We are now accepting abstracts on: 

• Mechanics of hard and soft biological materials
• Mechanics of biomimetic materials and systems
• Experimental methods applied to biological materials and systems 

A graduate student researcher is sought to work on a theoretical and computational aspect of multiscale/ multi-physics material modeling (with an emphasis on biological materials and structures). The project’s envisioned outcome is to a better understanding of the relationship between the small scale physics and structures and the overall macroscopic properties of a material. This research has application in the design of new, smart material, or in the development of treatment for injuries and disease of biological tissues.

I am pleased to announce that Volume 1, Number 2 of the the recently-launched Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials (www.elsevier.com/locate/jmbbm) has been published by Elsevier. All JMBBM articles can be accessed free-of-charge on ScienceDirect until September 2008 (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/17516161).

Symposium DD at the upcoming Materials Research Society Annual Meeting (Nov. 26-Dec. 1, Boston, MA) will be the latest in a series of MRS symposia on the mechanics of biological materials and materials designed following natural principles ("biomimetic" or "bio-inspired").   The full program is available at the MRS website (www.mrs.org).  This topic was also the subject of the August, 2006 focus issue of the Journal of Materials Research, which contained over 30 articles on the subject.