New Horizons In Structural Mechanics, Elasticity and Homogenization

Lucca, July 28-31, 2025

Description

The field of structural and solid mechanics and homogenization has witnessed exciting advancements in recent years, driven by the possibility of designing materials on the basis of ensembles of structural elements. This event, New Horizons in Structural Mechanics, Elasticity, and Homogenization, aims to explore the latest developments in these interconnected fields, shedding light on the cutting-edge techniques and applications shaping the future of engineering and design. Topics will include the role of architected and smart materials, metamaterials, metastructures, and adaptive structures, advancements in nonlinear elasticity, and multiscale homogenization techniques. The event will bring together experts to discuss new theoretical, computational and experimental methods, and the potential of advanced materials in creating more efficient and optimized structures. Participants will gain insights into how these emerging trends are revolutionizing structural systems, enabling innovations in aerospace, civil and mechanical engineering, biomechanics, and beyond. This event offers a unique opportunity to engage with pioneering work at the intersection of mechanics, materials science, and technology, setting the stage for the next generation of engineering solutions.

The event will also be an opportunity to celebrate the 85th birthday of Professor John R. Willis

The program will feature 40 invited lectures (30 minutes for each presentation, including time for questions and answers) delivered by internationally recognized researchers. The participation of up to 40 young scholars presenting posters during coffee and lunch breaks will be fostered by waiving their participation fees. Priority will be given to female resarchers and a best poster award will be conferred at the end of the congress.

Venue

The workshop will take place at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca (Piazza San Francesco 19, Lucca, Italy), from July 28 to July 31, 2025.

By car

Lucca is situated on the highway that connects Florence to Pisa and Versilia, called "Autostrada A11 Firenze-Mare". If you land in Florence or Pisa airports, please follow A11 directions.

The nearest highway exit to the IMT Campus is "Lucca-Est". You can leave your car at the Mazzini underground parking (Via dei Bacchettoni, reachable from Porta Elisa).

By train

The Lucca Train Station is located in Piazzale Ricasoli. It is directly connected to the main Tuscan cities such as Pisa and Florence. San Francesco Complex is easily reachable by foot from the Train Station.

You can check connections with Pisa, Florence and Viareggio on the Trenitalia website.

By airplane from Pisa

The nearest airport to Lucca is the Galileo Galilei Internation Airport of Pisa.
Pisa Airport – Pisa Centrale Railway Station: transfer provided by the Pisa Mover Shuttle service every 10 minutes and a journey time of about 5 minutes. At the Airport, the stop is located just outside the check-in area. At the Pisa Centrale Railway Station, the stop is located close to platform 14, from which you can easily reach the other platforms and station’s main entrance.

Trains to Lucca depart from Pisa Centrale Railway Station. See Trenitalia website for timetables. Direct trains are Regional trains, the journey takes a bit more than 30 minutes. Trains are less frequent at weekends, check on the Trenitalia website.

The CoTaPi taxi company is also available at Pisa Airport. A taxi from Pisa Airport to Lucca center could cost around € 50.00 and would take about 30 minutes.

By airplane from Florence

The School can also be reached from the Amerigo Vespucci International Airport of Florence, see .

On Sundays, one has to take the tramline T2 from the Airport to Santa Maria Novella Railway Station in Florence (approx. 25 minutes) and then a train to Lucca (see Trenitalia website for timetables).

On weekdays, one could take the tramline T2 from the Airport to the Guidoni stop (approx. 5 minutes) and then a direct coach to Lucca (see the timetable of the coach service operated by Autolinee Toscane).

Otherwise, the easiest way to reach IMT from the Florence Airport is by taxi. You can catch a taxi from just outside the airport for an approximate cost of € 100.

Program at a glance

Tentative program:

July 27 (Sunday), after 6 p.m.: registration of invited lecturers and welcome reception

July 28 (Monday)

8.30 a.m.: participants' registration

8.45 a.m.: opening addresses

9.00 a.m. - 10.30 a.m.: invited lectures

10.30 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.: coffee break

11.00 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.: invited lectures

12.30 p.m. - 1.30 p.m.: lunch break

1.30 p.m. - 3.00 p.m.: invited lectures

3.00 p.m. - 3.30 p.m.: coffee break

3.30 p.m. - 5.00 p.m.: invited lectures

July 29 (Tuesday)

8.30 a.m. - 10.30 a.m.: invited lectures

10.30 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.: coffee break

11.00 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.: invited lectures

12.30 p.m. - 1.30 p.m.: lunch break

1.30 p.m. - 3.00 p.m.: invited lectures

3.00 p.m. - 3.30 p.m.: coffee break

3.30 p.m. - 4.30 p.m.: invited lectures

4:30 p.m.: cultural visit

July 30 (Wednesday)

8.30 a.m. - 10.30 a.m.: invited lectures

10.30 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.: coffee break

11.00 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.: invited lectures

12.30 p.m. - 1.30 p.m.: lunch break

1.30 p.m. - 3.00 p.m.: invited lectures

3.00 p.m. - 3.30 p.m.: coffee break

3.30 p.m. - 5.00 p.m.: invited lectures

8.00 p.m.: working dinner

July 31 (Thursday)

9.30 a.m. - 10.30 a.m.: invited lectures

10.30 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.: coffee break

11.00 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.: invited lectures

12.30 p.m. - 1.30 p.m.: lunch break

1.30 p.m. - 3.00 p.m.: round tables

3.00 p.m. - 3.30 p.m.: best poster award

3.30 p.m. - 4.00 p.m.: closing address

Posters will be displayed during coffee and lunch breaks.

Organizers

Davide Bigoni, University of Trento, Italy
Francesco Dal Corso, University of Trento, Italy
Norman A. Fleck, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Marco Paggi, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy

Invited lecturers

Basile Audoly, CNRS & Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France
Ferdinando Auricchio, University of Pavia, Italy
Lorenzo Bardella, University of Brescia, Italy
Katia Bertoldi, Harvard University, USA
Davide Bigoni, University of Trento, Italy
Francesco Dal Corso, University of Trento, Italy
Luca Deseri, University of Trento, Italy
Vikram Deshpande, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Walter J. Drugan, University of Wisconsin, USA
Norman A. Fleck, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Samuel Forest, Mines Paris PSL, France
Massimiliano Fraldi, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
Huajian Gao, Tsinghua University, China
Yonggang Huang, Northwestern University, USA
John W. Hutchinson, Harvard University, USA
Jean-Baptiste Leblond, Sorbonne Université, France
Robert M. McMeeking, University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Graeme W. Milton, The University of Utah, USA
Gennady Mishuris, Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom
Alexander Movchan, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
Natasha Movchan, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
Alan Needleman, Brown University, USA
Sebastien Neukirch, Sorbonne University & CNRS, Paris, France
Christian F. Niordson, Denmark Technical University, Denmark
Giovanni Noselli, SISSA – International School for Advanced Studies, Italy
Marco Paggi, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy
Anna Pandolfi, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Sergio Pellegrino, California Institute of Technology, USA
Paolo Podio-Guidugli, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Roma, Italy
Pedro Pedro Ponte Castañeda, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Nicola M. Pugno, University of Trento, Italy
Enrico Radi, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
Gianni Royer Carfagni, University of Parma, Italy
Gal Shmuel, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
Valery Smyshlyaev, University College London, United Kingdom
Pierre Suquet, CNRS Centrale Marseille, France
John Willis, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Acknowledgements

Lodging to the invited lecturers and conference facilities have been provided by the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca in cooperation with Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca, which are gratefully acknowledged
European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, Grant agreement No. ERC-ADG-2021-101052956-BEYOND

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