Welcoming Ashraf Ismail

Rocscience has a new partner on the team! We are happy to welcome Ashraf Ismail as Rocscience Representative extensive database of RocLab at that time. I had the chance in Indonesia and Malaysia. We chatted to explore more Rocscience tools when I started working down with Ashraf to get to know him at USM, where we used geotechnical software for teaching better. purposes in design classes. In 2011 I met Dr. John Curran in Malaysia when Rocscience was exhibiting their products at a conference I attended, where I began to explore Rocscience: Tell us a bit about yourself, Ashraf. What using Rocscience tools for teaching. After discussion do you do, and how did you get into your field? with my former Dean during that time, we purchased the Rocscience Education Program, which we continue to Dr. Ashraf Ismail: I’m an Associate Professor at use today for several of our undergraduate geotechnical School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia. engineering courses and postgraduate research. For I obtained my B.Eng. (Civil) from USM in 2004 and my the past five years we have used Slide and RS2 for slope M.Eng. in Geological Engineering at Gadjah Mada University stability analysis, underground excavation works such as in 2006. In 2010, I obtained my Ph.D. in Geotechnical rock cavern, tunnels, and deep open excavation analysis. In Engineering specializing in Rock Engineering, Underground addition, several of my students are enthusiastic users of Construction and Underground Energy Storage for Liquefied Dips, RocFall, and Swedge. Petroleum Gas (LPG) from Kyoto University, Japan. I have conducted research specializing in various aspects of What do you like most about your Rocscience geotechnical and rock engineering such as: the evaluation R products? of rock overstressing in hard rock tunnel; urban tunneling; My favourite aspects of my Rocscience tools slope stability analysis; and geohazard and geophysical AI are the user-friendly visual user interface and the applications in civil engineering. built-up rock database from experience all over the world. I appreciate the updated tutorial sets and verification What is your history with Rocscience products? manuals, which are good for us as researchers and R What tools do you use, and for how long? educators. In addition, continuous updates of the software My history with Rocscience product started keep it at par or above the other competitors in this field. AI when I was using a free version of RocLab while I also consider the rock package to be comprehensive, studying for my Master’s degree at Gadjah Mada University wherein most of the analysis required for rock engineering in Indonesia. I was impressed with the easy-to-use and can be carried out using Rocscience tools.

1 Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang, Malaysia.

Tell us about your first Rocscience course. What universities in Malaysia have been using Rocscience tools R were it like, and what did you learn? for their geotechnical engineering courses, but I would The first Rocscience course I attended was in like to see the software usage extend to other technical AI Brisbane in early 2017. This course opened my universities and polytechnics. The efforts look fruitful as eyes to new features of Rocscience’s 3D software like RS3 we can see many young engineers today becoming more and Slide3. We learned a lot during these three days from the familiar with Rocscience tools. guru himself: Dr. Thamer Yacoub. I really encourage other Starting in 2018, I will start holding Rocscience Rocscience users to participate in Rocscience Workshops User Meetings in Malaysia to provide a platform for current because the experience is unique, and the learning and future Rocscience to share knowledge and learn from outcomes help make you a better engineer or educator. each other. These meetings will provide a platform for Rocscience to share new updates and releases, explore How did you start building a relationship with state of the art case studies, and hear about the excellent R Thamer and Rocscience? applications of Rocscience tools here in Malaysia. I started building a relationship with Dr. Yacoub Through these two programs, in addition to a AI when I was participating in the Rocscience stronger Rocscience presence at several major geotechnical Workshop in Brisbane. Alison McQuillan, the Rocscience engineering conferences, I’m confident that Rocscience will Representative for Australasia, was also instrumental in become more well-known among engineers in Malaysia. helping me establish and maintain contact with Dr. Yacoub even after the workshop had finished. Why Rocscience? What about the company, tools, R or people made you want to work with us? How will you be working to advance Rocscience I’m excited to work with Rocscience because I use R in Malaysia going forward? AI the tools every day and I am confident in their ability I’m planning to advance Rocscience in Malaysia to analyze complex geotechnical engineering problems. AI first through educating future engineers at the The tools themselves have helped me and my students university level the importance of using modern tools in much of our research. Finally, the people at Rocscience in engineering analysis without compromising the are very friendly and helpful; particularly Alison, who helped understanding of the basic and fundamental concept me in coordinating the first Rocscience workshop in Kuala of the engineering designs and analysis. So far, several Lumpur in October 2017.

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