The 8th China National Young Scholars Forum on Cold-Regions Geotechnical Mechanics and Engineering was successfully convened in Wuhan, Hubei Province, from April 10 to 12, 2026.
The forum widely exchanges the basic theories of rock and soil mechanics and engineering in cold regions, as well as their technological frontiers and latest achievements in engineering practice. The forum was organized by the Youth Committee and the Professional Committee of Polar Geotechnical Mechanics and Engineering of the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering, and hosted by Wuhan University. It brought together over 300 young scholars, researchers, engineers and graduate students across the country to share cutting-edge progress in cold-region geotechnics. The forum’ topics covers mechanical properties of rock and soil in cold regions, multi-field coupling theory for rock and soil in cold regions, interaction between infrastructure and environment in cold regions, changes in permafrost and disasters in cold regions, new theory and technology of artificial freezing, multi-source monitoring of projects in cold regions, and so on. The topic “change of research paradigms for frozen soils” was discussed in the roundtable discussion section, enabling more early-career researchers to exchange ideas with industry experts and senior scholars.
The forum highlighted interdisciplinary collaboration and youth innovation, with dedicated sessions for graduate students including the AI Visualization for Frozen Ground creative contest and academic presentation competitions. Participants exchanged insights on theoretical advances, numerical methods, field monitoring and engineering applications in cold regions, promoting knowledge sharing and cooperative research for transportation, energy, water conservancy and ecological protection projects in cold and plateau areas. By fostering academic dialogue and talent cultivation, the forum strengthened the innovation network of young researchers and provided a valuable platform to boost the sustainable development of geotechnical engineering in cold regions nationwide.
Provided by Yong Liu & Lin Chen
