The field of Experimental Mechanics has evolved substantially over the past 100 years. In the
early years the field was primarily comprised of applied physicists civil engineers railroad
engineers and mechanical engineers. The field defined itself by those who invented developed
and refined experimental tools and techniques based on the latest technologies available to
better understand the fundamental mechanics of materials and structures used to design many
aspects of our everyday life. What the early experimental mechanician measured observed and
evaluated were things like stress strain fracture and fatigue to name a few which remain
fundamental to the field today. This book guides you through a chronology of the formation of
the Society for Experimental Mechanics and its ensuing evolution. The Society was founded in
1935 by a very small group of individuals that understood the value of creating a common forum
for people working in the field of Applied Mechanics of Solids where extensive theoretical
developments needed the input of experimental validation. A community of individuals
who-through research applications sharp discussion of ideas-could fulfill the needs of a
nation rapidly evolving in the technological field. The founders defined influenced and grew
the field of what we now call Experimental Mechanics. Written as a narrative the author
describes based on input from numerous individuals and personal experiences the evolution of
the New England Photoelasticity Conference to what we know today as the Society for
Experimental Mechanics (SEM). The narrative is the author's perspective that invites members of
the Society to contribute to the story by adding names of individuals institutions and
technologies that have defined the Society over the past 75 years. Many of the key individuals
who greatly influenced the advancement of the field of Experimental Mechanics are mentioned.
These individuals are in many ways the founders of the field who have written textbooks
brought their teaching leadership and experiences to the classroom worked on the Apollo
project and invented testing evaluation and measurement equipment that have shaped the
fields of engineering. SEM's international membership is highly represented by those in
academia as you will read although there has always been a powerful balance and contribution
from industry and research organizations across the globe. The role of the experimental
mechanician is defined in many ways through the individual legacies shared in the following
pages....legacies that define the past and create the foundation for what is now and what is to
come.
