Happy New Year!
As we step into 2025, we’re excited to share the first edition of the ESB Newsletter for the year.
This issue is packed with updates, opportunities, and highlights that reflect the vibrant and dynamic nature of our community.
Inside this Edition:
- Presidential Address: Reflections on the past year and next steps;
- In Memoriam: Prof Pasquale Mario Calderale;
- Upcoming ESB Events:
- Key dates and details for conferences, including the next ESB Congress in Zurich,
- ESB awards & call for reviewers
- other ESB-Endorsed meetings.
- ESB Educational and Student Committee – Call for Membership Applications
- Diversity, Inclusion and Membership news
- Job & Opportunities
Take a moment to explore the newsletter and to visit our website, and don’t hesitate to reach out with news, achievements, or ideas you’d like to share in future editions.
Thank you for being an integral part of our thriving community.
Here’s to another successful year in biomechanics!
Bernardo Innocenti, Chair of the Publication Committee
From the President!
Dear ESB Members,
I hope you had a great winter festive break and could recharge the batteries for an exciting new year!!!
I am afraid I will have to start again with some sad news…
Prof Pasquale Mario Calderale has passed away in November 2024. Prof Calderale was one of the founding members of the ESB and has had a long career in Biomechanics, fostering Bioengineering research in Italy and creating the basis for the training of the new generation of researchers in this multidisciplinary area. We thank Alberto, Cristina, Bernardo and Elisabetta who knew him well and have prepared the attached Obituary. It has been a few tough years for the biomechanics community, who have lost some of the greatest minds in this area, who enabled its foundation and its constant growth over the years (almost 50!). Let’s take a moment to remind them, and make sure our research keeps making the best possible scientific, clinical and societal impacts to honour their names!
On a more positive note, the next ESB congress in 2025 will be in Zurich! The abstract deadline is really around the corner, don’t forget to submit your abstract(s) by 31st January 2025! More information can be found below.
I am proud to announce that we will have a new ESB Diversity Award at the next ESB congress in Zurich! Check the details below!
I am also pleased to announce that we have signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Society for Movement Analysis in Adults and Children (ESMAC) to become affiliated societies, disseminating mutual events and supporting each other with the organisation of tracks and sessions in our congresses.
For our early career members I would like to highlight the call for applications to serve on the Education and student committee below. The committee is actively involved in ESB communication, via social media, it leads the organisation of the webinars and events that target students at the ESB congresses, and it participates in the reviews of mobility award applications. It is a great opportunity for our early career members to become an active part of ESB and steer its strategy with continuous interaction with the Council.
Finally, I would like to stress on the importance of two-ways communication. We need your input to do the best for our society! During the past congress we have identified a number of questions for you and we would like to get as much feedback as possible before taking important decisions! If you have not done it yet, please complete this short (no more than 2 minutes) survey!
I wish you all a great and successful 2025 and looking forward to seeing you all in Zurich!
Enrico Dall’Ara, ESB President
In Memoriam: Professor Pasquale Mario Calderale (1930–2024)
Professor Pasquale Mario Calderale (1930-2024)
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Professor Pasquale Mario Calderale last November. A Full Professor of Machine Design and Industrial Bioengineering at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Politecnico di Torino, Professor Calderale was a towering figure in the field of Biomechanics and one of Italy’s foremost pioneers in Bioengineering. He was also among the 20 founders of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB) in 1976.
Born in Monopoli on October 20, 1930, Professor Calderale moved to Turin at a young age, where he earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Politecnico di Torino. He began his academic career as an assistant to Professor Renato Giovannozzi and later served as the Director of the Institute of Motorization, which became part of the Department of Mechanics in the 1980s.
A visionary in Bioengineering, Professor Calderale was deeply involved in introducing Biomechanics into the curriculum at the Politecnico di Torino, having studied the field extensively in the United Kingdom and the United States, where its first applications were emerging. In 1981, his efforts to establish a unified scientific culture for Bioengineering in Italy culminated in the conception of the National Group of Bioengineering (GNB) and the founding of the Bressanone PhD Schools, which have been a cornerstone of Bioengineering education and research since their inception in 1982.
Professor Calderale also broke new ground by becoming the first engineer in Italy to teach at a School of Specialization in Orthopedics and Traumatology. His influence extended to the design of Biomedical Engineering degree programs at the Politecnico di Torino, laying the foundation for a generation of engineers and scientists to contribute to the field.
Known for his boundless curiosity, creativity, and intellectual rigor, Professor Calderale cultivated collaborations with leading scientists and institutions worldwide. His groundbreaking research in Biomechanics, often in collaboration with orthopedic surgeon Professor Francesco Pipino, resulted in innovative joint prostheses. These included the “bi-equatorial” hip cup and the “biodynamic” stem, which anticipated advancements in minimally invasive orthopedic surgery and demonstrated his forward-thinking approach to patient care.
The Biomechanics Group at the Politecnico di Torino, the BioMed Group at the ULB and the ESB-ITA community honor Professor Calderale’s memory as a true pioneer, a generous mentor, and a relentless advocate for the advancement of Biomechanics. His contributions continue to resonate through the lives of his colleagues, students, and the countless patients who have benefited from his innovative designs.
Professor Calderale’s legacy is one of excellence, passion, and dedication to the intersection of engineering and medicine. His profound impact on the field will endure, inspiring future generations to follow in his footsteps.
He will be deeply missed.
Prof. Alberto Audenino, Politecnico di Torino
Prof.ssa Cristina Bignardi, Politecnico di Torino
Prof. Bernardo Innocenti, Université Libre de Bruxelles
Prof.ssa Elisabetta Zanetti, Università degli Studi di Perugia
Meeting News
Next ESB Congress in Zürich
SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS FOR THE ESB CONGRESS:
DO NOT MISS THE DEADLINE!
The deadline is approaching fast, make sure to submit your abstract to ESB 2025 by January 31st using the correct template!
A message of the Local Organizing Committee of Zürich 2025:
Abstract submission is closing soon! Don’t miss the chance to present your research at ETH Zürich, one of the world’s most prestigious universities.
Please note the ON Orthoregeneration Award, which may support your participation.
Don’t forget about the ESB Inclusion Fund.
This year, we received a record number of Perspective Talk submissions. After careful review by our scientific committee, we are glad to inform you that 33 Perspective Talks have been selected and the list is available at the ESB 2025 website.
These talks will introduce sessions, present future visions, and inspire innovation in biomechanics.
We look forward to welcoming you in Zürich!
The ESBiomech2025 Organizers
Peter Varga, Chair of the Meetings and External Affairs Committee
Sandra Loerakker, Chair of the WebPortal and Working Groups Committee
ESB 2025 Awards & Call for Reviewers
The main theme is AI in Biomechanics: Opportunities and Challenges, and with over 35 submission topics, we’re sure your research fits right in.
The submission deadline is 31 January 2025. Please use the abstract template and submit through the congress platform, following the guidelines described HERE. Notifications of abstract review results will be sent by the end of March 2025.
Explore the ESB 2025 Awards, including the ESB Awards (see below) and the ESB
Reviewers
Please note the following Award deadlines for 2025:
- 31st Jan. 2025: Early Career Research Award, Student Award, Travel Award
- 2nd May 2025: ESB congress participation inclusion fund
- 3rd May 2025: Mobility Award
Dear ESB Members, we are excited to invite all of you once again to contribute to our community by becoming a reviewer for one or more of this year’s awards! Your knowledge and experience are invaluable to us. As a reviewer, you will play a vital role in providing constructive feedback, sharing your insights, and helping us uphold the high standards we strive for. If you are interested in serving as a reviewer, please email us at vice.president@esbiomech.org by January 31, 2025, and let us know which awards you would like to support. We also encourage those who have participated in previous years to lend their expertise once again. We look forward to collaborating with you to enhance our community and make our awards program even better!
Dieter Pahr, Vice-President and Award Chair of the ESB
Endorsed Meetings
BIOMDLORE (BIOmechanics, Medical Diagnostics, LOcomotion and REhabilitation)
The 15th International Conference Biomdlore 2025 is being organized by Lithuanian Society of Biomechanics in cooperation with Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) (Lithuania), Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania) and Białystok University of Technology (Poland). It will be held from 20 to 21 October 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania. ESB members will receive a 20% reduction on the registration fees. See more details here.
The International Workshop on Advances in Mechanobiology: From Mechanical Sensing to Cell and Tissue Response will take place in Napoli (Italy) from April 27 to 30, 2025, organized by the Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering of the University of Napoli Federico II and of CEINGE Advanced Biotechnologies Franco Salvatore. ESB members will benefit from a 20% reduction on the registration fees. More details can be found at the workshop’s website.
Peter Varga, Chair of the Meetings and External Affairs Committee
ESB Educational and Student Committee – Call for Membership Applications
The ESB student committee is looking for new candidates (PhD or max. 4 years post PhD at time of application, ESB member in good standing) working in the biomechanics field and motivated to contribute to the ESB.
The vacant positions concern tasks on maintaining the social media presence of the ESB, organizing social events at the annual congress and organizing webinars.
Additionally, ESB student committee membership provides the opportunity to gain first experiences on activities as a reviewer on ESB grant applications and insights into the inner workings of the ESB.
If you are interested in taking part in shaping the future of the ESB, please send your CV and a 200 word motivation statement to the chair of the ESB student committee (education.chair@esbiomech.org) not later than Friday, February 14.
Philippe Turner, Chair of the Educational and Deputy Awards Committee
Diversity, Inclusion and Membership news
We have initiated a new ESB Diversity award with the purpose of recognizing diversity in research. In particular the main scope is to: (1) recognize and encourage contributions that highlight diversity within biomechanics, including gender, ethnicity, ability, and other forms of diversity; (2) increase awareness of the importance of diversity in research; (3) motivate researchers to incorporate diverse perspectives in their work.
Deadline for receipt of applications for 2025 ESB Diversity award coincides with the closing date for abstract submission for the yearly ESB Congress, January 31st, 2025. In order to enter the competition, applicants must apply in the online Congress submission portal by clicking the ESB Diversity Award box and submitting a statement of need indicating how the contribution addresses the scope of the award.
Job & Opportunities
Explore the latest opportunities for senior faculty positions by visiting our website.
