At the end of October, the International Scientific and Technical Conference on Geotechnics was held on the walls of the St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering: "Modern theoretical and practical issues of geotechnics, methods of science and technology” (GFAC 2021). The international forum was held in a mixed format (online and offline) under the auspices of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences (RAACS), the Russian Society for Soil Mechanics, Geotechnics and Foundation Engineering (RSSMGFE), Kazakhstan Geotechnical Society and St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (SPBGASU) in the hall of the Academic Council of SPBGASU.

Fig.1. Opening ceremony of GFAC-2021, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

The opening ceremony of the conference began with a welcome speech by Corresponding Member of RAACS, Dr., Professor R.A. Mangushev; Rector of SPBGASU Professor Ye.I. Rybnov; President of RSSMGFE, First VicePresident of RAACS, Academician of RAACS Professor V.A. Ilyichev; Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of St. Petersburg, Dr. A.D. Khlutkov; President of the Kazakhstan Geotechnical Society, Honorary Doctor of SPBGASU Professor A.Zh. Zhussupbekov; Chairman of ATC-19 (ISSMGE), Professor Yoshinori Iwasaki (Japan) and Past President of Belarussian Geotechnical Society, Prof. D.Yu. Sobolevsky.

Fig.2. Plenary session of GFAC-2021

Soon there was a official ceremony of awarding the title of "Honorary Doctor of SPBGASU" to Professor Eun Chul Shin, Incheon National University (Incheon, South Korea). In honor of this event, Professor E.C. Shin published a book entitled «Theory and Practice of Geosynthetics and Geotechnical Engineering», which he presented to visiting professors, students and the library of SPBGASU.

The conference was attended by more than 200 participants (by offline) and more than 200 listeners and speakers (by online). During the three conference days about 150 reports were listened from 12 countries (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, USA, Denmark, Vietnam, Mongolia).

Invited participants delivered lectures:

• Prof. Eun Chul Shin, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea: “Safety Evaluation of Underground Structures and Its Applied Value”;
• Prof. Yoshinori Iwasaki, Geo-Research Institute, Osaka, Japan: “Active Conservation of the Bayon Temple Main Tower in Angkor, Cambodia”;
• Prof. Anthony Leung, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China: “The Use of an Energy Pile for the Stabilization of Unsaturated Ground Slopes: Centrifuge Modelling”;
• Prof. Dr.Ing. Dietmar Mähner «FH Münster», Münster, Germany: «Application of the Tunnel-inTunnel Method on Electrified Tracks of the German Railway»;
• Prof. Amin Barari, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark: «Class C Predictions for Horizontally Loaded Caisson Foundations»;
• Prof. Rashid Mangushev, Head of the Department of Geotechnics of SPbGASU, St. Petersburg, Russia: "Scientific and Applied Research Findings of the SPbGASU Department of Geotechnics from 2001 to 2021";
• Prof. Igor Sakharov, SPbGASU, St. Petersburg, Russia: "Prospects for the Operation of Buildings and Structures in the Arctic in View of the Global Warming";
• Prof. Andrey Ponomarev, The Higher School of Hydraulic and Power Engineering Construction of SPbPU, Russia: “Pile Foundations in Russia. Current State and Future Research Trends”;
• Ph.D. Igor Kolybin, NIIOSP named after N.M. Gersevanov, Moscow, Russia: "Current Trends in Improving Regulations in the Field of Geotechnics";
• Prof. Armen Ter-Martirosyan, Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, Moscow, Russia: “MGSU Experience in Scientific and Technical Supervision of Unique and Technically Complex Buildings and Structures”;
• Ph.D. Aleksey Shashkin, Emperor Alexander I St.Petersburg State Transport University, St. Petersburg, Russia: “The Forts of the Kronstadt Fortress as Masterpieces of Geotechnics and Engineering Art of the 19th century”;
• Prof. F.A. Ikramov, Samarkand State Architectural and Civil Engineering Institute, Samarkand, Uzbekistan: “The Influence of the Coefficient of Critical Porosity on the Stability of Structures”;
• Dr. Ph. A.S. Sarsembayeva, L.N. Gumilyov ENU, Postdoctoral Fellow of the Geotechnical Institute, Kazakhstan: «Preliminary Assessment of the Bearing Capacity of Soils Using a Geotechnical Database»;
• Prof. A.Zh. Zhussupbekov, L.N. Gumilyov ENU, Kazakhstan: “Comparative Analysis of the Static and Dynamic Pile Testing in Complex Soils of Kazakhstan”.

Professor A.Zh. Zhussupbekov invited all participants of the conference to participate in the upcoming 17th Asian Regional Conference ISSMGE - 17ARC, which will be held in Nur-Sultan, August 14-18, 2023.

This event at SPBGASU coincided with the 70th anniversary of the birthday of outstanding scientist, corresponding member of RAASN, Professor Rashid Mangushev. In this connection in the hall of the library of SPBGASU simultaneously held an exhibition of his scientific works, textbooks, monographs, reference books and textbooks and teaching staff, of the Department of Geotechnics, public contribution to the development of which contributed by Head of Department of Geotechnics Professor R.A. Mangushev.

Fig. 3. The exhibition of geotechnical books of Prof. Rashid Mangushev

As part of the conference, a technical tour of Kronstadt to the St. Petersburg Defense Complex and on construction objects, leading in scientific consultation of the Department of Geotechnics of SPBGASU were organized.

Fig. 4. The technical tour in construction site of Saint Petersburg