The study of small-scale mechanical behavior is at the forefront of research in materials science and applied mechanics. It is recognized that material properties may change drastically when the specimen dimensions are small compared to certain natural length scales. The impetus for the significant current activity in this field comes from the need to understand the critical roles of elasticity, plasticity, and fracture in small structures used in many modern technologies, including thin films for microelectronic devices, thermal barriers in gas turbines, and coatings for optical and tribological applications. In addition, mechanical phenomena in small-scale biological structures offer enticing opportunities to researchers in materials science and applied mechanics, who can investigate these phenomena with concepts and methods that have not previously been exploited by biologists.

Past Chairs: Eduard Arzt (2004); Robert Cook (2002); George Pharr (2000); Mike Drory (1998).

Rapporteurs: Eduard Arzt (Max-Planck-Institute for Metals Research, Stuttgart); David Clarke (University of California, Santa Barbara); Ben Freund (Brown University); Bill Gerberich (University of Minnesota); Bill Nix (Stanford University); Frans Spaepen (Harvard University).