Proceedings of the Rocscience International Conference (RIC 2023)

Conference name: Proceedings of the Rocscience International Conference (RIC 2023)
Date: 24 – 26 April, 2023
Location: Toronto, Canada (Offline)
Website: https://www.rocscience.com/events/rocscience-international-conference-2023

Dear Esteemed Authors and Readers,
We are delighted to write this Foreword to the Proceedings of the second Rocscience International Conference (RIC) held in-person from April 24th to 26th, 2023, in Toronto, Canada. The Conference aptly captured its theme of “Synergy in Geotechnical Engineering—Success Beyond Individual Technologies.” The presentations and papers discussed, showcased the integration of different innovations, ranging from software to hardware, and how they are being used to solve geotechnical engineering challenges.

The first day of the Conference featured the following three courses taught by seasoned presenters:

• Stability Analysis of Tailings Storage Facilities using Rocscience Software
• Settlement, Consolidation, and Liquefaction Analysis of Foundations using Numerical Tools, and
• Slope Stability Analysis with Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element Software

The Rocscience Lifetime Achievement Medal award to Professor Norbert Morgenstern, an internationally recognized authority in slope stability and tailings dams, highlighted the evening. His contributions have greatly benefited the geotechnical community and continue to foster progress, particularly in tailings dam engineering. In a keynote address titled “From Certainty to Uncertainty in 63 Years,” Professor Morgenstern described his passageway through geotechnical uncertainty and how it has led to thinking on performance-based design. You can access this keynote at (254) RIC2023— Lifetime Achievement Session—Dr. Norbert Morgenstern on YouTube (https://youtu be/Tqjyuu5ZlLE?si=60W4gw-akPUWFaGn).

The event hosted several technical sessions with over 80 papers presented by authors “from around the world.” Saying different countries suggests we know how many countries. The remarkable lineup of keynotes and presenters addressed critical issues relevant to geotechnical engineering today. The Conference also hosted a Best Student Paper Competition. All those who submitted papers, particularly the finalists (whose essays are included in the proceedings), did a marvellous job!

RIC 2023 also provided fresh networking opportunities and learning experiences. It allowed sponsors and attending industry organizations to share their mission and vision, and collaboration within the profession.

We thank the Organizing Committee, Technical Advisors and Reviewers for their diligent work that made RIC2023 highly successful.

We hope these conference proceedings, which present many authors’ creative ideas (including emerging capabilities such as Artificial Intelligence), catalyze the combination of different technologies into practical geotechnical advancements.

Dr. Reginald E. Hammah
Technical Co-Chair, RIC 2023

Dr. Sina Javankhoshdel
Technical Co-Chair, RIC 2023
Dr. Alison McQuillan
Technical Co-Chair, RIC 2023
Dr. Alireza Azami
Technical Co-Chair, RIC 2023
Dr. Thamer E. Yacoub
General Chair, RIC 2023