Biomechanics in the
Decade of the Bone & Joint
Preliminary Announcement
28-29 April 2002
Brussels, Belgium
A European Biomechanics "Event"
(in association with the BioNet Project)
PURPOSE
The Event is a "one-off" forum for the strategic development of biomechanics in
Europe and is organised by the BioNet project (see separate section).
It is specifically designed to be different from a conventional conference and will
provide a unique contemporary overview of biomechanics in Europe.
SCOPE
The main focus of the organised activities will be computational biomechanics, though
the content will not be restricted to this area.
All participants will be able to present their work, from any fields within
biomechanics, in a poster session and to raise issues of importance to them during
other sessions. Any European biomechanics work can be presented as a poster, subject
to minor quality constraints.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The philosophy of the Event is to be inclusive. All who have an interest in
biomechanics in Europe should attend - whether they come from industry, medicine,
research, universities, charities, etc. It will :
- review the state of the art and present keynote addresses using
internationally-renowned speakers
- bring together all work on biomechanics in Europe
- provide a unique perspective on the current status of European biomechanics.
Areas with the greatest promise for future development will be addressed by
keynote speakers.
Participants can raise contentious issues - these can then be re-addressed in the
panel sessions.
The Event aims for high participation and low cost.
Fees are deliberately being kept low:
- biomechanics professionals from Central & Eastern Europe should be able to
attend in numbers
- attractive for PhD students, the next generation of researchers.
DETAILED PROGRAMME
Final contract negotiations are currently being completed for BioNet, so all
content in this leaflet is provisional.
Session titles are given in the "Contents" column. Many highly-respected
international figures have already promised presentations.
FURTHER DETAILS
Full details of the programme will be available on the BioNet Web site later in 2001.
To be kept informed, please put your name on the BioNet mailing list
CONTENTS
State-of-the-art summaries - world-renowned figures will set the tone for the Event
and identify broad challenges facing the biomechanics community
Keynote addresses by invited international speakers - thought-provoking, challenging
and controversial
Parallel review sessions - to encapsulate particular areas, providing a summary
of the current state of the art and indicating immediate and future challenges
"Get it off your chest" session - an opportunity to air controversial views from the
floor
Panel sessions - questions set in advance (to provide a coverage of strategic issues)
and live from the floor
Poster session - available to all participants, subject to certain constraints on
quality; a snapshot of the current state of European biomechanics; posters will be
included in the published summary of the Event
"Birds of a feather" meetings - meet like-minded workers
"Partner search" meetings - seek out participants with expertise that you would value
Conclusion & review - an open forum for reflection, drawing conclusions, and
deciding how to take things forward
Industrial displays - displays by SMEs will be especially welcomed
Educational displays - displays of innovative materials and methods for educational
purposes
Publishers' stands - latest biomechanics publications will be available for viewing
& purchase
THE BIONET PROJECT
BioNet : Strategic Development of European Networks in Biomechanics (IST-2000-28074)
BioNet is funded by the European Commission under the Information Society
Technologies Programme. It is due to commence in September 2001, subject to final
contract negotiations.
The Event is a central activity of the project, but the project will continue until
the end of 2002, with a view to providing on-going support for activities engendered
by the Event and to provide a forum for on-going discussions provoked by the Event.
This support will take place in collaboration with relevant professional bodies.
It is hoped to form several coherent Working Groups to take forward aspects that
Event participants identify as having the greatest contemporary importance.
Organised support will also be given to the emergence of research networks or other
research consortia.
This is important in the context of Framework VI.
By these means, it is hoped that the diverse and multidisciplinary facets of European
biomechanics can achieve enhanced coherence and thus make a significant impact on
the important problems of the day.
BioNet is closely associated with another project funded by the EC, VAKHUM, which
will conclude just prior to the Event. VAKHUM will provide a rich new source of
high-quality data to the biomechanics community.
Further details of this data will be made public in the near future - to be
placed on the VAKHUM mailing list, email Sara Martin at
smartin@skynet.be
LOCATION
The Event will be held at the Erasme Campus of the University of Brussels (ULB).
For more information, or to be added to our mailing list, please contact:
Prof. G J Clapworthy
Dept. of Computer & Information Sciences,
De Montfort University,
Hammerwood Gate, Kents Hill,
Milton Keynes MK7 6HP, United Kingdom
email : bionet@dmu.ac.uk
www.mk.dmu.ac.uk/bionet
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