We are pleased to announce that the 12th biennial ESM2010 Conference on Dynamic Load Distribution in Biomechanics will be held in Providence Rhode Island on August 14-17, 2010 (www.esm2010.com). The conference will be hosted by Brown University, in cooperation with the University of Rhode Island.  In addition, the ESM conference will be held directly before the American Society of Biomechanics Meeting, also in Providence. Link to ASB Conference

ESM2010 features two days of scientific research on the latest trends in load distribution measurement. Researchers from all disciplines (basic science, research and development, applied science, clinical etc) and utilizing all technologies of load measurement are welcome. A third day of activities will be held off the coast of Rhode Island on the beautiful Block Island. In addition, participants may join the group a day early for workshops presented by novel, the conference sponsor and organizer. Meeting space, accommodations, and the final reception for the ESM2010 Conference will be hosted at the boutique Hotel Providence (www.hotelprovidence.com). The conference theme will be based on a multidisciplinary approach with at least three keynote speakers. Confirmed keynote speakers are Dr. Roshna Wunderlich and Dr. Daniel E. Lieberman:

Roshna Wunderlich, PhD; James Madison University: Roshna is an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at James Madison University. Her Ph.D. in Anthropological Sciences from SUNY Stony Brook was focused on the relationship between forefoot structure and function in primates. Her primary interest is in the functional morphology of primate locomotion, specifically understanding foot use and lower limb biomechanics during human and nonhuman primate bipedalism. These interests have taken her to do research and publish in areas as disparate as nonhuman primate foot pressures during bipedalism, fossil pedal remains of early hominids and nonhuman primates, intrinsic foot muscle atrophy associated with diabetes, and overuse injuries in female athletes.  

Daniel E. Lieberman is Professor and Chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard and a member of the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. Professor Lieberman was educated at Harvard (AB, 1986; Ph.D. 1993) and Cambridge University (M. Phil, 1987). His research combines experimental biology and paleontology to ask why and how the human body looks and functions the way it does. He is especially interested in the origin of bipedal walking, the biology and evolution of endurance running, and the evolution of the human head. He has published more than 100 papers in a wide range of journals including, Science, Nature, PNAS, the Journal of Anatomy, the Journal of Experimental Biology, the Journal of Human Evolution and the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

In 1991, the first novel award was presented in recognition of excellence in pressure distribution research. The novel award recipient was determined by an international review committee from the fields of biomechanics and medicine. The novel award for pressure distribution measurement research continued since then to be endowed by novel and the best scientific manuscript in the field of load distribution measurement will receive the 2010 novel award with a prize of $5,000.00. Prizes will also be offered for the best presentation and poster at the conference. Deadline for submission of abstracts is April 16, 2010. Click here for information on the submission of papers and abstracts

Providence Rhode Island provides the perfect setting for the next ESM meeting. Providence is the only U.S. city to be named one of the "Top Ten Up-and-Coming Travel Destinations" by the Wall Street Journal. Providence combines the accessibility and friendliness of a small town with the culture and sophistication of a big city. With a thriving arts community, vibrant and diverse neighborhoods and a renowned restaurant scene, Providence is the perfect place to visit. Providence Airport is approximately 20 minutes from the conference venue and attendees may take shuttles directly from the airport to the Hotel Providence. Attendees may also choose to fly into Boston Logan Airport. Boston airport is approximately 50 miles for the Hotel Providence. Providence is also a short train ride from many East Coast cities including New York City and Philadelphia.

We are very excited to welcome you to Providence and would hope to see many of you very soon.

Kind Regards,

Susan and Michael

Susan E. D'Andrea, Ph.D. – ESM2010 Local Host
Director, The Gait and Motion Analysis Laboratory
The Center for Restorative and Regenerative Medicine
Providence VA Medical Center
Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics (Research)
Department of Orthopaedics
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Michael M. Morlock, Ph.D. – ESM2010 Scientific Chair
Director, Institute for Biomechanics
TUHH Hamburg University of Technology
Germany