Message from the president

JSEM President Yoshiharu Morimoto

　　　Three years have already passed since JSEM renewed from the Japan Society for Photoelasticity. Thanks to the members' efforts, a membership is increasing and the activities are performed a lot and that laid the foundation of JSEM almost. I have taken over Prof. Masahisa Takashi's former position as the president. I will make an effort to extend the policy line of Prof. Masahisa Takashi who newly made the JSEM foundation. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
　　　Considering the future potential of JSEM, it needs to be under conditions suitable for members' activities and to be useful for our members. I propose to make some changes to the term of the executive board members and the organization so that a lot of people can participate vigorously in the active society. Current two-year term of the executive board member is changed to one-year term. Under the executive board, some committees are established such as information and communication committee that manages the web site and the mailing list. I expect that many activities are performed by the committees and the divisions and young people are welcomed to involve in those activities as their committee members as well as the chairpersons or the secretaries. I also have a plan to establish an organization for student members.
　　　Our mission is to elucidate mechanical phenomenon experimentally. It is important to discover scientific phenomenon by searching for truth and so is to diffuse newly developed technology. The results of our researches should be utilized in industry by providing the techniques such as confirming the strength of structures, improving the quality of industrial products and inspecting them. Unfortunately, not many results that are yielded from the universities are utilized in industry. We need to think about the strategy to put our technologies into practical use. Therefore, it is very important to work in collaboration with industry. The number of the corporate members is so few that we can not make a significant contribution to society. It is strongly required to beef up corporate members. For inviting the members, it is necessary to practice public relations to corporations and set up the benefit for corporate members. I would like every one of JSEM members to induce people in corporations that you are related to. Please give us your ideas about contributions to the industry and benefit for the corporate members.
　　　It is also very important that JSEM makes international contributions and have international exchanges. JSEM is in corporation with the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM) and the British Society for Strain Measurement (BSSM). I serve as the chairman of the Asian Committee for Experimental Mechanics (ACEM). Thus, JSEM should be the society to work as the center of Experimental Mechanics in Asia. In addition, Prof. Takashi who was the president of JSEM is requested to serve as the president of SEM in the year of 2006. In 2005, the International Conference on Mechanics of Time Dependent Materials is to be held hosted by JSEM. Considering those things, we need to perform more activities with an awareness of outside Japan.
　　　Experimental Mechanics is primarily to elucidate mechanical phenomenon experimentally in all fields. Societies for Experimental Mechanics have been established in a lot of countries but they cover solid mechanics fields only. On the other hand, JSEM covers the fields such as fluid mechanics and biomechanics. JSEM needs to pour its efforts into the other fields as well as solid mechanics. If you know people involved in the different fields of mechanics, please invite them to JSEM.
　　　JSEM has a little more than 300 memberships and still developing. In other words, it is good at making small adjustments. The members have a good view of the whole society and can engage in their activities in each field. Especially, a lot of activities to develop JSEM are required to be proposed and implemented. JSEM has no exclusive staff but it is managed by the JSEM members voluntarily. The view I mentioned above will work out only if each one of the JSEM members engages in his/her activities. I would like to ask all members including the executive board members and chairpersons of the divisions to get involved in JSEM actively and to make your efforts for Experimental Mechanics.