Professor Hani Mitri of McGill University, Canada, and International Chair of the International Committee on Mine Safety Science and Engineering, was invited to the University of Science and Technology Beijing to promote academic exchange and co-operation between the two universities

On September 14, 2026, Professor Hani Mitri of McGill University, Canada, and International Chair of the International Committee on Mine Safety Science and Engineering, visited the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) at the invitation of Professor Xueqiu He, Chair of the Committee and a professor at USTB. During his visit, Professor Mitri delivered a lecture titled "Explaining Burst Occurrence in Underground Mines". The event was chaired by Professor Zhenlei Li, a member of the International Committee on Mine Safety Science and Engineering at USTB, and was well attended by faculty and students from related disciplines who actively engaged in the academic exchange.

During the academic exchange, Professor Mitri explained the occurrence of rockbursts in deep underground mines, describing them as sudden and violent failure of rock in a volume of highly-stressed rock. The lecture addressed two contributing factors: rock properties and mine geometry. Through uniaxial compressive strength, load-unload, and Brazilian tensile strength tests, together with optical microscopic analysis of felsic norite and basaltic komatiite samples, the results showed that the felsic norite is highly burstable while the basaltic komatiite has low burst potential. The combining microscopy with mechanical testing is effective in evaluating rock burstability. Professor Mitri also presented a case study on the effect of mining geometry, in which a brittle shear ratio greater than 0.7 were used to identify zones with potential bursting. Future work may focus on the development of an AI-assisted tool for rapid and efficient characterization of rock burstability. 

Professor Xueqiu He, Chair of the International Committee on Mine Safety Science and Engineering, summarized the key points of the lecture and extended a warm invitation for further cooperation. This initiative aims to further strengthen academic exchange and collaboration between faculty and students of USTB and McGill University.

This academic exchange activity has strengthened the collaboration between McGill University and the USTB. It also provided a valuable exchange opportunity for teachers and students of both universities. The teachers and students of the USTB extended a warm welcome and sincere appreciation to Professor Mitri.