The Society for Rock Mechanics & Engineering Geology (Singapore), or SRMEG, was formed in July 2006 to provide a forum for the sharing and exchange of knowledge and experience in the areas of rock mechanics, rock engineering, and engineering geology.

The main objectives of the society are:
  1. To promote technical and professional development of members through meetings, seminars and other forms of communication.
  2. To achieve closer personal acquaintance and spirit of co-operation among members.
  3. To interact with other professional organisations in matters of common interest.
  4. To promote the application of research and technologies to practices related to rock mechanics, rock engineering, and engineering geology, and to advance the standards of rock engineering and engineering geology practice.

The SRMEG has existed since 1998 as an interest group under the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Society Singapore (TUCSS). Since then, interests and activities in rock mechanics and engineering geology have grown, in no small part due to the increasing use of underground cavern facilities and other uses of the underground in land-scarce Singapore. In all these developments, rock mechanics and engineering geology have played a vital role. The development by MINDEF of Singapore’s first underground ammunition facility (UAF) in the Bukit Timah Granite has demonstrated both the viability of constructing rock caverns for more efficient land use and the need for expertise in rock mechanics and engineering geology. Indeed, with its associated engineering and research activities, the UAF has contributed much to the development of rock mechanics in Singapore. In 2006, the Jurong Town Corporation announced plans to develop an underground rock cavern facility for the storage of hydrocarbon products at the Jurong Island. These projects will no doubt help advance the development of rock mechanics and engineering geology in Singapore, and at the same time place greater demand for such expertise.

With increasing rock engineering activities, the SRMEG has also been active both locally and in the international community. In Nov 2006, the SRMEG successfully organised the 4th Asian Rock Mechanics Symposium in Singapore (officially under TUCSS), with more than 400 participants from 26 countries. During the symposium, the SRMEG also co-organised the Workshop on Rock Dynamics with the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering and the Workshop on Underground Storage Facilities with the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics. The SRMEG, in collaboration with the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering, will co-organise the ISRM 2011 International Congress in Beijing, China. Locally, the society has also been involved in the updating of the Singapore Geology Report, among others.

The SRMEG is affiliated to the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM) and the International Association of Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG), and acts as the National Groups for these two international societies. Members of the SRMEG automatically become members of the ISRM and IAEG.

You are welcome to visit our website, either as a member of SRMEG or as a guest. Here you will find information about activities of the society, important events in the international community. If you are a member, you will get to enjoy benefits of the ISRM and IAEG such as downloading technical reports and guidelines and getting professional advice on your technical questions. And of course, the SRMEG will also need your active participation and contribution of your experience and expertise to grow and develop as a professional organisation.

Dr. Zhou Yingxin
President
Society for Rock Mechanics & Engineering Geology (Singapore)