Doe The first American Association of Rock Mechanics (ARMA) Forum, to be held in October, 1998, will be structured to encourage invited speakers and members of ARMA to explore and exchange ideas on possible new opportunities and directions for the rock mechanics research in the United States. The Forum will emphasize panel discussions, and will feature small, productive discussion groups. Participants will have a major role in developing the Forum report. The report will focus on 1) a strategic vision for the future of rock mechanics in the United States, 2) the identification and delineation of critical issues facing the rock mechanics community, 3) the role of research in addressing these issues, and 4) critical areas of research in each of the Forum topic areas, including examples of specific research initiatives. The Forum topic areas include: weak rock engineering, fractured media, uncertainty and scaling, geophysical imaging and remote measurements, catastrophic rock failure, fluids and rocks, and the research roles of government, industry and universities, tying in future initiatives to the economic concerns of industry and society. ***
