LSU Hosts Inaugural Regional Experimental Mechanics Student Symposium
May 28, 2024
BATON ROUGE, LA – The LSU College of Engineering recently hosted the inaugural Southern Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM) Student Symposium, which included participants from the University of Texas at Austin, University of Houston, and Texas A&M University.
Research presentations covered topics such as shape memory polymers, tissue biomechanics, additive manufacturing, machine learning, and textile performance, among others. LSU Mechanical Engineering Professor Guoqiang Li delivered the keynote address, “Learn From Nature: Bioinspired Damage Healing,” and participants enjoyed guided tours of LSU’s mechanics and materials research facilities, as well as an after-symposium game night.
SEM, a renowned professional organization founded in 1943, is dedicated to studying the design and implementation of experiments to characterize materials, structures, and systems. With several regional chapters in the United States, LSU Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Kshitiz Upadhyay and UT-Austin Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Assistant Professor Jin Yang recognized the need to promote mechanics research in the Southern region and inspire the next generation of student mechanicians by creating the first Southern SEM Student Symposium at LSU.
“The Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast SEM regions have organized regional student symposia in recent years,” Upadhyay said. “However, universities in these regions are geographically far from those in states like Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. With the growing experimental mechanics research activity in these southern US states, we believe that a yearly Southern SEM student symposium will be instrumental in further promoting mechanics research in this region and encouraging the next generation of student mechanicians to involve in SEM actively.”
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Contact: Joshua Duplechain
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