14^th U.S. National Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

The 14^th U.S. National Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics was held on June 23-28, 2002 on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. The conference was the most successful technical meeting ever held at Virginia Tech and one of the most successful of the National Congresses.

Total participation in the conference was 1,016, including persons from five continents, 38 countries, and 41 states of the United States. A total of 1,280 presentations were given in 259 concurrent sessions during the week. Each weekday morning began with a plenary lecture presented by a distinguished lecturer. Special symposia sessions (a total of 42) were organized by a large list of volunteers. Of these, twenty-two sessions were organized in honor of well-known mechanics researchers.

In addition to the sponsorship of the U.S. National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, financial support, in cash and in-kind, was provided by a large number of organizations. Financial support from the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Office of Naval Research for the travel support of graduate students presenting papers at the Congress is gratefully acknowledged. In addition, in-kind support was received from a number of society publications that provided space for advertising the call for papers and the conference announcements. These included the Acoustical Society of America, the American Academy of Mechanics, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Mathematical Society, the American Physical Society, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society for Testing and Materials, the Society of Engineering Science, the Society for Experimental Mechanics, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, the Society for Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and the Society of Rheology. Virginia Tech must also be recognized for providing significant resources in faculty time and managerial help.

Publicity for the Congress was handled through the public relations office of Virginia Tech. Support was solicited and obtained from the Honorable Mark R. Warner, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, who proclaimed June 24, 2002 to be Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Day in the Commonwealth.

• Monday, Stephen C. Cowin, “Bones Have Ears”
• Tuesday, Branimir von Turkovich, “Cutting of Materials”
• Wednesday, Anthony Leonard, “On the Structure of Vorticity in the Inertial Range of Turbulence”
• Thursday, Robert C. Cammarata, “Influence of Surfaces on the Mechanics of Thin Films”
• Friday, J.H. Starnes, Jr., “Some Structural Mechanics Research Experiences at NASA Langley Research Center