Through the leadership of professors Paolo Gardoni and Arif Masud, CEE at Illinois served as host institution for the 2024 Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference and Probabilistic Mechanics and Reliability Conference (EMI/PMC). The joint conference brought together the brightest minds in engineering and probabilistic mechanics for three days of presentations and discussion of cutting-edge research from across the globe.
The conference, which ran May 28-31, took place in downtown Chicago at the Palmer House Hilton. Instead of hosting on the U of I campus, Gardoni and Masud chose Chicago as an alternate location, as it offered a more centralized location for attendees traveling domestically and internationally.
“The conference had over 1,000 registered participants from around the world including some of the most established and renowned scholars, rising stars, and very talented students,” Gardoni said, “The participation was record high.”
Headlining the three days of programming were five keynote addresses delivered by University of Colorado Boulder professor Ross Corotis, MIT professor Oral Buyukozturk, Stanford University professor Anne S. Kiremidjian, Northwestern University professor Julio Ottino, and Rice University professor Jamie Padgett. The joint conference also featured the presentation of the EMI annual awards, recognizing the outstanding achievements of the top students and scholars in the field of engineering mechanics.
Unique to this year’s conference was the Recruitment and Company Showcase. An idea implemented by Gardoni and Masud, this event invited companies, recruiters, and other attendees to set up booths exhibiting their products and services. Its inclusion in the program proved successful not only in connecting industry professionals, but more importantly creating networking opportunities for bright, up-and-coming students.
Overall, the CEE at Illinois-led EMI/PMC provided an exciting platform for the exchange of ideas among engineering mechanics professionals. The conference ran smoothly, thanks to the efforts and support of CEE faculty, students, and staff, and brought significant exposure to the pioneering research taking place across CEE at Illinois, The Grainger College of Engineering (which was also one of the conference sponsors), and the entire university. This particular outcome is a point of pride for Gardoni, whose goals for the conference included not only advancing the mission of EMI but bringing recognition to the innovative and collaborative spirit of engineering at Illinois.
“The conference was a great success, something current and future generations of faculty will always remember,” Gardoni said. “The event also showed how faculty, students, and staff at Illinois can work together to do something remarkable.”