About the Union

Founded in 1946, the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) strives to create a link between persons and national or international organizations engaged in theoretical or applied scientific work in solid and fluid mechanics or in related sciences.  The union primarily accomplishes this by organizing international meetings to address scientific challenges.  An International Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ICTAM), including mini-symposia and pre-nominated sessions, is held every four years. These IUTAM Symposia are occasionally held in cooperation with other Unions in the International Council for Science or with the 17 organizations affiliated to IUTAM.    Learn more about the organization of IUTAM, IUTAM Symposia, and organizations afiliated to IUTAM.

About the USNC

The U.S. National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (USNC/TAM) represents the interests of the United States in international scientific activities relating to the field of mechanics, specifically to the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM). The committee is the focal point for the U.S. engineering, scientific, and mathematical communities working in mechanics and serves as the national forum for defining major issues in mechanics research, technology, and education. 
Learn more about the USNC/TAM.

Activities & Events

International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) 2010 General Assembly
The IUTAM General Assembly took place in Paris, France on 17 and 18 July 2010. The United States was represented by delegates Nadine Aubry, Lance Collins, Carl Herakovich, Stelios Kyriakides and Zhigang Suo. Other U.S attendees included IUTAM Members at Large, Jan Achenbach and Andreas Acrivos; IUTAM Vice President Ben Freund, IUTAM Congress Committee Secretary Hassan Aref, and IUTAM Fluids Symposia Panel Chair, Gary Leal.  Items discussed at the GA included membership dues and matters concerning adhering and affiliated organizations; IUTAM Working Parties, Symposia and Summer School; and preparations for 2016 IUTAM Congress in Beijing, China.

Also in Paris, two U.S. researchers, K. Ravi-Chandar and Howard Stone were newly elected to serve on the IUTAM Congress Committee. This brings a total of eight U.S. members of the Congress Committee out of 35, a significant representation.

The 16th U. S. National Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
The 16th U. S. National Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics was held at the Penn Stater Conference Center, Penn State University, from June 27 – July 2, 2010. Over 900 abstracts were submitted and presented by 820 participants from 30 countries. Judith A. Todd and Charles E. Bakis, Engineering Science and Mechanics, Penn State University, served as Conference Chair and Conference Technical Program Chair, respectively. Abstracts were submitted to five technical tracks: Biomechanics, and Mechanics of Materials and Structures, led by Charles E. Bakis; Computational Mechanics, led by Sulin Zhang; Dynamics, led by Joseph C. Cusumano; and Fluid Mechanics, led by James Brasseur. Approximately 60 symposia were presented in 19 concurrent sessions.

Travel Fellowships to ICTAM
To support travel of U.S. scientists and engineers to the ICTAM, the USNC organizes a travel fellowship program. Fellowship applications for 2012 are now being accepted.  Please see above for more information. At ICTAM 2008, thirty-three fellowships were awarded to U.S. researchers presenting their research at the congress.  In addition, the committee organized a breakfast for recipients and committee members in attendance.  The breakfast enabled the recipients to learn more about the USNC and IUTAM.  It also helped USNC members to establish a mentoring experience with the younger fellowship recipients.  Report on the 2008 fellowship program.

IUTAM Symposia and Summer Schools
Two IUTAM symposia were held in the United States in May 2011: Mechanics of Liquid and Solid Foams in Texas and Linking Scales in Computations: From Microstructure to Macro-scale Properties in Florida.  More information about IUTAM Symposia and Instructional Summer Schools.

Reports

Since 1991, the USNC/TAM has had six reports produced that survey the field of mechanics, with particular emphasis on identifying areas of mechanics for future research. The committee asks individuals, or groups of individuals to write the reports. The recent reports are short, overview documents, intended for a wide audience, including policymakers.  The first three reports are intended for specialists and provide a contextual background on specific research areas and point to new opportunities, needs, and trends.

	Research Directions in Computational And Composite Mechanics (2007) discusses two aspects of the engineering science of mechanics that have a profound impact on American Competitiveness, and addresses issues raised in the National Academy of Sciences report Rising Above the Gathering Storm (2007). The United States has played a leading role in the development of computational mechanics and mechanics of composite materials. It is clear that the futures of these two disciplines of mechanics are very bright as they both will have a profound impact on many facets of our life, including advances in biology, medicine, energy conservation and development, and national security. It is also clear that the United States is not the only country working in these advanced fields of engineering science. There are very strong initiatives and commitments to these fields in Europe and Asia. A concentrated effort by the United States is necessary if we are to maintain our competitiveness. Download the report
	Research in Fluid Dynamics: Meeting National Needs (2006) was assembled and edited by Jerry Gollub (Haverford) from contributions by H. Fernando (Arizona State), Morteza Gharib (Caltech), John Kim (UCLA), Steve Pope (Cornell), Alexander Smits (Princeton), and Howard Stone (Harvard). Download the report
	Research Directions in Computational Mechanics (2000) was prepared by J.T. Oden of the University of Texas, Texas Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, assisted by Ted Belytschko of Northwestern University, Ivo Babuska of the University of Texas, and T.J.R. Hughes of Stanford University. Download the report
	Research Trends in Solid Mechanics (1999), G.J. Dvorak (Ed.) was published by Pergamon Press, by Elsevier Science, Ltd., Oxford, UK. The report consists of an Executive Summary, reprinted here with permission, and a series of articles that appeared as Volume 37, pp. 1-422, of the International Journal of Solids and Structures (2000). Download the Executive Summary,
	Research Trends in Fluid Dynamics (1996), J.L. Lumley, Andreas Acrivos, L. Gary Leal, and Sidney Leibovich (eds.), published by the American Institute of Physics, Woodbury, New York. Download the executive summary (reprinted with permission)
	Research Directions in Computational Mechanics (1991),  J.T. Oden (Ed.), published by National Academy Press, was the first of the research directions reports.  Computational mechanics is a scientific discipline that marries physics, computers, and mathematics to emulate natural physical phenomena. It is a technology that allows scientists to study and predict the performance of various products--important for research and development in the industrialized world.  This book describes current trends and future research directions in computational mechanics in areas where gaps exist in current knowledge and where major advances are crucial to continued technological developments in the United States. Read the book online for free or purchase a copy at the NAP website.

Current Membership

Terms begin November 1 and end October 31 of the years indicated. Officers may simultaneously serve in another role. NAE/NAS indicates membership in the National Academy of Engineering or National Academy of Sciences.

View our complete membership list

The following U.S. professional societies are represented on the USNC/TAM:

Resources & Related Links

iMechanica
An interactive website, iMechanica aims to use the Internet to enhance communications among mechanicians, and to pave a way to evolve all knowledge of mechanics online. The site is free to everyone to read or post.http://www.imechanica.org/

Virtual Libraries

Sponsor

Support for the USNC/TAM is provided by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0629315.

Banner photo credit (far left): Taken from the report Damage Evolution in Stiffened Composite Structures Subjected to Variable Loadings by N.D. Flesher and C.T. Herakovich, the image is a finite element representation of the out-of-plan displacements of a stiffened fibrous composite panel when subjected to a combination of thermal and shear loading.

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