Headline: Dr. Ankit Garg Introduces the Future of Civil Engineering at Eurasian National University: Biogeotechnics and the Link Between Human, Soil, and Plant Health

The Department of Civil Engineering at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU) hosted a thought-provoking seminar titled "Biogeotechnics: Perspectives from Unsaturated Soil Mechanics and Plant Physiology," featuring Dr Ankit Garg, Associate Professor at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and Research Fellow at Prof Zhussupbekov’s research group.

The seminar was organized under the umbrella of the newly formed Asian Regional Technical Committee 22 (AsRTC 22) on Biogeotechnics. The committee is chaired by Prof. Askar Zhussupbekov, with Prof. Dr Ankit Garg serving as Vice Chair and Dr Abdulla Omarov as Secretary. During his talk, Dr Garg introduced the committee's mission to the students: bridging the gap between biological processes and traditional geotechnical engineering. The seminar drew bachelor's, master's, and PhD students from the Department of Civil Engineering.

A key highlight of the session was Dr. Garg's novel framework for predicting the wilting point of vegetation, a critical advancement for improving the resilience of green infrastructure. By precisely determining when plants begin to fail under water stress, engineers can design more durable, nature-based solutions for slopes, embankments, and erosion control.

Dr. Garg stressed that the conservation of ecosystems is not merely an environmental concern but an economic imperative for Kazakhstan. He argued that biogeotechnics must become a standard component of future civil engineering design and construction to protect the country's natural landscape and long-term economic stability.

In a creative teaching approach that resonated strongly with undergraduate students, Dr. Garg drew a compelling similarity between human, soil, and plant health. He demonstrated that just as a human body requires a balanced system to thrive, soil microstructure and plant root systems depend on interconnected biological and mechanical stability. This analogy helped students grasp highly complex concepts in unsaturated soil mechanics through a simple, relatable framework.

Perhaps most timely, Dr. Garg encouraged undergraduate students to embrace emerging disciplines by responsibly using AI-generated educational content. He emphasized that while artificial intelligence is a powerful learning accelerator, it must be used ethically and critically, especially when exploring new fields like biogeotechnics.

The event was coordinated by Dr. Abdulla Omarov. Organizers confirmed that the seminar was open to all interested students, reflecting a growing institutional commitment to cross-disciplinary innovation.

For civil engineering students at ENU, the message was clear: the future of infrastructure is green, intelligent, and biologically informed.

For more information on AsRTC 22 activities and future events, visit:
https://sites.google.com/view/asiabiogeotechnics/activities?authuser=3