Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM)

1943	First Meeting of the Society for Experimental Stress Analysis A Meeting of the Eastern Photoelastic Conference was held at the Chrysler Institute of Engineering in Detroit, May 13-15, 1943. It was officially entitled the "Seventeenth Semi-Annual Eastern Photoelastic Conference and Experimental Stress Symposium," thus already indicating that group's interest had broadened beyond just photoelasticity. Charles Lipson was chairman of that meeting. The Eastern Photoelastic Conference Executive Committee then included: W.M. Murray (chairman), T.J. Dolan, M. Hetényi, C. Lipson, R.D. Mindlin, E.K. Timby, F.G. Switzer, and E.O. Waters. During the meeting, Murray, Hetényi and Lipson proposed that a dues-paying organization be formed with a name that would not be tied to any one particular technique. The assembled members approved and authorized Murray, Hetényi and Lipson to proceed with arrangements as rapidly as possible. Thus the Society for Experimental Stress Analysis was born! R.D. Mindlin was asked to join the organizing group and therefore Murray, Hetényi, Lipson and Mindlin are considered to be the founding members of the SESA. They later served as its first four presidents, respectively. 1943 SESA Spring Meeting was both the first meeting of the SESA and the last meeting of the Eastern Photoelastic Conference. The Chrysler Corporation provided funds to publish the Conference Proceedings which became Volume I, Number 1 of the SESA Proceedings, the first of the hard cover, blue books which soon gained international reputation. 1943 SESA Fall Meeting was held jointly with ASME Applied Mechanics Division at the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City, December 2-4. Bill Murray was SESA President and handled most of the secretary-treasure duties out of his MIT office.
1944	Bill Murray was the SESA President and still handled most of the secretary-treasure duties out of his MIT office. 1944 SESA Spring Meeting was held at the Hotel Statler in Boston, MA, May 18-20. 1944 SESA Fall Meeting was held in conjunction with the National Metals Congress at the Hotel Carter in Cleveland, OH, October 17-19.
1945	Miklos Hetényi was the SESA President. Bill Murray was the SESA Secretary-Treasurer. 1945 Spring Meeting was not held because of wartime travel restrictions. 1945 Annual Meeting was held at the Hotel Astor in New York City, November 26-28.
1946	Charles Lipson was the SESA President. Bill Murray was the SESA Secretary-Treasurer. 1946 Spring Meeting was held (unknown). 1946 Annual Meeting was held (probably in New York).
1947	Ray Mindlin was the SESA President. Bill Murray was the SESA Secretary-Treasurer. 1947 Spring Meeting was held in Chicago, IL, May 15-17. 1947 Annual Meeting was held in New York City, in December.
1948	C.O. Dohrenwend was the SESA President. Bill Murray was the SESA Secretary-Treasurer. 1948 Spring Meeting was held in Pittsburgh, PA. 1948 Annual Meeting was held in New York City in December .
1949	R. E. Peterson was the SESA President. Bill Murray was the SESA Secretary-Treasurer. 1949 Spring Meeting was held at Detroit, MI, in May. 1949 Annual Meeting was held in New York City, November 30-December 2.

Conference History