Biomechanics Committee


Chair: Markus J. Buehler, Ph.D., Aff.M.ASCE

 

New ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute Biomechanics Committee established

Biomechanics has emerged as an active research area that has led to numerous innovations over the past decades. Civil engineers have played a critical role in this ever-developing field and have made important contributions by utilizing the         same mechanics concepts that they commonly apply to structures such as buildings or bridges, here applied to the characterization of the mechanical properties of biological organisms, tissues, cells and—at ultra-small scales—even molecules. The engineering mechanics principles, pioneered in the civil engineering community for more than a century, present powerful tools that provide approaches to link experiment and theory through a rigorous, physics based mathematical framework that makes an impact in diagnosing and treating diseases, or in the development of novel materials.

In order to bring together the growing group of engineers focused on biomechanics research, the new ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute Biomechanics Committee was established in June 2009. The formation of this committee reflects the         rapid development of this field through the incorporation of approaches from physics, chemistry and biology in order to  provide a multi-scale viewpoint that connotes a merger of the concepts of structure and material in understanding biological materials, from nano to macro. This is an important element of how mechanics will continue to evolve, and the Biomechanics Committee will provide critical leadership of ASCE and EMI in these exciting areas of engineering science and application.

The impact of biomechanics research is manifold. An improved understanding of natural and biological materials is critical to better utilize natural resources, and to design our built environment with a reduced ecological footprint as it enables us to develop novel material design principles that facilitate enhanced material functionality despite limited or inferior building blocks. On the other hand, biomechanics research can help solve biomedical problems associated with cancer and heart disease, with opportunities for improving the quality of human life. For example, tissue abnormality with respect to the mechanical response may be identified to serve as markers for detection of breast and prostate tumors as well as ischemia and arrhythmia. The successful integration of engineering mechanics and biomedical imaging technology can result in enormous healthcare benefits.

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