American Medal for University of Groningen Materials Researcher

Erik van der Giessen, professor of the micromechanics research group of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials of the University of Groningen has been awarded the Koiter Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers .

Van der Giessen has been awarded the medal for his work on materials research. He has developed mathematical models to predict the behaviour of metal plates under tension. They are important for various sectors, including the automobile industry. In addition, he has developed models to simulate the mechanical behaviour of very tiny objects. ‘When you study very tiny objects, smaller than a micrometre, everything is suddenly very different’, says Van der Giessen. ‘The smaller an object is, the more difficult it is to permanently distort it. Theories on material behaviour used not to be able to explain that.’

The Koiter Medal was established in 1996 and is awarded once a year to people who have made an important contribution to solid-state mechanics, in particular for work combining practical and theoretical aspects. The prize is named after the Dutch mechanical engineer Warner T. Koiter, who played an important role in the development of the Dutch air and space industry after the Second World War.

Erik van der Giessen will be presented with the prize ($ 2,000 and a bronze medal) during the 2012 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition , which runs from 9-15 November in Houston, Texas.

Read more on Van der Giessen’s research