- March 15, 2024
- Posted by: lbilke
- Category: Interpore Newsletter
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Dear InterPore colleagues, I was recently at a two-day conference on microplastics in soil and witnessed the triangle of scientists – policymakers – commercial businesses. In this particular case, an EU representative explained the plans to reduce the environmental burden from plastic pellets and asked scientists for clear risk assessments. Well… (blush blush), we need more data, more experiments, more simulations…. Meanwhile, a business representative claimed all considered measures are already in place. My thought: Perfect, the new regulations do no harm when they are in place already. Second thought: The claim might be true, but probably only for a few businesses. Especially because the complaint was about unequal competition with companies outside the EU… Today, I am safely back with my numerical experiments. The world is a lot tougher when adding humans to the equations! But, hang on, that is what we do too, when reading new work, visiting Chapter Meetings, webinars, KC lectures and the annual InterPore meeting. And that is a lot of fun. I guess it is fun because of the clear intentions, no hidden agendas, just genuine curiosity and interest! All the best, Matthijs de Winter
Early-bird registration deadline for InterPore2024 is today, Friday, 15 March!In order to qualify for the discounted rates, be sure to register now! China’s Visa-Free Policy
Room Reservations at the Shangri-La Hotel
In addition to the convenience of staying on-site at the annual meeting, the Shangri-La offers many benefits, including:
Save the Date: Happy Hour at InterPore2024
And now…Qingdao!InterPore2024 will be in Qingdao. Described as a city of “red tiles, green trees, blue sky, and blue sea,” Qingdao has a lot of things to offer with respect to science, science history and porous media. This week: Zhanshan Temple
Zhanshan Temple was also honored as one of the “Top Ten Scenic Spots in Qingdao” during the Republic of China era, known as “湛山清梵”. The pagoda and the temple harmonize with the mountain at their back and the sea in front, creating a spectacular and picturesque scene. The constant sound of morning and evening bells, coupled with the recitation of scriptures and the singing of birds, make it an ideal place for contemplation and spiritual nourishment. Every year on the 8th day of the fourth lunar month (which falls on 15 May this year), Zhanshan Temple hosts a grand Bathing Buddha Festival, attracting numerous visitors for sightseeing and worship. Top Sponsors for InterPore2024
Kimberly-Clark Lectureship with Prof. Juanes
His most recent lectures took place at the Imperial College London (UK), Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford (UK) and the InterPore Mexico Chapter Annual Meeting, Mexico (online). His next scheduled presentations are at:
If you wish to get in touch with Prof. Juanes about a potential presentation, please contact Sandra Bartsch.
Chapter NewsMexican Chapter Report
The 10th Annual Meeting of the Mexico Chapter of InterPore was held at the Engineering School of the National Autonomous University of Mexico on 7-8 March 2024 and included 22 talks:
View the full report here (pdf, 840 kB).
Upcoming InterPore Academy WebinarsHydrological extremes: changing hazards as a result of climate change
Hydrological extremes have devastating consequences on society. Climate change impacts on these hazards mean we are likely to experience more frequent extreme events. With the backdrop of increasing urbanization across the globe society faces a significant challenge in adapting to these changing hazards. This webinar will explore some of the recent research at the University of Edinburgh which seeks to understand climate change attribution for river flows, future changes to… more info Challenging reactive transport modeling from pore-scale observations
Abstract: Flow and transport are important in hydrology and many geo-engineering applications such as carbon dioxide storage, geothermal energy or in situ recovery. Developing a full understanding of the feedbacks between geochemical reactions and flow and transport at the reservoir scale requires investigations of geochemical mechanisms at the… more info
Our next InterPore Academy SP-PM course, Pore 1-8 “Microfluidics for Flow and Transport in Porous Media” will take place online on Sundays, starting 7 April through 28 April 2024 (14:00-17:00 Central Daylight Time) with Wen Song, University of Texas at Austin. Please note that all lectures will be offered live. There will be no recordings available. This course provides an overview of microfluidics in the context of understanding the pore- and interfacial-scale processes that control multiphase flow and reactions in porous media. This course will begin with a review of fluid mechanics and their reduction to the sub-millimeter length scale. Microfluidics and their fabrication approaches will be discussed, including a lab tour and recent commercialization. Approaches for integrating geochemistry into porous media micromodels will be discussed, along with examples of recent scientific advancements to show the potential of microfluidics toward understanding coupled flow and reactions in porous media.
Announcing the Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lectureship Award 2025It is with great pleasure that we can announce that Prof. Rainer Helmig receives the 2025 Kimberley-Clark Distinguished Lectureship Award. Prof. Rainer Helmig is the head of the Institute for Modelling Hydraulic and Environmental Systems, Department of Hydromechanics and Modelling of Hydrosystems at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. Rainer Helmig is widely recognized as a pioneer and visionary in developing numerical modelling concepts in the fields of groundwater hydrology, subsurface energy storage, and coupled processes at the interface between porous media and free-flow compartments. Over the course of his illustrious career, Rainer Helmig has consistently produced groundbreaking research that has pushed the boundaries of knowledge in the field of porous-media research. His work has been instrumental in solving real-world problems, his methodologies have been adopted widely and have had a transformative impact on the field. Beyond his research contributions, Rainer Helmig has been a dedicated mentor and educator, nurturing the talents of emerging scientists and engineers in the field. InterPore and InterPore Foundation congratulate Prof. Rainer Helmig on this honor and wish him continued success.
Webinar: Tailor-made soil properties by bio-geochemical means
Wednesday, 27 March 2024, 11:00 am–12:00 pm (UTC+01.00: Amsterdam) Professor Lyesse Laloui is the Director of Soil Mechanics Laboratory and the Civil Engineering Section, EPFL, Switzerland. He also is honorary director of the International Joint Research Center for Energy Geotechnics in China. Among the non-conventional soil consolidation techniques, bio-mineralisation has been a central focus of research for the last decade. At its core, microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a multi-physical phenomenon that results in a natural CaCO3 bio-cement capable of improving the mechanical properties of geomaterials. In this talk, emphasis will be placed on multi-physical modelling of the chemo-bio-mechanical interactions at both the constitutive and boundary problem levels.
Workshop invitation
10-12 July 2024, Bozeman, Montana, USA Center for Biofilm Engineering is pleased to continue its program to encourage the participation of outstanding non-MSU biofilm investigators at its annual Montana Biofilm Science and Technology Meeting. Targeting postdoctoral researchers and newly hired faculty, up to two investigators will be invited to present their research at our upcoming meeting happening 10-12 July in Bozeman, Montana. Each investigator will receive a $1,000 travel reimbursement and a waived meeting registration. Awardees will be chosen by the Montana Biofilm Meeting Program Committee based on research quality and relevance of the material to the CBE’s mission, which is to advance fundamental interdisciplinary research and education related to the management of bacterial biofilms, and to transfer that knowledge to the realm of applied science and technology. Please complete and submit the CBE abstract intake Google form by Monday, 1 April 2024. If you are unable to access this form, please contact Kristen Griffin.
CCS Summer School17-21 June 2024, Krakow, Poland
The CCS school is primarily aimed at PhDs but is also open for MSc students and postdoctoral researchers. Participants must submit an online application, an abstract (max 500 words), and, if accepted, bring a poster showcasing their research project aligned with the summer school theme. For more information, please refer to the advert and register via this link.
Predicting Ecosystem Net Primary Productivity by Percolation Theory and Optimality PrincipleAllen G. Hunt, Muhammad Sahimi, Behzad Ghanbarian, and German Poveda
The water balance equation divides precipitation at the Earth’s terrestrial surface into its two principal pathways: evapotranspiration (ET) and run-off (Q). Known as the “central problem of hydrology,” since Robert Horton declared that in his 1931 address to AGU, it is critical to water resources and to net primary productivity (NPP) what sustains the biosphere and mitigates global warming. Last year, we published an article on the response of streamflow to climate change in AGU Advances, from Q = P – ET, about which the editor wrote in its Eos highlight, “The contribution allows us to predict the impact of changing climatic conditions on the interplay between climate, vegetation, and water resources.” Now, our follow-up publication in WRR, shows that the same theoretical development, indeed the same result for ET, allows us to predict NPP as a function of climate variables P and PET (potential evapotranspiration) with one universal fit parameter and R2 of 0.97. The combination of these two papers effectively demonstrates solution of the central problem of hydrology. Water Resources Research Volume60, Issue3, March 2024, e2023WR036340 InterPore Members can promote their publications to the community via the InterPore InJournals Section of the Newsletter. If you wish to do so, please submit your publication highlight to newsletter@InterPore.org. Clearly indicate which of the authors is an InterPore member (or the institute with an Institutional Membership). Note that we will not review the entries nor does InterPore endorse the published work. Furthermore, we publish on a “submitted first, published first” basis. The highlighted publication should be no older than 6 months (available online). The highlight should be short (max 100 words) and contain an illustration. Please note that we offer this opportunity exclusively to InterPore members. If you would like to become a member, please have a look here.
PhDPost-docIf you have a job opening in your institute and would like to promote it internationally, please send the description and weblink or PDF to newsletter@interpore.org, and we’ll be happy to add it to the list. It is also possible to post the position on the InterPore website. Log in through MyInterPore and click “Submit A Job Opening.”
ImprintIf you would like to subscribe to the Newsletter, please register on our website. InterPore News, www.interpore.org Published in electronic form by International Society for Porous Media (InterPore) Circulated free of charge to members and non-members of InterPore. Articles and news items on the study and characterization of porous media, especially when relevant to other types of porous media, are welcomed for publication in this newsletter, issued twice a month. Contact us via newsletter@interpore.org. Find us on: Editors
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More countries have been added to China’s growing 
Reduced rates at the luxurious 5-star hotel are available for InterPore participants. Rooms can be booked through 
Zhanshan Temple is the sole Buddhist temple in the downtown area of Qingdao, recognized as a National AAAA-level scenic spot and acclaimed as the “Northern Jungle Pearl.” Situated in the southwest of Zhan Mountain in the eastern part of Qingdao, on the eastern foothills of Taiping Mountain, the temple boasts a prime location with a splendid view facing the Yellow Sea and the backdrop of Fu Mountain. The architectural style of Zhanshan Temple seamlessly blends Eastern and Western influences, exuding grandeur and extraordinary charm. Within the temple grounds, one can find the Grand Hall, the Hall of Three Saints, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, and guest accommodations, housing numerous ancient Buddha statues and preserving a wealth of Buddhist artifacts and profound cultural heritage.
Prof. Ruben Juanes, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, is the Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lecturer of 2024. InterPore has received more than 35 applications to host Prof. Juanes from universities and organisations all over the world.
Speaker: 
Speaker: Catherine Noiriel, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
CCS research groups at the University of Oslo (Norway) and AGH University of Krakow (Poland) invite you to attend their Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Summer School.
