Category Archives: ALERT

Call for Abstracts – ALERT Workshop 2025

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We are pleased to announce that the ALERT Workshop 2025 will be held in Aussois, France, from 29 September to 4 October 2025. Abstract submissions are now open for the following three sessions:

Session 1: “It is about time – time-dependent response of geomaterials”
Organizers:

Session 2: “Ice in porous media”
Organizers:

Session 3: “Nature-based geotechnical engineering”

Description:
This workshop explores the application of bio-inspired principles to address key challenges in geotechnical engineering, focusing on the intersection of biology and geomechanics. Key topics include bio-mediated ground improvement through bio-mineralization, the use of root-like structures for soil reinforcement, and animal-inspired burrowing techniques for more efficient tunnelling. The sessions will cover experimental methods to investigate bio-soil interactions, advanced numerical modelling of bio-inspired systems, and how knowledge on natural processes can be leveraged to enhance the stability, resilience, and sustainability of geotechnical systems. The emphasis will be placed on understanding the fundamental mechanisms driving natural processes, and scaling challenges from laboratory to field scales. 

Organizers:

How to Submit Your Abstract:
Please email your abstract directly to the respective session coordinators using the Workshop Abstract Form (DOC). Due to the limited time available for presentations, only a selection of the submitted abstracts will be chosen for oral presentations.

Submission Deadline:
All abstracts must be received by 15 May 2025.

For any inquiries regarding your participation or further information about the sessions, please contact the respective session coordinators directly.

We look forward to your contributions!

Scientific Secretary Succession

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Dear ALERT community,

In June 2021, I assumed the role of scientific secretary from François Bertrand. After more than three years in the role and 538+ announcements posted (which is an all-time record, by the way), it is now time for me to retire from this function.

It was a privilege to organise our annual meeting for four consecutive years, despite the occasional challenges. These meetings provided the opportunity to connect with many of you. I am also pleased to see an increase in the number of participants attending both the workshop and doctoral school since I started.

I would like to thank Frédéric Collin, our previous director, for giving me the opportunity to manage both the website and many other aspects of ALERT Geomaterials. It has been a thrilling experience that I was lucky enough to share with you.

I am now handing this position to David Riley, from EC-Nantes, who I am sure will do this job with commitment.

Thank you everyone, and see you next year in Aussois,

Arthur Fanara.

How to join Aussois by train – ALERT Meeting 2024

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Dear colleagues,

We are getting close to the start of the ALERT Workshop. A few details about your journey to Aussois:

As last year, the railroad line between Saint Jean de Maurienne and Modane is closed due to a rock slope instabillity. This is why there is no TGV between Paris and Modane.

You can get to Modane by taking a train between Chambéry and Saint Jean de Maurienne and then a bus to Modane. 

When you arrive in Modane by bus, there are cabs to call:
– Taxi Haute Maurienne: +33 4.79.20.51.57 
– Lionnel transport: +33 6.09.68.39.91 
– Gros : +33 6.60.38.01.23 
– Mont Taxi: +33 6.60.47.03.06 
– Alpes Taxi: +33 6.31.55.82.71

As in previous years, we have organized a direct bus service between Saint Jean de Maurienne (at the bus station) and Aussois on Sunday September 29. It will leave Saint Jean at 16h. Another bus is planned at 19h40.

See you soon in Aussois,
Frédéric COLLIN.

How to join Aussois by train – ALERT Meeting 2024

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Dear colleagues,

We are getting close to the start of the ALERT Workshop. A few details about your journey to Aussois:

As last year, the railroad line between Saint Jean de Maurienne and Modane is closed due to a rock slope instabillity. This is why there is no TGV between Paris and Modane.

You can get to Modane by taking a train between Chambéry and Saint Jean de Maurienne and then a bus to Modane.

When you arrive in Modane by bus, there are cabs to call:
– Taxi Haute Maurienne: +33 4.79.20.51.57 
– Lionnel transport: +33 6.09.68.39.91 
– Gros : +33 6.60.38.01.23 
– Mont Taxi: +33 6.60.47.03.06 
– Alpes Taxi: +33 6.31.55.82.71

As in previous years, we have organized a direct bus service between Saint Jean de Maurienne (at the bus station) and Aussois on Sunday September 29. It will leave Saint Jean at 4pm. Another bus is planned for a later date, and you’ll be receiving information soon.

See you soon in Aussois,
Frédéric COLLIN.

REMINDER – ALERT Poster Session 2024

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The ALERT Poster session will be held on Monday September 30th during the ALERT Workshop.

Those who are interested are asked to submit their abstracts (both word/openoffice and pdf files are required) by email to the coordinators Nadia Benahmed (nadia.benahmed@inrae.fr) and Antoine Wautier (antoine.wautier@inrae.fr) using the attached abstract form (Template).

As for last year, the ALERT Committee has decided to award a prize (€500) (all rules here).

The deadline for the submission of the abstract is the September 1st, 2024. For those wishing to participate to the competition, please send your poster (in pdf format) at the same time as your abstract. We remind you that only PhD candidates that have not yet defended their PhD at the time of the poster session are eligible for the poster prize.

LAST REMINDER – Registration for the ALERT Workshop and School 2024 – Deadline 1 Sept.

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Dear ALERT community,

This is the last reminder that the registration for the ALERT Geomaterials Workshop and School 2024 is open! The preliminary programme of the Doctoral School and Workshop is available here.

Please note that the deadline for registration is SEPTEMBER 1st! It won’t be extended so make sure to register!

In the continuity of last year edition, a remote access to the doctoral school is proposed at the same price as the on-site option. However, this remote option only gives access to the passive attending of the presentations, and no questions could be asked.

This year, the ALERT Bureau has once again decided to offer one day of accomodation to:

  • all PhD students attending the doctoral school and belonging to an ALERT member institution (in a double room only);
  • all retired researchers attending the workshop.

Please read the hints in the registration form! After filling the form and pressing the button “Register”, a window will open to prompt you to save the invoice as a .pdf file. Please save it for your records! You will also get an email with the registration data afterwards. If you are an ALERT member, the corresponding representative of your ALERT institution will receive the registration data too.

Click here to register for the ALERT Workshop and School 2024.

The accommodation in Aussois will be processed in the order of the registrations (see the hints in the registration form). Please note that the number of rooms in the CNRS “Centre Paul Langevin” is limited.
See also hints on how to get to Aussois.

If you need to modify or cancel your registration, please send an email to director@alertgeomaterials.eu, mentioning your invoice number, at least one week before the meeting. Individuals who fail to honor their registration will be required to pay a fee to the hotel covering the cost of both the room reservation and the food services.

Looking forward to meeting you in Aussois!

REMINDER – Registration for the ALERT Workshop and School 2024 is OPEN!

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Dear ALERT community,

We would like to remind you that the registration for the ALERT Geomaterials Workshop and School 2024 is open! The preliminary programme of the Doctoral School is available here, the programme of the Workshop should be posted soon.

Please note that the deadline for registration is SEPTEMBER 1st! It won’t be extended so make sure to register!

In the continuity of last year edition, a remote access to the doctoral school is proposed at the same price as the on-site option. However, this remote option only gives access to the passive attending of the presentations, and no questions could be asked.

This year, the ALERT Bureau has once again decided to offer one day of accomodation to:

  • all PhD students attending the doctoral school and belonging to an ALERT member institution (in a double room only);
  • all retired researchers attending the workshop.

Please read the hints in the registration form! After filling the form and pressing the button “Register”, a window will open to prompt you to save the invoice as a .pdf file. Please save it for your records! You will also get an email with the registration data afterwards. If you are an ALERT member, the corresponding representative of your ALERT institution will receive the registration data too.

Click here to register for the ALERT Workshop and School 2024.

The accommodation in Aussois will be processed in the order of the registrations (see the hints in the registration form). Please note that the number of rooms in the CNRS “Centre Paul Langevin” is limited.
See also hints on how to get to Aussois.

If you need to modify or cancel your registration, please send an email to director@alertgeomaterials.eu, mentioning your invoice number, at least one week before the meeting. Individuals who fail to honor their registration will be required to pay a fee to the hotel covering the cost of both the room reservation and the food services.

Looking forward to meeting you in Aussois!

Registration for the ALERT Workshop and School 2024 is OPEN!

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Dear ALERT community,

I am pleased to inform you that the registration for the ALERT Geomaterials Workshop and School 2024 is now open! The preliminary programme of the Doctoral School is available here, the programme of the Workshop should be posted soon.

In the continuity of last year edition, a remote access to the doctoral school is proposed at the same price as the on-site option. However, this remote option only gives access to the passive attending of the presentations, and no questions could be asked.

This year, the ALERT Bureau has once again decided to offer one day of accomodation to:

  • all PhD students attending the doctoral school and belonging to an ALERT member institution (in a double room only);
  • all retired researchers attending the workshop.

Please read the hints in the registration form! After filling the form and pressing the button “Register”, a window will open to prompt you to save the invoice as a .pdf file. Please save it for your records! You will also get an email with the registration data afterwards. If you are an ALERT member, the corresponding representative of your ALERT institution will receive the registration data too.

Click here to register for the ALERT Workshop and School 2024.

The deadline for the registration is September 01st! The accommodation in Aussois will be processed in the order of the registrations (see the hints in the registration form). Please note that the number of rooms in the CNRS “Centre Paul Langevin” is limited.
See also hints on how to get to Aussois.

If you need to modify or cancel your registration, please send an email to director@alertgeomaterials.eu, mentioning your invoice number, at least one week before the meeting. Individuals who fail to honor their registration will be required to pay a fee to the hotel covering the cost of both the room reservation and the food services.

Looking forward to meeting you in Aussois!