9610022 Grigoriu A new method for analysis of solid mechanics problems, termed the Random Walk Method (RWM), is developed. This method is a local method in that it provides the response at a discrete location without having to solve the governing equations over the entire domain. The response at a discrete location is then extracted from this field solution. The advantages of the method lie in that it is simple to use, always stable, accurate, and ideal for parallel computations. The method is applicable to both deterministic problems as well as problems with random material properties, boundaries, and boundary conditions. ***