On March 14, 2017, a seminar with the theme of "Environment and Energy: a New Challenge for Geotechnical Engineering" was held in the digital hall of silt museum of Hydraulic Engineering Department. Mr. Hu Liming presided over the meeting, and Michael A. Celia, academician of U.S. National Academy of Engineering, professor of Princeton University, was invited to do a special report, together with the member of American Society of Civil Engineering, professor of New Jersey Institute of Technology, Jay N. Meegoda. And Associate Professor Liu Xiaoli from Hydraulic Engineering, doctoral candidates Zhang Pengwei and Du Jianting made a special report respectively. More than 30 teachers and students from the Civil Engineering and Hydraulic Engineering of Tsinghua University and Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology participated in this seminar.

Professor Celia did a report on "Large-scale Models for Fluid Flow in Shale Gas Reservoirs", which introduced the establishment and analysis the sealed multicomponent transport models of carbon dioxide in shale reservoirs and introduced the two-phase flow model of large scale shale reservoir, the model better explained the problem of low fractured liquid recovery rate during .shale gas development in reality. While Professor Meegoda took the view of environmental ground and did a report on "Can Fracturing Environmentally Acceptable Be?” to explore the impacts of hydraulic fracture on the environment. Teacher Liu Xiaoli introduced the research achievements from research group in porous medium seepage, including the studies and researches of different scales of porous media seepage; doctoral student Zhang Pengwei and Du Jianting from Hu Liming group respectively discussed on multicomponent flow at the pore scale and the application of nano indentation method in softening shale. The teachers and students who participated in the seminar had fully discussions and communications on the above geotechnical engineering issues related to energy and environment.