Message from Chair 2025

Dear BSSM Member,

First of all, I would like to wish you a very Happy New Year from all of us at the British Society for Strain Measurement (BSSM). We had a fantastic year in 2024 with the breadth of topics and activities from across the Society proving as popular as ever. From training opportunities to specialised workshops as well as our annual conference, this time hosted by the University of Liverpool, again drawing a very high number of delegates with excellent research to share.

2024 also marked the 60th anniversary of the BSSM! This was a significant milestone in the history of our Society which we acknowledged throughout the year at our events and meetings and especially so at our 60th Anniversary Showcase kindly hosted by Airbus in Bristol back in November. There is so much that has changed over the decades with the advancements in experimental mechanics techniques, technology as well as computational methods, and how they are used and integrated into everyday activity across industry and academia. There are also those important qualities and practices that have been maintained throughout from the beginning, for instance, with the application of strain gauges and dissemination of best practice. The first edition of the Society Journal, STRAIN, was released at the end of the first year of the Society's founding. The 60th Anniversary is being marked with a special issue in STRAIN to capture the growth and advancements in the field as well as the fantastic contributions over the years from our members - this is due to be published in 2025.

In terms of events, we have a full programme planned for 2025, It is fantastic to see the founding principles of the BSSM remain and our activities and reach has grown and flourished in these 60 years. I would like to take this opportunity to share some of the forthcoming events already in the calendar for 2025.

Our Workshop on Experimental Mechanics, at the University of Bristol, is an established and well attended annual course, which will take place during Jan and Feb. It includes weekly online lectures from 16th Jan and a 2.5 day in-person lab-based component in the week commencing 17th Feb. This is a fantastic training opportunity to learn advanced experimental mechanics methods including non-contact imaging and non-destructive evaluation techniques as well as combination methods to study structures.

We are also organising one-day workshops on topics including: "The Measurement of Residual Stress using Laboratory Based X-Ray Diffraction Instruments - Follow up" at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) on 7th May 2025, and a special workshop marking "25 Years of the Contour Method for Residual Stress Mapping" at The Open University on 27th Feb 2025. Details of all our events can be found at www.bssm.org/events. We have had fantastic feedback from across the Society in highlighting areas of interest and need. Therefore, there are plenty more themes for upcoming events to look forward to.

The BSSM's 19th International Conference on Advances in Experimental Mechanics will take place at Imperial College London from 2nd – 4th September 2025, chaired by Prof Catrin Davies. The conference will bring together internationally leading researchers across a wide range of disciplines in both academia and industry, to exchange ideas and discuss new research. Conference highlights include the Annual Exhibition of Experimental Mechanics (EMex25), which will be held during the conference, where exhibitors can introduce themselves to our conference delegates. Corporate members can benefit from reduced rates for exhibiting and free of charge inserts in our conference delegate bags. Please contact info@bssm.org for further information. Other conference highlights include the BSSM's Young Stress Analyst Competition (YSA), the Measurements Lecture, the Fylde Strain Best Paper Lecture and two additional Keynote Lectures.
For early career researchers, we also have our Postgraduate Experimental Mechanics (PGEM) meeting. It is envisaged that the 9th PGEM meeting will take place alongside the main conference at Imperial College London this year - more details soon. This is a fantastic opportunity for early career researchers to network and develop their skills in a relaxed environment.

Our training, certification courses and exams on strain gauging continue to be extremely popular with extra training and assessment sessions needing to be booked in with our Certification Committee. Dates for 2025 are now available here. There are a host of courses, workshops and events in the events calendar that can enhance your continuing professional development, knowledge, and awareness across experimental mechanics techniques.

Membership renewals for 2025 will be sent out shortly, I hope you will once again continue your support of the BSSM.

As a BSSM member you would receive benefits including reduced rates for attending BSSM and co-sponsored events. There are also a host of other benefits, a full list can be found at www.bssm.org/membership. We also welcome members' views and involvement.

Please continue to promote our events to your contacts. Your support for continued engagement across the community is vital to ensure advancement and maintenance of good experimental mechanics practice and knowledge exchange. I wish you all the best for 2025 and look forward to seeing you soon.

Best wishes,

Professor Daniel Mulvihill

BSSM Chair