On April 20, 2026, M. Hesham El Naggar, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Editor-in-Chief of  Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering  and Urban Resilience and Earthquake Engineering , and Distinguished Professor at Western University, visited BUCEA for an academic exchange. He also delivered the 18th lecture in BUCEA’s “Master Lecture Series”.

Professor YI Tinghua, Vice President of BUCEA, met with El Naggar and introduced the international academic journal Smart Civil Infrastructures , founded by BUCEA. El Naggar expressed strong appreciation for BUCEA’s rich academic legacy and its steadily growing international visibility, particularly its impressive achievements in civil engineering discipline development, scientific research, and talent cultivation.

During his visit, El Naggar delivered an academic lecture at the Building of the School of Civil and Transportation Engineering. The lecture was both comprehensive and forward-looking. In the discussion session, he offered detailed responses to questions from faculty and students on expanding research directions, integrating artificial intelligence, experimental design, and academic writing and publishing.

Following the lecture, El Naggar toured several of BUCEA’s leading research facilities, including the Multi-Functional Shaking Tables Laboratory and Geotechnical Laboratory. He spoke highly of the advanced infrastructure, noting that the facilities were highly impressive, surpassing those of many internationally renowned universities. He also expressed interest in carrying out future research projects using these platforms.