Conference Proposal: Constitutive Modeling of Biomaterials; Pittsburgh, PA, September 2008

由自然哲学学会主办的“生物材料的本构性质”会议将于2008年9月在匹兹堡大学举行。力学在生物学中从分子到组织的每一个尺度上都起着重要的作用。细胞微观结构的复杂性和生物材料的有机性质需要新的理论框架来设计和解释新的实验类别。生物材料的行为是由成分在多个长度和时间尺度上的相互作用产生的，这是传统材料理论所不能解释的。该领域的最新进展包括更普遍的连续统理论的发展和从微观和分子水平考虑结构材料的平均性质的推导。本次会议的目的是促进生物材料实验研究专家与数学建模和非线性连续介质力学专家之间富有成效的互动。特别强调的是在有限弹性和相关理论的框架内描述生物材料在连续体水平上的反应，并发展新的生物物质力学理论，这些理论解释了生长、衰老和适应。生物力学是一个高度跨学科的科学领域，已经为理解人类健康、疾病、损伤及其治疗提供了重要贡献。这一领域的持续进展将使其成为今后提供保健服务的一个组成部分。本次会议通过促进这一重要领域的思想交流，实现新的跨学科合作，促进对力学在生物学中的作用的理解，为实现这一目标做出了贡献。会议还通过促进学生和初级研究人员的参与，并使他们接触到一个令人兴奋和迅速发展的跨学科领域，这在未来将变得更加重要，从而达到重要的教育目的。

The conference "Constitutive Properties of Biomaterials" at the University of Pittsburgh will be held under the auspices of the Society for Natural Philosophy in September 2008. Mechanics plays an important role in biology at every length scale, from molecular to tissue level. The complexity of cell microstructure and organic nature of living materials require new theoretical frameworks for design and interpretation of new classes of experiments. Behavior of biomaterials results from interactions of constituents on multiple length and time scales which cannot be treated by theories developed with traditional materials in mind. Recent advances in this field include development of more general continuum theories and derivation of average properties of structured materials from microscopic and molecular level considerations. The goal of this conference is to facilitate a fruitful interaction between the experts in experimental study of biomaterials on one hand and mathematical modeling and nonlinear continuum mechanics on the other. Particular emphasis will be placed on characterizing the response of biomaterials at the continuum level within the framework of finite elasticity and related theories and the development of new theories of mechanics of living matter that account for growth, aging and adaptation.Biomechanics is a highly interdisciplinary scientific field that has already provided crucial contributions to understanding of human health, diseases, injuries and their treatment. Continued progress in this area will make it an integral part of health care delivery in the future. This conference contributes towards this goal by promoting the exchange of ideas in this important field and enabling new interdisciplinary collaborations that will advance understanding of the role of mechanics in biology. The conference also serves a vital educational purpose by promoting participation of students and junior researchers and exposing them to an exciting and rapidly developing interdisciplinary field that will become even more important in the future.