In a Thursday (Dec. 21) ceremony, Dr. Ahmad Rifa’i was formally appointed professor in the specialized realm of soil mechanics at the UGM Faculty of Engineering.
With a speech titled “Soil Mechanics for Accelerating Sustainable Infrastructure Development,” Professor Rifa’i marked this significant milestone.
In his address, Professor Rifa’i shed light on Indonesia’s diverse soil types, encompassing sandy soil, clay soil, and peat soil, each harboring distinct physical and mechanical properties crucial for analyzing and designing foundational systems and structures.
“A profound understanding of the soil’s characteristics beneath a building is indispensable to propel sustainable infrastructure development forward. The science of soil mechanics is a pivotal key, demanding fortification in civil engineering,” he emphasized.
Moreover, Professor Rifa’i elucidated that many civil infrastructure systems are erected on the soil above the water table, introducing unsaturated soil complexities surpassing those of saturated soil.
Numerous challenges within civil engineering practice arise from dealing with unsaturated soil, such as barrier and dam construction, subgrade soil complexities on highways, natural slopes, retaining walls, excavations, issues with shallow foundation bearing capacity, and many geotechnical environmental engineering concerns.
Mastery of soil mechanics provides a profound understanding of the impact of soil unsaturation, technical challenges posed by poor soils, and seismicity effects on building stability, according to Professor Rifa’i.
“In this era of rapid information technology development, an essential step to support acceleration is the collection of data on soil layers and characterization across various regions of Indonesia,” he added.
However, the soil investigation data remains dispersed among diverse entities and institutions.
Professor Rifa’i stressed the pivotal role of relevant government agencies, acting as a driving force and initiating coordination to transform the existing data into a comprehensive database and mapping of soil characterization by region, which is crucial for bolstering the acceleration of sustainable infrastructure development.
Comprehensive efforts are imperative to surmount the challenges in accelerating sustainable infrastructure development. Professor Rifa’i advocated collaboration between universities, industry stakeholders, government bodies, and local communities to bolster research and innovation.
This collaboration should focus on utilizing local materials to address infrastructure challenges posed by poor soils, particularly peat soil.
The aim is to develop and implement standards for characterizing poor and peat soils, improvement methods utilizing local resources, and innovative approaches for constructing sustainable infrastructure on these challenging terrains.
“The challenges in accelerating sustainable infrastructure development are numerous and ever-evolving, “ he said.
“Through the various proposals presented in this concise speech, the hope is to offer insights and inspiration for problem-solving, facilitating the acceleration of sustainable infrastructure development through a comprehensive understanding of soil mechanics.”
Author: Gloria
Photographer: Donnie