The concept for this homepage grew out of a recent MPATHE (Mechanics of Plants, Animals, and THeir Environments) symposium sponsored by the United Engineering Foundation. The symposium, which focused on the Mechanics of Plants, Animals, and Their Environments (MPATHE), served as a venue for discussion among a wide range of scientists (biologists, engineers, mathematicians, physicists) interested in what has been traditionally referred to as comparative biomechanics.  Among the conclusions of the symposium were: (1) the desire to hold additional symposia and conferences; (2) the suggestion of forming an informal association; and (3) the need to foster continued discussion among attendees and the larger community of like-minded researchers.  The BEMS homepage is one of the outcomes of those discussions.

Participants of the MPATHE Symposium, Santa Barbara, CA, January 1998.
(Photo Credit: Frank Schmidt)

• The First International MPATHE Symposium, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, January 1998.
• The Second International MPATHE Symposium - Sensors and Sensing in the Natural and Fabricated Worlds, Barga, Italy, June 2000.