Nearly 1,000 delegates from 10 countries across four continents gathered in China last month for the 11th Chinese National Conference on Geosynthetics.

Hosted by the China Technical Association on Geosynthetics (CTAG) every four years, the conference welcomed researchers, engineers, and scientific and technological professionals from around the world. It was also an occasion to mark the 40th anniversary of CTAG.

During the event in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, IGS President Samuel Allen, IGS Treasurer Professor Jie Han, and Amir Shahkolahi, chair of the IGS Asian Regional Activities Committee, held a special session on behalf of the IGS Technical Committee on Soil Reinforcement (TC-R), which featured more than 10 expert speakers from around the world.

The TC-R symposium welcomed seven international speakers and 17 Chinese speakers sharing their latest research on geosynthetics, including TC-R chair Ivan Puig Damians, and committee members Erol Tutumluer and Huabei Liu.

During the main conference from November 1-4, themed 'Green Digital Intelligence, Innovation Driven, Leading the High-quality Development of the Geosynthetic Industry', delegates enjoyed:

• Nearly 200 technical presentations.
• Keynote lectures from experts including Jie Han, Guangxin Li, Richard J. Bathurst, Chao Xu, Chiwan Hsieh, and Gary Fowmes.
• IGS Young Members Salon.
• Geo-Wall student design competition.
• Exhibition for CTAG's 40th anniversary.

The conference was also an opportunity for the leadership of CTAG and the IGS China Chapter to have a lunch meeting with IGS leadership and international IGS members. Individual and corporate memberships, participation of regional and international conferences on geosynthetics, and collaboration between Young Members, were among discussions.

For more about the IGS's Technical Committees, click here.