M.M. Frocht Award

Mr. Max Mark Frocht was honored for his professional accomplishments by the 1967 initiation of the M.M. Frocht Award. The award recognizes "outstanding achievement as an educator in the field of experimental mechanics," and is presented annually.

Dr. Frocht's work on photoelasticity research on stress concentration factors and 3-D techniques and his two-volume treatise on photoelasticity is considered a classic and has been translated into Russian, Spanish, and Chinese. Its publication was credited with revitalizing interest in photoelasticity.

Dr. Frocht was a student of Steven Timoshenko and many of his own students have made important contributions to the field of experimental mechanics. He presented papers and lectures on photoelasticity and experimental stress analysis in all parts of the world.

Wendy C. Crone is the Associate Dean for Graduate Education in the Graduate School and a Professor in the Department of Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Her research is in the area of solid mechanics, and many of the topics she has investigated are connected with nanotechnology and biotechnology. As a Professor in the Department of Engineering Physics with affiliate appointments in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she has applied her technical expertise to improving fundamental understanding of mechanical response of materials, enhancing material behavior through surface modification and nanostructuring, exploring the interplay between cells and the mechanics of their surroundings, and developing new material applications and medical devices. Prof. Crone was granted a CAREER Award by the National Science Foundation, honored with the WEPAN Educator Award and the Doris Slesinger Award for Excellence in Mentoring, and received a Career Enhancement Award for Stem Cell Research from the National Institutes of Health. She held the positions of Vice-Chair for the MEMS and Nanotechnology Technical Division 2001-2006, at-large member of the Executive Board 2010-2012, and Vice-Chair of the National Meetings Council 2010-2012 in the Society for Experimental Mechanics. In addition to more than 50 peer reviewed journal publications, she is the author of the book Survive and Thrive: A Guide for Untenured Faculty.