Young Stress Analyst Competition 2008 

 Sponsored by

The BSSM Young Stress Analyst (YSA) competition is an annual competition that is intended to encourage and reward young practitioners in the field of experimental mechanics.

The next competition, sponsored by Airbus UK, AWE plc and Imetrum Non-Contact Precision Measurement will take place alongside the 6th BSSM International Conference on Advances in Experimental Mechanics, which will be held at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) London from 9-11th September 2008.

Competition format

• Entrants are invited to submit a 1000 word summary of their work, based on which 4 finalists will be selected by a review panel
• The 4 finalists will be asked to present their work at a special conference session where they will be judged by a panel of leading researchers from both industry and academia
• Other entries of merit will be invited to enter a separate poster competition
• The posters will be displayed during the special session and at the exhibition
• The winners will be announced, and prizes awarded at the conference dinner

Prizes

• The first prize winner of the YSA competition will receive Imetrum Non-Contact Precision Strain Measurement software and a cash prize of £200.
• The second  place entry will receive a £100 prize with £50 going to each of the other finalists.
• Each of the 4 YSA finalists will receive free conference registration, B&B accommodation, lunches and will be invited to attend the conference dinner free of charge
• The YSA winner will also receive free membership of the BSSM for one year, which includes issues of the journal ‘Strain’ and reduced fees to attend the BSSM’s technical and scientific workshops/seminars
• First  place in the poster competition will be awarded cash prize of £100
• All entries will receive a discount on the conference registration fee

Entries are welcome from

• Final year undergraduate (or equivalent) students
• MSc students
• PhD students who have not submitted their final thesis
• Young industry based personnel

Full allowance will be made for the varying levels of experience of the applicants; however all should be within five years of graduation.

Suitable entry topics

Strain measurement techniques, analysis and applications, including:

• Strain measurement during static, cyclic or impact loading
• Modal testing and structural analysis
• Instrument design/development Materials testing and quality control
• Design case studies
• Use of optical techniques
• Data acquisition and processing
• Comparison of experimental and analytical methods

How to enter

Write a summary of up to 1000 words, stating the objectives, main results/discussion and conclusions of your work, with a maximum of 6 figures/tables,

Complete an application form click here and email entry

The deadline for receipt of the entries is 1st July 2008

Selection Process

The competition judging panel will be comprised of experienced practitioners from industry and academia

The panel will select 4 finalists who will be notified by 1st August 2008 and invited to the conference to present their work

Other entries of merit will be invited to compete in a poster competition

For more information contact: The BSSM Tel/fax: 01865 283268 email: info@bssm.org

2007 Young Stress Analyst Competition Winners

• First Prize - Andrew Conway, University of Sheffield (pictured right) Second Prize - Matthias Schallert, Federal Institute for Materials Research & Testing, Berlin
• Runner Up - Tarun Kumar Sharma, London South Bank University
• Runner Up - Juan Pablo Casas-Rodriguez, Loughborough University
• Poster Competition
• First Prize - Richard Fruehmann, University of Southampton
• Runner Up - Vivien Schlueter, Federal Institute for Materials Research & Testing, Berlin

"Taking part in the YSA competition has been a really beneficial experience and one that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone thinking about entering. The competition was a great opportunity to generate interest in my research and to meet experts from academia and industry working in the field. Winning the competition has also given me the confidence and motivation to tackle the final year of my PhD."  

Poster Competition

• First Prize - Richard Fruehmann, University of Southampton
• Runner Up - Vivien Schlueter, Federal Institute for Materials Research & Testing, Berlin