilities in China and globally, while also providing guidance for the advancement of the discipline.