During the biennial ICEM-conference, it is tradition to award some individuals for their outstanding contribution to ‘experimental mechanics’ and for their good service to the society. Typically, the following awards are presented:

The HONORARY MEMBER AWARD,  is the highest honor EuraSEM may grant an individual who has made outstanding contributions to one of EuraSEM’s designated fields of interest and additionally has rendered exceptional service to the society over a sustained period of time. The recipient of this award is classified as an executive affiliate with life membership.

The ROBERT HOOKE AWARD  is among the highest honors EuraSEM presents to an individual for outstanding scientific and engineering achievements in the field of experimental mechanics. Recipients of this award need not to be member of EuraSEM.

Robert Hooke, one of the greatest experimental scientists of the seventeenth century, played an important role in the scientific revolution. Among other things he discovered Hooke’s law of elasticity, which describes the linear variation of tension with extension in an elastic spring. According to R. Hooke: “The power of any springy body is in the same proportion with the extension.”

The PERICLES THEOCARIS AWARD is granted for outstanding contributions in the field of optical methods within the broad field of experimental mechanics. Recipients of this award need not to be member of euraSEM.

P.S. Theocaris was one of the most outstanding experimental stress analysts in the world during the second half of the twentieth century. He was member of the Academy of Athens, the most prestigious distinction in Greece, served as corresponding or, foreign member to other Academies in Europe and was recipient of many awards and distinctions. He was the Greek representative to EURASEM for many years. As an experimentalist, he is known primarily for his work in moiré, photoelasticity and caustics.

The AWARD OF MERIT is presented to an individual who has demonstrated both technical excellence in experimental mechanics and good service to EuraSEM.