8 ^th International Symposium on Vibrations of Continuous Systems

Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, July 18-22, 2011

General Information on the Symposium

Symposium Theme

The International Symposia on Vibrations of Continuous Systems are focused on the vibrations of the fundamental structural elements: strings, rods, beams, membranes, plates, shells, bodies of revolution and other solid bodies of simple geometry. Structures composed of assemblies of structural elements are also of interest, especially if such structures display interesting or unusual response. Many complicating effects are also of interest, to include:

• Free or forced vibration, transient response, e.g., impact, wave propagation or vibration control
• Linear or non-linear, damped or undamped vibration
• Any material type from isotropic to laminated composites
• Multi-field problems with boundary- or body-coupling, e.g., fluid-structure interaction or piezoelectric or thermoelastic interaction with the structural element

The solution methods used may range from analytical to computational, including finite element analyses, as long as the focus is on the vibrational behavior. Overall, presentations are encouraged which provide greater understanding of vibration. Some presentations are desirable on new directions in research, but reviews of older topics, especially if they give new perspective, and presentations of a historical or tutorial nature are also encouraged. The presentations will be made only by invited registrants.

Symposium Format

The Symposium will begin with a welcome reception starting at 6 pm on Sunday, July 17 at the Delta Whistler Village Suites hotel. At this reception, a drawing will be made to determine the first speaker for the Monday morning session. All presentations will then be made in alphabetical order of the last names of the remaining conference attendees. In this way, there will be no way to know in advance the day on which an attendee's presentation will be given. As such, attendees will need to attend the Symposium all week.

Presentations, which will be limited to 30 minutes (including discussion), will begin at 8 a.m. each morning. Following the tradition of the seven previous Symposia, each afternoon will be devoted to hiking and other activities in the local area. Hikes will be organized with increasing levels of difficulty as the week progresses, some using the two gondolas within walking distance of the Delta Whistler Village Suites. Alternative activities include short and less strenuous hikes, touring the Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Center and excursions to nearby natural attractions.

Throughout the week, morning activities ranging from bike rides to local excursions will be planned for family members accompanying Symposium attendees. On Friday evening, the Symposium banquet will be held, an event open to all attendees and their guests.

Symposium Proceedings

A Symposium Proceedings will be published, including 3-page summaries of the presentations to be made. Listings of the presentation topics from the last seven Symposia are available by clicking on the above links. The complete proceedings of the last two symposia may also be downloaded from those links. So that all participants may get to know one another better, each participant (whether they make a presentation or not) is asked to submit a 1-page biographical sketch, also for publication in the proceedings. A bound copy of the proceedings will be available at the welcoming reception. Summaries and presentations will be in English.

Symposium registration

Participants wishing to make a presentation at the Symposium should prepare a 3-page abstract by 1 February 2011, using the guidelines in the enclosed Abstract Format, and mail a camera-ready copy to the General Chairman at the address indicated. All abstracts will be reviewed by the Editorial Committee, which may accept the abstract as is or return it with a recommendation for revision, possibly to better align the presentation with the Symposium theme. A decision on presentation acceptance is expected by 1 March 2011.

The registration fee of $300 (U.S.) will cover the cost of the welcoming reception, the Symposium proceedings, daily refreshments, the gondola fee for two of the group hikes, entrance fees to the Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Center and dinner at the Symposium banquet. A Symposium Registration Form was mailed to invited participants, and should be returned to the address thereon. Note that the number of participants is capped at 50, so early registration is advised.

All inquiries about the symposium should be directed to the General Chairman:

          Mark S. Ewing
          Aerospace Engineering University of Kansas
          1530 West 15th St.
          Lawrence, KS 66045
          USA

          e-mail: mewing@ku.edu      Phone: 785-864-4267      Fax: 785-864-3597

The pdf-files of the summaries and biographies should be emailed to: aerohawk@ku.edu