Keynote Speakers

Retrospective and prospects in structural mechanics and nonlinear dynamics

Reflections of a life, with topics, scholars, communities

After nearly half a century of intense development, nonlinear dynamics in mechanics has evolved into a well-defined discipline, with a comprehensive methodological and phenomenological framework. This significant maturation provides a timely opportunity to reflect on the field’s historical evolution and to identify the innovations necessary to keep it aligned with the cultural and technological demands of a rapidly changing society. This lecture serves as a witness of the progressive growth of the nonlinear dynamics community, seen through the lens of a structural mechanics researcher who has had the privilege of maintaining close connections with numerous scholars and emerging researchers over the past forty years. Framing personal thematic lines within four general phases of the development of nonlinear dynamics in mechanics, it is also intended to provide a tribute to those who have been pivotal in shaping the field—and can thus be regarded as ‘fathers’ of the discipline—as well as to numerous esteemed colleagues and friends. The main research trajectories and key contributors are mapped against an evolutionary framework that spans from classical to hybridized topics. Delving into the need to move from concepts and methods to new developments in which nonlinear dynamics is called to show its enormous potential for achieving goals in targeted technological contexts by harnessing nonlinear/global features and phenomena for a reliable engineering design, the discussion addresses challenges and future directions based on two key criteria: (i) Establishing connections with the foundational work of previous generations, highlighting how contemporary advances build upon past accomplishments; (ii) differentiating between challenges of intrinsic mechanical significance and the broader contributions that nonlinear dynamics can offer in the reliable modeling and effective control of various evolutionary phenomena, also extending beyond mechanical systems.

Bio-sketch: Giuseppe Rega is Professor Emeritus, Sapienza University of Rome. Past Chairman of EUROMECH Nonlinear Oscillations Conference Committee and Italian Association of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, member of CISM Scientific Council. Past EiC of Meccanica has been/is Advisor/AE/EBM of several archival journals. Organized scientific events within EUROMECH, IUTAM, ASME, NNM, CISM, and EURODYN. Plenary/Keynote Lecturer at many international conferences and academic institutions. Recipient of ASME Lyapunov Award (2017) and Ali H. Nayfeh Senior Award (2025). Honored with special issues of Nonlinear Dynamics and International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics at 60th and 70th birthday anniversaries. Contributions to cable nonlinear dynamics, nonlinear oscillations, bifurcation and chaos in applied mechanics and structural dynamics, reduced-order modeling, control of oscillations and chaos, exploitation of global dynamics for engineering safety, smart materials, coupled oscillators, thermomechanical problems, and structural architecture.

Green Energy: Technology and Perspectives based on Smart Materials

The increasing global energy demand and the environmental impacts associated with fossil fuel consumption emphasize the necessity of developing clean and renewable energy technologies. This lecture first outlines the urgency of sustainable energy utilization in response to energy shortages and ecological challenges. It then compares three primary energy conversion mechanisms—electrostatic, electromagnetic, and piezoelectric technologies—in terms of power density, transmission efficiency, structural integration, and economic cost, highlighting the advantages of piezoelectric materials in distributed energy harvesting. Finally, various smart-material-based structural designs for harvesting energy from ocean waves, wind, high-rise buildings, and vehicles are presented, demonstrating their effectiveness and application potential in sustainable and decentralized energy systems.

Bio-sketch: Professor Quan Wang currently serves as the executive president of Shantou University. In recognition of his outstanding academic contributions, he was elected to the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society of Canada in 2015 and 2016, respectively. He was awarded the Blaise Pascal Medal from the European Academy of Sciences in 2019. Professor Wang is also a fellow of several leading international professional societies, including the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In addition, he has served as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Mechanical Sciences. He is widely recognized as an influential scholar in the fields of energy harvesting, smart materials, and nanotechnology.