Biological Systems and Materials

TD Focus:
Investigations, including experimental, of biological and biologically inspired materials and systems, with an emphasis on structure, property and process relationships.

Technical Division Bylaws

Biological Systems and Materials Division - Updated May 2012

TD Focus:

Research and analysis of how mechanical loads interact with the structure, properties and function of living organisms and their tissues.

The Biological Systems and Materials Division has been focusing on embracing and serving the duality of its membership, which consists of many established members of the society and the field of theoretical and applied mechanics who are developing research programs focusing on biological systems and materials, as well as numerous researchers from the biological sciences who are adopting the experimental and analytical techniques of mechanics. 

TD Activities:

2011 Sessions Organized: The past few years has seen an increase in bio-based talks given at the SEM annual meeting and the TD decided to initiate an annual symposium to accommodate the interest.  The TD held its first annual symposium at the 2011 SEM Annual Meeting titled “1^st International Symposium on the Mechanics of Biological Systems and Materials.”  This symposium was aimed at providing a forum to foster the exchange of ideas and information among scientists and engineers involved in the research and analysis of how mechanical loads interact with the structure, properties and function of living organisms and their tissues.  The scope includes experimental, imaging, numerical and mathematical techniques and tools spanning various length and time scales.  Establishing this symposium at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Experimental Mechanics provides a venue where state-of-the-art experimental methods can be leveraged in the study of biomechanics.  A major goal of the symposium was for participants to collaborate in the asking of fundamental questions and the development new techniques to address bio-inspired problems in society, human health, and the natural world.  The symposium had 13 sessions with 67 papers in total.  It has three keynote talks from Prof. Markus Buehler of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Profs. Krystyn Van Vliet of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Prof. Nejat Olgac of the University of Connecticut.

2011 TD Awards: At the annual meeting the TD awarded the Best Student Paper to S. Tarantini, paper #396 in session 42, “Nanoscale Fracture Resistance Measurement of a Composite Bone Cement” and the Best Paper to F. Barthelat, Paper #369 in session 34, “The Mechanical Performance of Teleost Fish Scales.”

2012 Annual Symposium: The TD will hold its second annual symposium at the 2012 Annual meeting titled “2^nd International Symposium on the Mechanics of Biological Systems and Materials.” The symposium is composed of 12 sessions with 60 papers in total.  There are 3 keynote speakers: Prof. Marc Myers of UC Dan Diego, Bar-Cohen of JPL-Cal Tech, and Horacio Espinosa of Northwestern University.