Robert J. Melosh Medal

Presented annually to the best student paper on finite element analysis

Robert J. Melosh

Since 1989, the Robert J. Melosh Medal Competition has provided a forum for young engineers and researchers to present their work to and interact with leaders in the field of computational mechanics.

The award honors Prof. Melosh—a pioneering researcher in finite element methods and former chair of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Duke. The Melosh Medal was established in view of his body of work, and aims to reflect his dedication to the education of engineers.

The names of winners are inscribed on a plaque displayed in Hudson Hall.

2020 Contest

A virtual 31st Annual Robert J. Melosh Medal Competition for the Best Student Paper on Finite Element Analysis will be held remotely on Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23, 2020.

The hosts are Professor Guglielmo Scovazzi and Professor Johann Guilleminot of the Duke Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

The opening address will begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT (-4:00 UTC) on Oct. 22, followed by presentations by the two judges:

  • Professor Omar Ghattas
    Oden Institute for Computational Science & Engineering
    Departments of Geological Sciences & Mechanical Engineering
    The University of Texas at Austin
  • Peter Wriggers
    Institute for Continuum Mechanics
    Leibniz Universitat Hannover

Finalist presentations will take place starting at 9:00 a.m. EDT, Oct. 23, 2020.

The winner will receive the Robert J. Melosh Plaque, Medal and a $500 prize.

Finalists will be given the opportunity to prepare a full-length manuscript for inclusion in the journal Finite Elements in Analysis and Design.

The Prize

  • The Robert J. Melosh Medal
  • $500 honorarium

The Competition

Phase 1: Review

Extended abstracts are submitted.

Abstracts are then reviewed by a panel of distinguished researchers in computational mechanics.

Phase 2: Symposium

The top five papers are selected as finalists, and their student authors are invited to participate in a symposium at Duke.

How to Enter

Answer our Call for Papers:

cALL FOR PAPERS

Winners

2019

Dewen Yushu

University of Notre Dame

Previous

2018

  • Andreas Krischok, Stanford University
  • Vidyasagar, California Institute of Technology

2017

  • Heng Chi, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Matthias Mayr, Technical University of Munich

2016

  • Maruti Kumar Mudunuru, University of Houston

2015

  • Maurizio Chiaramonte, Stanford University

2014

  • Phani Motamarri, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

2013

  • Ju Liu, University of Texas, Austin

2011

  • Daniel Hurtado, Caltech

2010

  • Phanish Suryanarayana, Caltech

2009

  • Robert B. Gracie, Northwestern University

2008

  • Ludovic Chamoin, ENS de Cachan
  • Irina Kalashnikova, Stanford University

2007

  • Michael Hain, Leibniz University Hannover
  • Vikram Gavini, Caltech

2006

  • Honayoun Heidari, North Carolina State University

2005

  • Mahmoud I. Hussein, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

2004

  • Juan Pablo Pontaza, Texas A&M University

2003

  • Prasanna Raghavan, Ohio State University

2002

  • Ulrich Hetmaniuk, University of Colorado, Boulder

2001

  • Xiaonong Meng, Duke University

2000

  • Aleksander Czekanski, University of Toronto

1999

  • John E. Dolbow, Northwestern University

1998

  • Serge Prudhomme, University of Texas, Austin

1997

  • Jerome M. Solberg, University of California, Berkeley

1996

  • David C. Winkler, University of Connecticut

1995

  • Victor G. Oancea, Duke University
  • James R. Stewart, Stanford University

1994

  • Jinmiao Zhang, Ohio State Univerisity

1993

  • Bhaskar Joshi, University of Saskatchewan

1992

  • C.R. Swaminathan, University of Minnesota

1991

  • Alonso Pena, I.T.E.S.M. Monterrey, Mexico
  • Juan B. Sainz, I.T.E.S.M. Monterrey, Mexico

1990

  • Ricardo F. Barbosa, University of Illinois

1989

  • H. Allison Smith, Duke University
  • R.G. Wan, University of Alberta