Prof. Fengshou Zhang Delivered the Fourth Lecture of the "Propylite" Academic Salon Series 

The fourth lecture of the "Propylite" academic salon series hosted by the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering (CSRME) was held on the morning of July 11, 2020. Prof. Fengshou Zhang from Tongji University, delivered a wonderful online lecture entitled "Recent progresses on the multi-physical problems in the exploration of deep underground" through "Zhuanjiabao" - a live broadcast platform for engineering experts. The academic salon was moderated by Dr. Xin Huang, the secretary in general of the Youth Working Committee of CSRME.

During the lecture, Prof. Feng firstly introduced the research background and some typical deep underground engineering practice. Then, Prof. Feng presented some of the recent work from his research group on the multi-scale and multi-physical simulations, advanced laboratory tests and engineering applications on hydraulic fracturing and fault sliding issues for shale gas extraction. Nearly 1100 audiences from both domestic and oversea watched the lecture online and Prof. Zhang and the audience had very intensive  interactions regarding  the  challenges  of

multi-physical simulations and secondary development of existing software incorporating multi-scale and multi-physical theories at the end of the lecture. The Q&A lasted for nearly 1 hour.

The purpose of launching the online academic salon series "Propylite" is to overcome the obstacles to academic communication in this unusual period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The salon aims at strengthening the academic communications among young scholars in rock mechanics and engineering, and stimulating the academic atmosphere.