From the President

It is my privilege to start this Newsletter, and I feel honored for two reasons. First, it allows me to announce this new and extra Newsletter. Even though autumn started today, we have named the newsletter “Summer Newsletter”, because it complements the traditional Spring and Autumn Newsletters. With this Summer Newsletter the Council will report information that in normal times would have been presented at the General Assembly. But these are not normal times. The corona/covid-19 pandemic has been affecting our lives for nearly this entire year now; you know all about that. Hence, time for the Summer Newsletter!

The second reason is that I can address you as the president of the ESB. During the first meeting of the council I got appointed, and I am very thankful for the trust that I have received from the other council members. As primus inter pares I am excited to lead a wonderful team and I am convinced that we can continue working in the open, constructive and respectful atmosphere that I have experienced during the past six years.

Council members and committees

Three persons left the council in July: María Angeles Pérez Ansón and Luca Cristofolini after serving the council for the maximum of eight years, and Sara Checa after being in the council for six years. I sincerely thank them for their strong contributions to improving our society over the past years. Thank you to María Angeles, in particular for keeping track of meetings and society affairs as secretary general, and for the supportive way you acted as ESB president. Thank you to Luca, in specifically for managing the awards with its many applications and for dealing with the financial side of the society for two years. I very much appreciated the clear structure and files you handed over to me. And thank you to Sara, in particular for the important role in providing ESB members with the latest news, and for dealing with the membership that has grown substantially.

After having served one four-year term in the Council three members of the current council were standing for re-election: David Mitton, Jérôme Noailly, and Mark Thompson. I’m happy to inform you that all three got re-elected which demonstrates that their work is being valued by the members. Three new council members were elected: Ilse Jonkers, Aurélie Carlier and Michele Conti. Welcome on board! You already started with full ambition!

Find below the new composition of the council, including the role each member will fulfill:

• Harry van Lenthe, President
• Markus Heller, Vice-President and Awards Committee
• David Mitton, Secretary-General
• Jérôme Noailly, Treasurer
• Mark Thompson, Diversity-Inclusion and Membership Committee
• Enrico Dall’Ara, Meetings and External Affairs Committee
• Dieter Pahr, Meetings WebPortal Committee
• Michele Conti, Publication Committee
• Ilse Jonkers, Scientific Communications Committee
• Aurélie Carlier, Education and Student Committee

There is a new name among the committees: the Diversity-Inclusion and Membership Committee.  As Council we want to put special emphasis on the ‘human dimension’ of science, such that ESB stays an open community with equal opportunities for everyone, irrespective of gender, geographic location, career stage, etc. To better highlight diversity within the ESB, the new “Diversity-Inclusion and Membership Committee” will replace the former “Membership Committee”. More information can be found in the specific section.

Conferences and Awards

The corona/covid-19 pandemic has affected the ESB, just as it has affected basically every aspect of society. For the ESB, this was most visible and noticeable with the cancellation of the 2020 Congress which was to be held in Milano. It was a tough decision, but a sensible one. Yet, I for one felt a bit lonely and sad during the second week of July, as I really missed the atmosphere and interaction with colleagues from around the world. The good news is that the local organizers managed to secure the same venue in 2021, and that the organizers of already allocated future ESB congresses were flexible in changing their dates. Hence, mark 11-14 July 2021 in your agendas for the 2021 Congress of the ESB in Milano! And do submit your great work! More details can be found in the section on upcoming ESB conferences.

One of the strengths and appeal of the ESB is the many awards it is providing. Hence, it was decided that, even though ESB2020 could not be held, all awards would be handed out. Congratulations once more to Hans Kainz, Alberto Sensini, Mirko Bonfanti, Antoine Falisse, Jorge Barrasa-Fano, Pouyan Asgharzadeh, Sophie Kate Rapagna, and Ehsan Soodmand! Congratulations also to Míriam Febrer Nafría, Joeri Kok, and Maria Pastrama for receiving a Mobility Award. The award lectures were presented online and recordings can still be watched at https://www.youtube.com/c/ESBiomech. It was great to see biomechanics science being presented at such high level. Hence, in case you have not seen the presentations, do check out the youtube link!

Talking about awards: don’t miss the section on the ESB Education and Student Committee. It includes an extraordinary additional call for one ESB Mobility Award for early career researchers! Mobility is an excellent means to learn new skills and techniques, and develop new collaborations. Hence, the award comes highly recommend! With the current increases in the number of corona infections, mobility may not be obvious in all cases. That is why the exchange can take place anytime between the 1^st of February 2021 and the 31^st of July 2022. Do check whether this award would be interesting for you!

Harry van Lenthe, ESB President