CONFERENCES: CPTT 2009 was held in China
— Dec 01, 2009
From Oct. 19-21, the first International Conference of Pipeline and Trenchless Technology (ICPTT) was held at the Regal International East Asia Hotel in Shanghai, China, which was cosponsored by China-U.S. Joint Center for Trenchless Research & Development (CTRD), ASCE Pipeline Division, China Society for Trenchless Technology, and the Center for Underground Infrastructure Research & Education (CUIRE) and provided a world forum for 80 oral presentations and poster discussions of 227 papers published in the ICPTT Proceedings. The conference theme was “Advances and Experiences with Pipelines and Trenchless Technology for Water, Sewer, Gas, and Oil Applications.” This conference was a resounding success with more than 350 participants from around the work, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Korea, India, Iran and China.
The collaboration between ASCE and conference organizers began approximately three years ago when Dr. Baosong Ma, Professor at the China University of Geosciences – Wuhan and Vice Director of China-U.S. Joint Center for Trenchless Research & Development (CTRD), presented a proposal to the Pipeline Division for Division’s sponsorship of this conference. This effort was a result of Chinese participation in past annual Pipeline Division conference technical programs with their supporting educational and social activities. The Chinese delegation felt this was a good model to emulate for ICPTT and wanted to collaborate with the ASCE Pipeline Division to create a pipeline and trenchless technology conference in China.
Dr. Tom Iseley, P.E., M. ASCE of IUPUI-Purdue School of Engineering & Technology, and Michael Stift, P.E., M. ASCE and Director of Engineering at the San Diego County Water Authority, both former Pipeline Division chairs, and the Pipeline Division’s current past chair, Dr. Mohammed Najafi, P.E., M. ASCE of the University of Texas at Arlington and Director of CUIRE, volunteered efforts to support this event with their Chinese counterpart, Dr. Ma. Dr. Ray Sterling, Professor emeritus at Louisiana Tech University, ISTT past chairman and former Director of TTC, and Dr. Samuel Ariaratnam, Professor at Arizona State University and Vice Chairman of ISTT, also attended the unique event.
Ma was especially pleased that the conference social program, Shanghai Nights, was a success. The daily focus was on the technical programs and business, so the early evening cruise on the Captain’s Ferry along the Pujiang River featuring Chinese folk music, set to the brilliantly lighted Shanghai skyline, was just an awe inspiring break. “The ICPTT allowed the pipeline and trenchless industries see how forward thinking and the rate of growth that China is experiencing as we move forward to a better quality of life,” said Ma.
With the success of this first ICPTT, planning has already begun for a second conference to be held in two years in either Beijing or Shanghai. Ma said, “A proposal to collaborate on a 2011 conference in China with the Pipeline Division is in the works due to the highly successful 2009 ICPTT. All our projections were exceeded and we can only thank the ASCE Pipeline Division for their help and participation. Now we will grow the ICPTT from this first conference and look forward to future ventures together with our friends in the ASCE Pipeline Division.”
