Keynote Speakers

BACKGROUND
Dr. Cundall performed his doctoral work at Imperial College, London, where, in 1971, he originated the Distinct Element Method for modeling jointed rock and granular material. In addition to being an independent consultant for several years, he worked for Dames and Moore for five years, was a faculty member at the University of Minnesota for seven years, at which he is now Adjunct Professor. He was employed by Itasca for more than 20 years, and continues involvement as an Associate. Dr. Cundall is the original author of many computer codes, including TRUBAL, FLAC, UDEC, 3DEC, PFC2D, and PFC3D, which all enjoy widespread use. His main interest is in applied computer modeling, particularly in the areas of micromechanics, seismic analysis, plasticity, fracture damage, localization, shock waves and coupled problems. He has written many papers, including the most-cited paper for the journal Géotechnique: “A Discrete Numerical Model for Granular Assemblies.” Dr. Cundall has received several awards for his work in rock mechanics, and is Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Member of the National Academy of Engineering.

PRESENTATION
Dr. Cundall will provide a discussion on latest numerical modelling endeavours with the implementation of a "Lattice Method" for blasting simulations and slope stability analyses.

BACKGROUND
Dr. Fairhurst, Professor Emeritus of the University of Minnesota, has more than 50 years of experience in mining rock mechanics and has consulted on rock stability problems for tunnels, dams, mines and excavations throughout the world. He remains active in consulting, with current emphasis on geological isolation of radioactive waste and on efforts to establish, in the USA, a Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) for research in (1) elementary particle physics, (2) micro-biological studies of ancient life and (3) geosciences/ geoengineering. He served as President of the International Society of Rock Mechanics from 1991 through 1995, and has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineers and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. Dr. Fairhurst has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from University of Nancy, France; St. Petersburg Mining Academy, Russia; University of Sheffield, England; and University of Minnesota, USA, and is Advisory Professor to Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

PRESENTATION
Dr. Fairhurst is currently Chair of a US National Academy of Engineering study: “Grand Challenges in Earth Resources Engineering.” He will discuss the Committee findings and implications for future developments in rock mechanics, both in university education and in practical engineering.

BACKGROUND
Dr. Hart directs code development, sales and support services for Itasca's software division. He has been involved with development, testing, documentation and application of computational models in geomechanics for nearly 30 years. Dr. Hart also leads and coordinates training courses and symposia for Itasca software, and has personally conducted over 100 courses worldwide. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the state of Minnesota.

Dr. Russell is the chief software engineer for Itasca software development. He has a theoretical and computational background in both mechanics and fluid dynamics. Dr. Russell has been a principal programmer in the development of FLAC3D since its beginning and now leads the team for all future Itasca software development projects.

PRESENTATION
Dr. Hart and Dr. Russell will present an overview of the next generation of Itasca software. This includes a first look at some of the new features under development or planned for Itasca software, including a demonstration of advanced graphical manipulation tools to allow easy model building and operation, and a presentation of the latest developments and plans for the "common-code" framework to handle interaction between different types of model objects and solution methods.

BACKGROUND
Itasca International CEO, Dr. Lorig has over 25 years of experience in engineering projects requiring specialized geomechanics consulting. His area of expertise is in the application of numerical models to provide solutions to stability, support and dynamics problems in civil and mining engineering. Dr. Lorig has worked extensively at some of the largest open pits in the world and currently is working on studies involving transition from open-pit to underground cave mining at sites around the world. He has served as a member of consulting and peer review boards for several large projects. He has conducted over 40 short courses and has authored more than 50 technical articles, and he is a Registered Professional Engineer in four U.S. states.

PRESENTATION
Dr. Loren Lorig will provide his view on the current state of numerical modelling in soil and rock mechanics. The talk will focus on challenges in current slope stability analysis methods.

BACKGROUND
Dr. Pierce is a geotechnical engineer specialized in the stability analysis and design of underground and open-pit mines. He has experience in the application of numerical models to sequencing and support of underground excavations, assessment of backfill strength requirements and liquefaction potential, analysis of pit slope stability, and prediction of mining-induced seismicity and surface subsidence. Dr. Pierce is a Registered Professional Engineer in Canada.

PRESENTATION
Dr. Pierce will review the state-of-the art in Synthetic Rock Mass modelling and provide an Itasca perspective of where this technology is heading and how it is being used. This address will be followed by a special session on SRM modelling that has been conducted by other research institutions and consultants around the globe.