Are you ready for the next ESB 2024 in Edinburg?
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In this April 2024 newsletter from the European Society of Biomechanics, you will find:
- Monique Donkerwolcke obituary;
- Call for ESB Council Nominations 2024;
- ESB 2024 Congress Updates;
- ESB mobility award;
- Diversity, Inclusion and Membership news;
- Social activities at the ESB 2024 congress;
- Endorsed Meeting;
- ESB 2025 announcement.
Bernardo Innocenti, Chair of the Publication Committee
In memoriam Monique Donkerwolcke 1943 – 2023
Monique Donkerwolcke was born in Brussels, on April 18, 1943; she passed away on October 10, 2023 at the age of 80.
Monique joined the laboratory of surgery of Brugmann Hospital (Brussels) in August 1963. She received a Master degree in Telematics and Organisation from Brussels University. She got involved in Biomechanics in the early 1970, first in the CIBO (Centre Interdisciplinaire de Biomécanique Osseuse), when surgeons, chemists, engineers, physicists, of different institutions created a group around an interdisciplinary program of the future: Biomechanics. These are the premises of the idea of a “European Society for Biomechanics”: a meeting of the “Funding Members” was held in Brussels in 1976, organised by Franz Burny, with the help of Monique.
In 1978 she joined the first independent Orthopedics Department of the University open in the newly Academic Hospital Erasme. She was a staff officer of the Research Laboratory affiliated to the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, involved in research on the monitoring of fracture healing by a strain gauge system.
She is a Founding Member of the European Society of Biomechanics (Brussels, 1976) and served as a Treasurer from 1998 to 2006 (a complex job) and, after her term, continued as audit, until summer 2023. She is an Honorary Member of the ESB since 2012. She will be remembered by many for her contributions to the European Society of Biomechanics. Monique Donkerwolcke was like a memory of the Society; we thank her for providing photographs of the conferences used in the newsletters and on the Facebook site.
Her research areas of interest included implant fixation, monitoring of fracture healing and of implant deformation, biomechanics of external fixation and of percutaneous implants and history of biomaterials and of biomechanics. She was very active in the organisation of international projects involving the Department and other Universities and Industrial Partners.
Donkerwolcke 1998-2006 ESB treasurer
Franz Burny, Founding member of ESB, Honorary member
ESB 2024 Congress Updates
The 29th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics is shaping up to be an extraordinary event thanks to your overwhelming support and engagement. We received a record-breaking 1219 abstracts demonstrating a very high scientific standard. After a careful review undertaken by our Scientific Committee, 1122 abstracts were accepted for podium and poster presentations!
Congress delegates can save up to € 160 on the ESB 2024 registration by registering early! Register before May 16, 2024 to secure your spot at a reduced fee. Follow the link: ESB 2024 Registration to find out more!
Highlights of the programme include: three keynote talks; ESB awards sessions; meet the biomechanics expert mentoring session; session on diversity in biomechanics; exhibitions from our industrial sponsors and many other interesting sessions and networking events. The ESB 2024 Congress main theme will be reflected in the plenary session ‘Research to Practice: Clinical Translation’. ESB 2024 will offer a set of pre-courses addressed to graduate students, post-docs, and young researchers. Visit this link to explore the pre-course options and secure your spot.
We have planned a set of social events, where you may reconnect with friends and meet new colleagues! The highlight of our social events will be the ESB Congress dinner, which will take place at the National Museum of Scotland! Check out the full list of social events here.
We look forward to meeting again with old friends and colleagues in the beautiful city of Edinburgh!
Peter Varga, Chair of the Meetings WebPortal Committee
Michele Conti, Chair of the Meetings and External Affairs Committee
ESB Mobility Awards
Want to strengthen your international network? Are you thinking of a visit abroad?
Check out the ESB mobility awards: https://esbiomech.org/student-section/esb-mobility-award/
Also open for postdocs!
Deadline 3 May 2024!
Aurélie Carlier, Chair of the Awards Committee
Diversity, Inclusion and Membership news
We have initiated a new ESB congress participation inclusion fund with application deadline on 3rd May 2024 for ESB members who have an abstract accepted but would struggle to attend the conference financially. Please visit https://esbiomech.org/esb-awards/ for more information.
We are conducting a survey to gain a better insight on the diversity of our community, improve our understanding of the experiences and perceptions of ESB members and partners, and inform our Diversity and Inclusion initiatives within ESB and the wider biomechanics community. Please complete the survey by 31st July 2024.
Marlène Mengoni, Chair of the Diversity-Inclusion and Membership Committee
Social activities annual ESB congress
We are super excited to meet everyone in Edinburgh! Check out the following student activities that we are planning and organizing to ensure you make the most out of Edinburgh 2024 (https://esbiomech2024.org/student-events/ ):
Some of these activities require registration!
Meet the Biomechanics Experts
Date: 1st July, 2024, 13:00
Would you like to ask advice to research experts of biomechanics on how to succeed in becoming an independent scientist or how to manage work-life balance? Would you like to know more about their current research, or what are their next scientific challenges?
Don’t miss the Meet the Biomechanics Experts mentoring session! On Monday July 1st, have your lunch with a senior researcher and discuss informally in small groups about research and/or career.
Night in Town for Students
Date: 1st July, 2024, 19:30
Join us for relaxed evening tailored for Master and PhD students! Engage filled with networking, games and music in a unique venue showcasing tradition and architecture. Enjoy drinks and snacks, meet new colleagues, and reconnect with friends in a dynamic atmosphere.
Pre-courses:
Date: Sunday 30th June, 2024
ESB 2024 interactive pre-courses are mainly addressed to graduate students, post-docs, and young researchers and cover the following topics: interpreting joint motion patterns, digital image correlation, machine learning in computational biomechanics, constitutive modeling of soft tissues, constitutive modeling of hard tissues. Registration is needed.
ESB Social Networks
Don’t forget to check our social networks where we post the latest news and job offers:
–LinkedIn ;
–Twitter (ESB) & Twitter (ESB Community);
Do you know of a repository, software or conference interesting for the ESB community?
Let us know!
Contact us (https://esbiomech.org/student-section/) if you have any job to be advertised.
Aurélie Carlier, Chair of ESB Education and Student Committee
Endorsed Meeting
May 6th – 10th 2024, Pavia, IT
June 19th – 20th 2024, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE29 6EF, UK
23rd International Conference on Mechanics in Medicine and Biology.
The list of other upcoming meetings is reported HERE
Michele Conti, Chair of the Meetings and External Affairs Committee
ESB 2025 Congress Announcement
📢 Save the dates!
📅 The ESB Congress is going to Zürich, Switzerland, from July 6th to 9th, 2025, hosted at the prestigious ETH Zürich. Next year will mark the anniversary of the 30th ESB Congress and aims to reflect on the advancements made in the field of biomechanics over the past three decades, while also envisioning the future of the field. With the main theme of “AI in Biomechanics: Opportunities and Challenges,” we’ll explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in the future of biomechanics. Leading as the ESB 2025 congress chair is Prof. Dr. William (Bill) Taylor, alongside co-chairs Prof. Dr. Ralph Müller and Prof. Dr. Stephen Ferguson.
The scientific programme will feature three keynote lectures:
- Mackenzie Mathis, Bertarelli Foundation Chair of Integrative Neuroscience Assistant Professor, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL)
- Scott Delp, James H. Clark Professor School of Engineering and Medicine, Stanford University
- Molly Stevens, Professor of Biomedical Materials and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford
Stay tuned for more updates and details in the coming months on our website: www.esbiomech2025.org