melosh.2008 competition

Background

The Robert J. Melosh Medal Competition was inaugurated in 1989 to honor Professor Melosh, a pioneering researcher in finite element methods and former chairman of civil and environmental engineering at Duke. In a professional career that included working at Boeing, Philco-Ford Laboratory, and MARC Analysis and Research Corporation, as well as teaching at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Washington, Virginia Tech, and Duke University, Professor Melosh made significant and varied contributions to the finite element method. The Competition was established in view of this body of work, and aims to reflect Professor Melosh's dedication to the education of young engineers and researchers by providing a forum for student researchers to present their work and interact with each other and with leading researchers in the field. The winner of the Competition, as determined on the basis of a submitted extended abstract and an oral presentation of the paper, receives the Robert J. Melosh Medal and a $500 honorarium.

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Format

The Competition is conducted in two primary phases. Initially, extended abstracts will be reviewed by a panel of distinguished researchers in computational mechanics. Based on this review process, the top six papers are selected as finalists, and their student authors are invited to participate in the second phase of the competition, a symposium at Duke University on April 25, 2008. The symposium features lectures by the members of the distinguished judging panel, as well as talks by all selected finalists.

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Past Judges

A key feature of the Competition is the interaction between student finalists and established researchers that is facilitated by the Melosh Medal Symposium. Past competitions have benefited from the participation as judges of several internationally prominent researchers, including:

* Ted Belytschko, Northwestern University, USA
* Ray W. Clough, University of California at Berkeley, USA
* Michael Crisfield, Imperial College, United Kingdom
* Charbel Farhat, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA
* Jacob Fish, Rensselaer, USA
* Joseph E. Flaherty, Rensselaer, USA
* Richard H. Gallagher, University of Arizona, USA
* Omar Ghattas, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
* Sanjay Govindjee, University of California at Berkeley, USA
* Thomas J.R. Hughes, University of Texas at Austin, USA
* Greg Hulbert, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, USA
* Raymond D. Krieg, University of Tennessee, USA
* Patrick Le Tallec, Ecole Polytechnique, France
* Robert J. Melosh, Duke University, USA
* Joop Nagtegaal, Hibbitt, Karlsson and Sorensen, Inc.,USA
* J. Tinsley Oden, University of Texas at Austin, USA
* Peter Pinsky, Stanford University, USA
* Ekkehard Ramm, Stuttgart, Germany
* Mark Shephard, Rensselaer, USA
* James Stewart, Sandia National Laboratories, USA
* Robert L. Taylor, University of California at Berkeley, USA
* Edward L. Wilson, University of California at Berkeley, USA
* Peter Wriggers, Universitaet Hannover, Germany
* O.C. Zienkiewicz, University of Wales Swansea, United Kingdom

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Medalists

At the conclusion of the Melosh Symposium, the winner of the competition is awarded the Melosh Medal. The names of the medal recipients are inscribed on a plaque in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University.

Year	Medalist
2007	Vikram Gavini, California Institute of Technology
2007	Michael Hain, Leibniz University, Hannover
2006	Homayoun Heidari, North Carolina State University
2005	Mahmoud Hussein, University of Michigan
2004	Juan Pablo Pontaza, Texas A&M University
2003	Prasanna Raghavan, Ohio State University
2002	Ulrich Hetmaniuk, University of Colorado, Boulder
2001	Xiaonong Meng, Duke University
2000	Aleksander Czekanski, University of Toronto
1999	John Dolbow, Northwestern University
1998	Serge Prudhomme, University of Texas, Austin
1997	Jerome M. Solberg, University of California, Berkeley
1996	David C. Winkler, University of Connecticut
1995	Victor G. Oancea, Duke University
1995	James R. Stewart, Stanford University
1994	Jinmiao Zhang, Ohio State University
1993	Bhaskar Joshi, University of Saskatchewan
1992	C.R. Swaminathan, University of Minnesota
1991	Alonso Pena, I.T.E.S.M. Monterey, Mexico
1990	Juan B. Sainz, I.T.E.S.M. Monterey, Mexico
1989*	H. Allison Smith, Duke University
1989*	R.G. Wan, University of Alberta

*Medal established.

Scope

Submissions are invited in all areas of finite element analysis, including theoretical development, implementational procedure, programming aspects, novel and innovative applications, and integration of finite elements into the design process. Additionally, submissions in related areas of computational mechanics (e.g., boundary elements, meshless methods) will also be welcomed, particularly where the technical contribution of interest may be expected to enhance our understanding of finite element procedures.

Prospective topics include, but are not limited to:

* Solid and Structural Mechanics
* Computational Fluid Mechanics
* Stochastic Problems
* Geomechanics
* Mesh Generation, Refinement and Adaptivity
* Meshfree Methods
* Nonlinear Dynamics
* Scientific Visualization
* Finite Elements in CAD, CAM and CAE
* Biomechanics
* Parallel Computing and FEM
* FEM in Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering
* Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering

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Submission Procedure

All papers must have as their first named author a student or a recent student no more than one year beyond graduation. It is expected that most submissions will describe Masters or Ph.D. level work; however, truly exceptional work done by undergraduate researchers will also be welcomed. Submitted papers should be in extended abstract format, three to five pages in length (including all graphics). Although the page limit will prevent presentation of extended theoretical development, enough detail should be included to allow a reasonable assessment of technical merit. If the paper is submitted via regular mail, four copies should be submitted: one with a cover page indicating title, author and affiliation, and three copies with title but no authors or affiliations indicated. For electronic submissions (preferred), only one copy of each is required. Documents prepared using LaTeX with the Elsevier LaTeX class file elsart.cls, are preferred.

The journal Finite Elements in Analysis and Design devotes a special issue annually to the Melosh Competition. All student finalists and judges will be invited to prepare a full-length article describing their work for inclusion in this issue.

Key dates pertaining to the Competition are:

January 7, 2008         Deadline for Extended Abstract Submission
February 15, 2008      Finalists Notified of Acceptance
April 25, 2008           Melosh Symposium at Duke University

All submissions and correspondence should be directed to:

The Robert J. Melosh Medal Competition
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Box 90287
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708-0287, USA
Phone: 919-660-5202
Email: melosh@pratt.duke.edu
Internet: http://www.cee.duke.edu/melosh

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