A New Era for Geotechnical Engineering Practice.

World-renowned energy geotechnology expert and director of the Laloui Group, Prof. Lyesse Laloui, received the highest award of the Hungarian Geotechnical Society as "Széchy Lecturer" last Friday at the XXIX Károly Széchy Memorial Lecture in Budapest, Hungary.

Held in the beautiful Great Hall of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Laloui presented a vision of the future where the emerging technology of energy geostructures that produce clean energy will provide the majority of our future cities' energy needs. This will help cut our current reliance on non-sustainable oil, gas, coal, and nuclear fuel sources and reduce CO2 emissions. Energy geostructures are particularly relevant to Hungary, which currently imports sixty percent of its energy. The lecture was well received and prompted great interest, with many in the audience quizzing Prof. Laloui at the gala dinner that followed the lecture.

Speaking after the event on February 9, 2024, Laloui said he hopes to inspire his geotechnical peers. "Historically, our profession was almost considered an art form, pushing our skills and technologies to deliver amazing feats of civil engineering. Today, technology is so advanced that much of what we do can be done from a single computer. Yet our profession is more important than ever if we are to solve today's global challenges and ensure a better future for following generations. We must rise to the challenge.”

The Széchy Memorial Lecture is named after Károly Széchy, a Hungarian bridge-building engineer and university professor who was an internationally recognized specialist in tunnel construction and a key figure in rebuilding Budapest following World War II.Hosted by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, The Hungarian Geotechnical Association, and the Geotechnical Section of the Hungarian Chamber of Engineers, it is considered the most prestigious event of the Hungarian geotechnical profession.