Representatives of the Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering in scientific centres of Kazakhstan
November 22-29, 2021, the group of delegates from the Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering of Warsaw University of Technology (WUT), members of Polish Geotechnical Society, visited L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU) in Nur-Sultan and Kazakhstan Highway Research Institute (KazDorNII), Kazakh Leading Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering (KazGASA) in Almaty in Kazakhstan. The WUT was represented by the Dean of Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering of WUT, Professor Paweł Popielski and the President of the Faculty Council of Doctoral Students, MSc Eng Bartosz Bednarz. The group was accompanied by PhD Eng Agnieszka Dąbska, who is currently doing a three-month internship at the ENU L.N. Gumilyov at the Faculty of Architecture and Construction.
On November 23, 2021, the Warsaw University of Technology delegation took part in the meeting at the L.N. Gumilyov ENU (Fig. 1). The ENU was represented by the Member of the Management Board-Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Yerkin Ongarbayev, Member of the Board-Vice-Rector for Science, Commercialization and Internationalization, Gulnara Merzadinova, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Construction, Temirkhan Tolkynbaev, Professor Askar Zhussupbekov and Head of the Department of Design of Buildings and Structures, Zhanbolat Shakhmov and other representatives of the ENU Faculty of Architecture and Construction.
A ceremony of signing a Memorandum of understanding between WUT and ENU took place during the meeting (Fig. 2). Representatives of universities agreed on continued cooperation in joint research and educational projects, academic mobility of students and teaching staff, and joint publications and the organization of scientific events. The importance of signing the memorandum was underlined by the presence of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr Selim Chazbijewicz (Fig. 3). The monographs on the 100th anniversary of the Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering of WUT were handed over to the university authorities and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Following the ceremony of signing a Memorandum of understanding, the Kazakh-Polish Geotechnical Seminar on TC 305 (ISSMGE) “Geotechnical Infrastructure for Megacities and New Capitals”, organized by Kazakhstan Geotechnical Society, the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering and the ENU Geotechnical Institute, was held. Professor Pawel Popielski presented the topic: “Assessment and designing of hydraulic structures and deep foundation based on interdisciplinary research and numerical simulations”. Postdoctoral fellow Agnieszka Dabska presented a scientific work on “Sand resistance to failure due to seepage”. PhD Student Bartosz Bednarz introduced the problem of “Monitoring of large diameter sewer collectors structure using distributed fibre optic sensors (DFOS)”. The delegates also visited the museum-cabinet of L. N. Gumilev, the Museum of Turkic writing and laboratories of the Department of Design of Buildings and Structures of the ENU Faculty of Architecture and Construction.
On November 24, the Polish delegation took part in the technical tour in the Nur-Sultan. They visited a NUR ALEM Future Energy Museum (Fig. 4), the office of the KGS-Astana Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) and the KGS-Astana construction side on Multifunctional Complex “Diamond” on the territory of EXPO-2017 (Fig. 5), where they had an opportunity to show the piles driving activity.
On November 25, the group of delegates from WUT took part in the International Geotechnical Seminar on TC 305 (ISSMGE) “Geotechnical Infrastructure for Megacities and New Capitals”, organized by KazDorNII in Almaty (Fig. 6). They were hosted by the Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Bagdat Teltayev, Vice-President of KazDorNII, PhD Eng Yerbol Aitbayev and other representatives of KazDorNII. The co-moderator of the Seminar was the President of the Kazakhstan Geotechnical Society, Chair of TC305 (ISSMGE), Director of the Geotechnical Institute of the ENU named after L.N. Gumilyov, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Askar Zhussupbekov.
The participants discussed the issues of assessment, design and monitoring of hydraulic structures, deep foundations, highways, and large-diameter sewer collectors based on interdisciplinary research and numerical modelling under conditions of the loss of soil resistance due to seepage risk during the seminar. As part of the meeting, a technical tour of the testing laboratories of KazdorNII was organized for the seminar participants. The guests got acquainted with the material and technical base of the institute (Fig. 7).
In the framework of a technical tour organized by KazDorNII seminar participants visited the Medeu Mudflow Control Dam, located near the ski resort Chimbulak in the upper part of the Medeu Valley in the Zailiisky Alatau mountain range, at an elevation of 2,200 metres above sea level (Fig. 8 and 9). The Medeu Mudflow Control Dam was designed to protect Almaty from devastating mud and debris flows. The 110-meter high dam was created with the help of directional explosions in 1966-1967 by a series of explosions for the first time in world practice.
On November 26, the group of delegates from WUT were hosted by KazGASA represented by the Rector of KazGASA, Professor Margarita Imandosova and the Dean of the Faculty of General Construction, Professor Raikhan Imambayeva (Fig. 10 and 11). Prof. Pawel Popielski handed over to prof. Margarita Imandosova, Rector of KazGASA, monograph of the 100th anniversary of the Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering of WUT. They discussed with the Dean of Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering of WUT, Professor Paweł Popielski, the opportunities of KazGASA cooperation with WUT during the meeting. The topics covered the students and staff internships, “Erasmus+” program participation, and others concerning international cooperation. The KazGASA students also had the opportunity to ask questions of WUT representatives (Fig. 12).
The guests of KazGASA visited the technical laboratories equipped with many unique stands and models (Fig. 12 and 13). The scientific group of the WUT found common ground of scientific interests in hydro and geotechnical engineering issues with KazGASA stuff. The scientific schools agreed to work on the Memorandum of cooperation.
On November 27, delegates from WUT took part in the technical tour to Charyn Canyon on the Sharyn River in the Sharyn National Park of Kazakhstan (Fig. 15). They could admire the geological peculiar relief forms of sedimentary red sandstone formed under the influence of water and wind erosion.
The delegation from WUT expresses thanks to ENU, KazDorNII and KazGASA for invitations, warm meetings and excellent organization of events. The Polish delegates express special thanks to the President of the Kazakhstan Geotechnical Society, Director of the Geotechnical Institute of the ENU, named after L.N. Gumilyov, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Askar Zhussupbekov, who was the main organizer of the delegation’s stay in Kazakhstan and coordinated the entire visit of Polish delegates.
More information about the visit of delegates from WUT in ENU you can find at:
https://enu.kz/en/info/news/64788/
More information about the visit of delegates from WUT in KazDorNII you can find at:
https://www.kazdornii.kz/ru/articles/2251-mezhdunarodnyj_geotehnicheskij_seminar/
https://www.facebook.com/2059270337640915/posts/3170913409809930/?d=n
More information about the visit of delegates from WUT in KazGASA you can find at:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CW-rkNcgcoJ
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=398817198634226&ref=sharing