Society of Engineering Science conference returns to Purdue in October 2026

The Society of Engineering Science is coming home! Founded at Purdue University in 1963, their annual technical meeting is returning to West Lafayette on October 11-14, 2026, and abstract submissions are now open.

The Society of Engineering Science Technical Meeting, coming to Purdue in October 2026, is held annually to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas and information among the various disciplines of engineering and the physical and life sciences as well as mathematics.

Register for SES2026 today!

Society of Engineering Science (SES) promotes the development and strengthening of the interfaces between various disciplines in engineering, science, and mathematics. Founded in 1963 by Purdue professor A.C. Eringen, the organization has gathered in person every year for more than six decades. Their next conference takes place at Purdue's West Lafayette campus October 11-14, 2026.

The 2026 conference's co-chairs are both professors in the School of Mechanical Engineering: Thomas Siegmund and Kejie Zhao. "We're excited to welcome engineers and scientists from around the world, and bring this conference back to where it all started," said Zhao.

The conference is now welcoming abstract submissions in seven different scientific tracks: Biomechanics and Biomaterials; Composites and Advanced Manufacturing; Advanced Materials; Instability, Fracture, and Fatigue; Fluid Mechanics, Granular and Porous Media, and Complex Fluids; New Frontiers in Mechanics; and special symposia for medalists and award winners.

It All Started Here

SES founder A.C. Eringen originally came to Purdue in 1953 as a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering. He wanted to foster cooperation and discussion among scientists and engineers of diverse backgrounds.  As a result, in November 1963 he welcomed to Purdue's campus more than 400 physicists, chemists, mathematicians, and engineers from around the world, and from all types of specializations. One of the featured speakers was Vladimir Zworykin, inventor of the cathode ray tube for television.

"His vision was that engineers and scientists of all kinds could have a free exchange of information and ideas," said Siegmund, who has served as past president of SES.  "And I'm happy to say that SES has carried that mission forward to this day."

The first SES meeting in 1963 brought together notable guests from the worlds of engineering and science, including Vladimir Zworykin, who invented the cathode ray tube for television. (Left to right: A.C. Eringen, Purdue; V.K. Zworykin, RCA; S. Chandrasekhar, University of Chicago; C.F. Curtiss, University of Wisconsin; L.V. Kline, IBM; Paula Feuer, Purdue; S.L. Koh, Purdue; A.E. Green, Kings College, Newcastle.)

Important Dates

  • Open for mini-symposium submission: Nov. 1, 2025
  • Deadline for mini-symposium submission: Jan. 12, 2026
  • Open for abstract submission: Feb.11, 2026
  • Deadline for abstract submission: May 1, 2026
  • Open for early registration: June 1, 2026
  • Open for Regular registration: Sept 1, 2026
  • Late registration: Oct. 1, 2026

Register today!