Category Archives: ALERT

New ALERT Geomaterials Announcement Submission Form

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ALERT Geomaterials has launched a new Announcement Submission Form to make it easier for our community to share relevant updates.

You can now submit announcements for:

  • Events – such as conferences, workshops, and seminars
  • Academic positions – including PhD openings, postdoctoral opportunities, faculty roles etc

Once approved, announcements will be:

  • Published on the ALERT Geomaterials website
  • Distributed via our mailing list
  • Shared on our LinkedIn page

📌 Please note: All submissions are subject to moderation by the ALERT team before publication.

📬 Submit your announcement here.

Thank you for contributing to the ALERT community!

ALERT Poster Session 2025

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The ALERT Poster session will be held on Monday September 29th during the ALERT Workshop.

To participate to the poster session, please submit your 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).

This year we are innovating by adding some poster lightning sessions in the course of the three days of the workshop. All posters will be given a 1min (mandatory) slot before the coffee breaks to advertise for their poster.

As last years, PhD candidates that have not yet defended their PhD at the time of the poster session can participate to the poster prize competition (€500) (all rules here). For those wishing to participate to the poster prize competition, please send your poster (in pdf format) at the same time as your abstract. For further details regarding poster prize rules please refere to: https://alertgeomaterials.eu/data/poster_prize/poster%20prize%20rules.pdf

The deadline for the submission of the abstract is the September 1st, 2025. The slots for the lightning session will be attributed on a “first submitted first served” principle, so don’t wait for the last minute to submit your abstract.

For the lightning sessions, you can send a single slide to support your speech. Creativity is welcome, and overcrowded slides should be avoided !

Registration for the ALERT Workshop and School 2025 is OPEN!

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Dear ALERT Community,

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2025 ALERT Geomaterials Workshop and Doctoral School! Registration deadline: September 1st, 2025.

You can find the preliminary programme for both the Workshop and the Doctoral School [here].

In line with last year’s edition, we are once again offering a remote participation option for the Doctoral School, priced the same as on-site attendance. Please note that this option allows passive attendance only—participants will be able to watch the presentations but will not be able to ask questions.

As decided by the ALERT Bureau, the following participants are eligible for one free night of accommodation (in a double room):

  • PhD students attending the Doctoral School from ALERT member institutions
  • Retired researchers attending the Workshop from ALERT member institutions

Please carefully read the instructions in the registration form. Once you fill in the form and click the “Register” button, a pop-up will prompt you to save your invoice as a PDF—please make sure to save it for your records. You will also receive a confirmation email with your registration details. If you are affiliated with an ALERT member institution, your institutional representative will receive a copy of your registration as well.

👉Click here to register for the ALERT Workshop and Doctoral School 2025

Please note that accommodation at the CNRS Centre Paul Langevin in Aussois will be allocated in the order of registration. As the number of rooms is limited, we encourage you to register early.

For travel details, please refer to the instructions on how to get to Aussois.

If you need to modify or cancel your registration, please contact ioannis.stefanou@ensta.fr and Mathilde.Flechon@caes.cnrs.fr with your invoice number at least one week before the event.

Please note that participants who fail to attend without cancellation will be invoiced for the cost of the reserved room and meals.

We look forward to welcoming you in Aussois!

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.