To be a premier organization representing engineering mechanics by effectively serving the needs of the worldwide engineering community and promoting both research and application of scientific and mathematical principles to address a broad spectrum of existing and emerging engineering and societal problems.
To serve the engineering community through the development and application of engineering mechanics by anticipating and adapting to new challenges that will face tomorrow's engineers;
To create an environment that facilitates professional growth to ensure that these future challenges will be met;
To establish a presence at the forefront of new thrusts of mechanics by promoting the most innovative developments in the field, regardless of the discipline of the ultimate user;
To provide a home not only for those involved in the traditional disciplines, but also for those involved with emerging areas of mechanics; and
To promote the interdependence of engineering mechanics and other disciplines by providing an interdisciplinary forum for researchers, practicing engineers, industry representatives, citizen groups, public officials and others.
The objective of this Institute shall be to serve the needs of the engineering community by advancing the knowledge and improving the application of engineering mechanics and related sciences, and by contributing across a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary areas to address the needs of the 21st century.
credit]< Michele (Mike) Barbato, President of EMI
Dear Members of the Engineering Mechanics Institute,
It is my great honor to address you today as the incoming President of EMI. I am humbled by the trust you and the members of the Board of Governors (BoG) have placed in me, by electing me to follow Professor Arif Masud, our outgoing President, and the other illustrious leaders who have previously served in this position. I am energized and excited by the opportunity to serve our outstanding community in this new role. Over the course of almost 20 years, I was a student member first and an EMI charter member soon after graduating with my PhD, a member of multiple EMI technical committees, chair of the EMI Dynamics Student paper competition, secretary, vice-chair, and chair of the EMI Dynamics Committee, and a member of the BoG under three different EMI Presidents. EMI is more than an organization to me: it is my professional family.
First, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Arif Masud (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), for his leadership as EMI President during the last two years, and for continuing to serve EMI as Past President and Chair of the Award Committees. On behalf of all EMI, I also sincerely thank Professor Sankaran Mahadevan (Vanderbilt University), and Professor Ertugrul Taciroglu (University of California, Los Angeles), our outgoing Board members, for their service during a period marked by several significant accomplishments. Under their leadership, EMI has expanded its national and international reach, strengthened its relationship with its membership, and launched new initiatives, such as the Younger Researchers Participation Fund and the EMI Mentoring Program, which lay a strong foundation for further advancement and growth in the future. I would like to give a warm welcome to our new members of the BoG, Professor Pania Newell (The University of Utah) and Dr. Michael Hillman (Karagozian and Case, Inc.); and I would like to thank the other returning members of the BoG, Professor Alexandros Taflanidis (University of Notre Dame), Professor Chloe Arson (Cornell University), Professor Raimondo Betti (Columbia University), and Dr. Megan Hart (Aon), for their continued service to our Institute. A sincere thank you goes also to Professors MJ Qomi and Ramin Bostanabad (University of California, Irvine), who organized a wonderful and inspiring 2025 EMI Conference under very challenging circumstances. We are now looking forward to next year’s conferences, organized by Professors Mija Hubler and Yida Zhang (University of Colorado, Boulder) in Boulder (CO), and by Professors Luigi Di Sarno (University of Liverpool), Andrea Prota (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II), and Paolo Gardoni (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) in Naples (Italy). I am also extremely grateful to the leadership and all members of our technical committees, and to Professor Franz-Josef Ulm (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), chief editor of the Journal of Engineering Mechanics (JEM), as well as to all JEM’s editorial board members, for their continued efforts to advance knowledge in Engineering Mechanics. Last but not least, I would like to thank our wonderful staff, Verna Jameson and Tisha Kramer, without whom the great work done by our organization would simply be impossible.
Thanks to my esteemed predecessors, our fantastic staff, previous and current members of the BoG, and our active members, today EMI is a premier organization recognized and appreciated around the world for its contributions to advancing research, knowledge, and innovation in the field of engineering mechanics. Our Institute represents the forefront where new engineering mechanics knowledge is produced within the Civil Engineering profession. Our work supports our profession in addressing both the old and the new grand challenges that our society faces. I have big shoes to fill, and I promise I will always do my best to perform my duties to advance EMI’s goals while upholding ethics and transparency.
As I step into this role, I am guided by a few key aspirations:
1. Fostering innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, by promoting synergies across traditional boundaries and collaborations among academia, industry, and government to push the frontiers of mechanics and ensure those advances translate into real-world impact.
2. Empowering early-career members, by expanding mentoring, financial support for conference participation, and increased visibility of their work, and encouraging them to take on leadership roles.
3. Promoting relevance and inclusivity, by strengthening our connection with industry, reaching out to policy makers, educating students and the larger public, and making our scientific contributions more visible through their impacts across society’s most pressing issues, while recruiting new talent to our community and encouraging participation from underrepresented institutions and individuals.
Over the next year, I look forward to working closely with the members of the BoG, the technical committees, the editorial board of JEM, the organizers of next year’s EMI conferences, and all of you. I welcome your ideas, feedback, and active engagement. Whether through technical committees, student events, interdisciplinary collaborations, or national and international conferences, we will build the future of EMI together.
Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as your President. I embark on this journey with optimism, commitment, and deep gratitude toward our EMI community.
With warm regards and great anticipation,
Michele (Mike) Barbato
Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, F.SEI, F.EMI
University of California, Davis
President, Engineering Mechanics Institute
"Being an EMI member and participating in its technical committees is integral to my career growth. It enables me to extend my collaborative efforts in sharing groundbreaking technologies, fostering connections with peers, and actively contributing to the development of the next generation of mechanicians."
Ketson dos Santos, Ph.D. A.M.ASCE, University of Minnesota
"At EMI 23 IC, I was fascinated by the sessions that delved into data-driven modeling and the remarkable applications emerging from the realm of artificial intelligence. The conference was a remarkable experience that not only provided valuable insights into current trends but also facilitated meaningful connections within the global engineering community. "
Michael Heredia Perez, P.E., S.M.ASCE, National University of Colombia
"I have been working in industry for more than five years now. EMI 23 IC provided the opportunity to immerse myself in new technologies and research topics. Some research findings were very attractive and could directly help solve practical problems. I enjoyed the EMI International Conference and look forward to being more involved."
Zhi Zhang, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, Senior Project Director
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