On April 24, Professor Tao Zhong from Sydney University, Australia came to the School of Civil Engineering to give a lecture titled “Geopolymer concrete at ambient and elevated temperatures: Recent Developments and Challenges”. More than 200 teachers and students were participated in the academic lectures.

Firstly, Professor Li Bing, vice dean of  the School of Civil Engineering gave a brief introduction of Professor Tao’s research direction and academic achievements. And a warm welcome was from the teachers and students. In the lecture, Professor Tao analyzed differences between traditional and new-type concrete, and introduced to us a new concrete: geopolymer concrete. He also elaborated the process of producing ordinary concrete and geopolymer concrete, and deeply analyzed the prospect of the new concrete. He said by changing the mix ratio, the cost could be decreased. By comparing mechanical performances, he referred strengths of the new concrete such as fire resistance, acid resistance and corrosion resistance. At last, Professor Tao made a conclusion of his lecture and had a further discussion with teachers and students. He patiently and professionally answered many questions, and figured out specific direction of thinking for teachers and students.

The lecture brought teachers and students to the frontier of geopolymer concrete, and broaden their vision, introduced latest research. In the following days, our school will invite more domestic and foreign experts to help our school advance to a brighter future.