Biomechanics Symposium by Josef Daniel Ackerman The first international symposium on the Mechanics of Plants, Animals, and Their Environments (MPATHE) was held in January 1998 in Santa Barbara, CA. The symposium was sponsored by the Engineering Foundation and chaired by Joseph Humphrey (Bucknell), Friedrich Barth (Vienna), Julian Vincent (Reading), and Timothy Secomb (Arizona). To quote the organizers, "The purpose of the Symposium has been to bring together a highly interdisciplinary mix of persons, to present and discuss mechanical and thermal phenomena related to plants, animals and their environments. The length scale range of interest spans from single cells, to entire organisms, to their host environments, implying length scale ratios exceeding 1012 and including the extremes of micro (molecular) and macro (atmospheric/oceanographic) forces." The meeting served its purpose as a venue for discussion among a wide range of scientists (biologists, engineers, mathematicians, and physicists) interested in what has been traditionally referred to as comparative biomechanics. There were more than 60 papers delivered in nine combined oral and poster presentations. These ranged from Fluid- and Thermo-Mechanics to Solid-Mechanics and Dynamics of Plants, Animals, Cells, and the Environment. The participants comprised an international groups included members of the Society of Mathematical Biology. The final program is available from http://www.engfnd.org/pastconf/8aqfin.html. The symposium was successful in meeting its goals and I anticipate that many new endeavors will result. Among the conclusions of the symposium were: the desire to hold additional symposia and conferences the suggestion of forming an informal association the need to foster continued discussion among attendees and the larger community of like-minded researchers. A Biological and Environmental Mechanics (BEMS) homepage has been established to serve these ends. Members of SMB are welcome to participate. Please visit the BEMS web page or contact me directly.

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