Keynote Speakers
Yoshinori Nakagawa | Sophia University, Japan
Born in 1977,
Yoshinori Nakagawa obtained his degree in Engineering from
the graduate school of civil engineering at the University
of Tokyo. He subsequently held positions as an assistant
professor at the same university and as an associate
professor at Kochi University of Technology. Currently, he
serves as a professor at the Graduate School of Global
Environmental Studies at Sophia University. Additionally, he
is affiliated with and leads a three-year project at the
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature.
Nakagawa specializes in qualitative research, particularly
life story studies. Leveraging this expertise, he is
actively involved in academic exploration of Future Design
and its practical application in real-world contexts. Future
Design involves the development of social systems that
ensure the well-being of future generations.
Speech title "Methodology of Future Design as a means to become good ancestors"
Abstract-Various methodologies have been proposed across academic fields for envisioning future visions, such as backcasting and scenario planning. However, there is no guarantee that the outcomes of these methodologies, when applied, truly consider the interests of future generations. Due to our tendency to think within the framework of contemporary perspectives, it becomes challenging to imaginatively conceive a desirable world for future people and strive to realize it. Future Design emerged as a methodology to overcome this challenge. A key concept of this methodology is the thought device of "imaginary future people." In this talk, I aim to introduce the essence of this methodology and encourage the audience to engage in a pseudo-experience of becoming imaginary future people.
Satya Harpalani | Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA
Dr. Harpalani serves as a Professor in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Materials Engineering and Associate Dean of the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology and Mathematics at Southern Illinois University. Starting with his PhD dissertation work at University of California Berkeley, he has devoted his entire academic career to studying flow in porous media, with emphasis on production of natural gas, geologic storage of carbon dioxide and bioconversion of coal to natural gas. He has conducted research in the amount of over $20M, with funding from US Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency and large private operators, like British Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, Advanced Resources International, VICO Indonesia and IKAV Energy. Recently, he has expanded his research in the area of production of hydrogen in situ, its storage and production. Finally, Dr. Harpalani has authored in excess of a hundred publication, mostly in the area of flow in deep rocks and graduated a large number of graduate students.
Speech title "Evolution and Future of Unconventional Gas in the United States Energy Mix"
Abstract-Production of natural gas from unconventional sources, primarily coalbed methane (CBM) and shale gas, has a short history. CBM production in the US was zero in 1980 and grew to two trillion cu ft (TCF) in 2010. Shale gas production started in 2000 and exceeded 28 TCF in 2021. Although CBM production in the US is declining, interest continues to grow in Australia, Canada, Indonesia, India and China. Its future, however, is somewhat dependent on the growth of shale gas, given that shale gas has not been very successful outside the US. A critical factor influencing future production will be the price of gas. A related area that emerged in the early 2000 was enhanced production of methane by injection of CO2 in deep coals/shales as a means to sequester it permanently. One decade later, another area emerged, microbially enhanced coalbed methane, where methanogens were shown to generate large amounts of methane. The current state of natural gas stems from the emphasis on net-zero/net-negative carbon emissions that has led to what has evolved as the hydrogen economy. At this time, the most economical technique to produce hydrogen commercially is steam methane reforming (SMR), requiring availability of methane. A related area of research underway is producing microbial hydrogen in coal in situ, forming coalbed hydrogen reservoirs, followed by applying CBM production technologies for its production. The technology has merit in its application to coal waste conversion, abandoned mines, depleted gas operations and unmineable coals.
Abbas Taheri | Queen's University, Canada
Abbas Taheri
is a Tenured Associate Professor
at the Robert M. Buchan
Department of Mining at Queen’s
University in Kingston, Canada,
where he holds the Chair in Mine
Design.
Abbas has over 20 years of
industry, research, and teaching
experience in geotechnical
engineering, rock mechanics, and
mining engineering. In 1999 he
earned a BASc in Mining
Engineering and in 2002 an MASc
in Rock Mechanics from Amir
Kabir University of Technology,
Iran. He worked for over four
years in the industry in civil
and mining engineering projects
before moving to Japan in 2005
to a PhD in geotechnical
engineering at Yokohama National
University. His PhD thesis has
been internationally
acknowledged as outstanding
research work and has been
awarded a runner-up certificate
(Proxime Accessit) of "ISRM
Rocha Medal 2010" from the
International Society for Rock
Mechanics and Rock Engineering
(ISRM). In 2008 he was awarded a
postdoctoral fellowship from
Japan Society for the Promotion
of Science (JSPS) and joined
Tokyo University of Science. In
2011 he was appointed as a
lecturer and then a senior
lecturer at the University of
Adelaide, Australia, until 2021,
when he moved to Queen’s
University, Canada, as an
Associate Professor.
Abbas is the president of the
Commission on Deep Mining of the
ISRM. Dr Taheri is/was a member
of the Editorial Board of
several scientific journals,
including “Soils and
Foundations”, “Bulletin of
Engineering Geology and
Environment”, “International
Journal of Mining Science and
Technology,” “Minerals” etc.
Abbas is/was the chair,
organizer, and member of the
organization committee of many
international symposiums and
workshops. He has produced more
than 160 refereed publications.
Dr Taheri has developed and
toughed several courses in
geotechnical engineering and
mining operation.
Speech title"New Innovations in Experimental Rock Mechanics"
Abstract-This keynote speech will present cutting-edge
in-situ and laboratory testing methods and technologies,
focusing on characterizing both rock masses and intact
rocks. A highlight of the presentation is introducing an
in-situ triaxial compression test method capable of
measuring the stress-strain relation of rock masses in
deep ground conditions. This method proves reliable and
accurate, offering a single in-situ test that mirrors
the effectiveness of a laboratory triaxial compression
test.
The lecture will also showcase recent advancements in
understanding rock failure mechanisms under diverse
stress conditions. Notably, comprehensive stress-strain
behavior analysis of rocks in uniaxial compression will
be explored through sophisticated laboratory testing,
incorporating the application of Digital Image
Correlation to investigate localized rock behavior under
monotonic and cyclic loading. Additionally, novel
techniques for measuring post-failure behavior under
cyclic loading will be introduced. A groundbreaking
experimental advancement will be unveiled, allowing
control over the dynamics associated with the sudden
cracking of disc samples under diametrical compression.
This innovation enables the accurate determination of
intrinsic fracture properties in a simple compression
test, effectively excluding or minimizing dynamic
effects.
The developed experimental methodology finds
applications across various domains, including Civil,
Mining, and Petroleum engineering.