Conference Summary
International Workshop on The Interplay between Mechanics and Bi­ology on Multiple Length Scales
July 1­6, 2007, Castro Urdiales, Cantabria, Spain

Rebecca Vandiver
Ph.D. Candidate
Applied Mathematics GIDP

It was an amazing experience for me to travel to Spain to be part of the Interna­tional Workshop on the Interplay between Mechanics and Biology on Multiple Length Scales and I am very grateful for the GIDP Herbert E. Carter Fellowship for helping me take advantage of such a wonderful opportunity. The conference was organized by Ray Ogden, a Fellow of the Royal Society and world expert in bio­elasticity. I had the privilege to hear presentations from leading researchers in my field and gain knowledge of the recent advances in my area of study. It was especially beneficial to hear from people in other disciplines such as Bio­engineering and Physics who provided me with important insight into my work and introduced me to additional problems and questions in my field of interest.

Participating in the conference had a great impact on my work and future ca­reer. It allowed me to present my research and establish myself in this scientific community. In addition, I was able to meet and interact with the experts in my field. The conference was quite small so that it was conducive to many great discussions and interactions with one another. These interactions provided the opportunity for networking and exploring future postdoctoral and faculty op­tions.

I was also invited to participate in a three day course on New Trends in Biome­chanical Modeling following the conference. The structure of the course included the following topics: the basics of nonlinear elasticity, the application of elas­ticity theory to the modeling of the behavior of soft tissue and a discussion of competing material models for soft tissue. I learned the most recent topics and methods in biomechanical modeling and the material covered in the course was directly applicable to my area of research. The course was taught by researchers who are highly respected in the area of biomechanical modeling and it was an asset to my career progression.

I am sincerely grateful to the Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs for helping me attend this conference and course. Most of the experts in my field of study in theoretical biomechanics are in Europe and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and interact with these researchers.