Task Force on Poromechanics

Meeting Minutes

Time: 12 noon to 1:30 pm, June 3, 2002

Place: Columbia University, New York City

Attendees:

· Alexander Cheng, University of Mississippi (Chair of Task Force, EMD ExCom member)

· Younane Abousleiman, University of Oklahoma

· Jose Dominguez, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain

· Ahmad Ghassemi, University of North Dakota

· Christian Hellmich, Vienna University of Technology

· Vic Kaliakin, University of Delaware (Inelastic Behavior Committee Chair)

· Hoe Ling, Columbia University

· Jin Ooi, University of Edinburgh, UK (Granular Materials Committee Chair)

· Nimal Rajapakse, University of British Columbia, Canada (Elasticity Committee Chair)

· Franz Ulm, MIT (Properties of Materials Committee Chair)

At-Large Members Participated in Earlier Email Communication

· Jean-Louis Auriault, Universite Joseph Fourier, France

· Yavuz Corapcioglu, Texas A&M University

· Emmanuel Detournay, University of Minnesota

· Dimtry Garagash, Clarkson University

· Sergei Lopatnikov, University of Delaware

· Chiang C. Mei, MIT

· John Rudnicki, Northwestern University

Minutes

· Alex Cheng reported that he attended the Engineering Mechanics Division (EMD) Executive Committee (ExCom) meeting on June 2, 2002, and communicated to the ExCom the task force activities since its formation in last October.

· The ExCom tentatively approved the formation of the Poromechanics Committee beginning October 1, 2002. The task force needed to submit to the ExCom the Mission Statement and the committee member list by July 1, 2002, for final approval.

· The 2002-2003 budget for the Poromechanics Committee has been approved in advance by ASCE/TAC, in anticipation of its formation.

· The task force reviewed the six versions of Mission Statements submitted by members prior to the meeting. After some discussion and modification, the task force voted to accept the following Mission Statement:

“The purpose of the committee is to promote fundamental and applied research in the mechanics of porous materials using observational, analytical, and computational techniques.”

· Invitation will be issued to all members of the task force and some other individuals to join the Poromechanics Committee.

· In the invitation statement the minimum duties of the committee members need to be clearly stated to avoid future inactive members.

· Committee member minimum duties include:

o attend annual committee meetings (held in conjunction with the annual EMD conferences) at reasonable frequencies;

o assist the committee chair to organize special sessions in EMD conferences; and

o review manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, in a timely fashion, as assigned by the committee chair, who serves as an associate editor of the journal.

· Alex Cheng was nominated to be the first Chair of the Poromechanics Committee. This action will be consulted with task force members who were not present. Approval of the ExCom is needed.

· The Properties of Materials Committee and Inelastic Behaviors Committee have agreed to co-organize a Mini-Symposium on Poromechanics with the Poromechanics Committee in the Seattle Conference, 2003.

· In anticipation of the establishment of the Maurice A. Biot Medal, the Committee will take active role in nominating candidates.

· The Poromechanics Committee members will be committed to promote all kinds of mechanics of porous materials related activities in the EMD.

Alex Cheng, June 2002