The Observation and Research Station of Water Cycle and Geological Environment for the Chinese Loess Plateau held the 2021 Annual Workshop

The Annual Workshop of the Observation and Research Station of Water Cycle and Geological Environment for the Chinese Loess Plateau was held in Chang'an University from July 17^th to 19^th, 2021. The Workshop was conducted simultaneously both offline and online. Professor Li Tonglu, the master of the observation station, served as the chair of the workshop, and the deputy station masters, associate Professors Zhang Yaguo and Zhang Changliang hosted the meeting. More than 70 teachers and students from Chang'an University, Northwest University, Xi'an Shiyou University, Institute of Geology and Geophysics of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Bologna University of Italy attended the meeting. There were 4 Invited Lectures and 34 Youth Lectures, which discussed six themes including "Unsaturated Soil Characteristics; Geotechnical Testing Technology; Geotechnical Numerical Simulation; New Energy Utilization; Ecological Geology and Slope Engineering. At the beginning of the meeting, Professor Li Tonglu reviewed the construction process of the observation station and expressed his gratitude to the teachers and students who contributed to the construction of the observation station over the years. Then Professor Deng Yahong, vice president of the School of Geological Engineering and Surveying, attended the meeting and delivered a speech, he affirmed the work of the observation station and encouraged researchers to be willing to loneliness and set long-term goals to achieve tangible results.

Group photo of offline participants of 2021 Annual Workshop

Located in the hinterland of the Loess Plateau, Caiyu village, Shanhe Town, Zhengning County, Gansu Province, the Observation and Research Station of Water Cycle and Geological Environment for the Chinese Loess Plateau was established in 2011 and approved as the “Field Scientific Observation and Research Station of Ministry of Education” in 2019. The station conducts scientific observations around the internal relationship between water cycle and geological disasters in the Loess Plateau, and is committed to the theoretical and technical research of disaster prevention and mitigation as well as ecological restoration of ecological engineering in the Loess Plateau. Now, based on the existing observation results, the station has been approved 8 projects of National Natural Science Foundation of China, meanwhile, published more than 50 SCI / EI papers.

At the end of the meeting, Professor Li Tonglu expressed his suggestions about the development direction of the observation station. He pointed out that the observation station must extend its research to the northwest and open up new fields, beyond to the study of loess. Furthermore, he added that it is necessary to gradually carry out research on sandy lands, saline soil and ecological restoration in the Northwest China, and the technological achievements should be transformed into productive forces in time to serve the most remote and grassroot people. Moreover, he directed researchers and postgraduates to improve their expression ability and work efficiency, and publish their research results timely. Whereafter, associate Professor Li Ping put forward the requirements for the study, life and work of postgraduates, and arranged the research topics for postgraduates to be admitted.