The proposed research involves bringing together mechanicians from diverse fields to present and discuss the most recent advances in mechanics, and to identify the role of mechanics in enabling future advances in technology. The venue will be the Inaugural International Conference of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Mechanics Institute (EM08). This conference will be distinctive in that the organizers have expanded the participation of previously held ASCE mechanics (which focused for the most part on solid and structural mechanics) to include fluid mechanicians (thus re-uniting two fields that some argue have been divorced for many years), physicists, mathematicians, medical researchers, and representatives from industry. Participants from around the world have committed to presenting research on modern topics such as multi-scale modeling of synthetic and advanced materials, stochastic mechanics, biological structures, stream restoration, large-scale geological processes, and cancer detection. The intellectual level of the conference will set the bar for future mechanics meetings.
The graduate student travel funds requested will enable the participation of sixteen of the brightest graduate students from across the United States. These students will present their research to world-class academics and researchers, they will learn about the most recent advances in mechanics, and they will be inspired to continue working in and contributing to the field. The students? participation will also facilitate cross-pollination between students from different fields. The EM08 forum will help cultivate an environment that allows for the anticipation of, and adaptation to new challenges that engineers face thereby facilitating professional growth to ensure the challenges are met.
