Report from Austin: 95th SoR Annual Meeting
The 95th Annual Meeting of The Society of Rheology was held from October 12 to 17, 2024, in the heart of Texas, at the Austin Marriott Downtown. The technical program was curated by Technical Program Chairs Kendra Erk and Safa Jamali, and local arrangements were coordinated by Organizing Chair Roger Bonnecaze, with valuable support from Susie Winfield and Andy Kraynik.
Set against the vibrant city of Austin—renowned for its music, food, tech, and welcoming atmosphere—the meeting attracted over 450 attendees from 21 countries, with the farthest travelers joining from Singapore.
The meeting was an overwhelming success, offering a dynamic forum to share the latest advancements in rheology, recognize the achievements of outstanding members, and mentor the next generation of scholars and practitioners. This success was made possible through the dedicated efforts of all organizers and enthusiastic participation by the community. Some of the highlights of the meeting include:
SoR President Jonathan Rothstein presenting Lilian Hsiao with Metzner Award.
• Short Courses. Two well-attended short courses organized by Matt Helgeson: LAOS Rheology - a start-to-finish guide (Instructor: Simon Rogers) and Automated Rheology and Application to Multi-methods Measurements (Instructors: Jeff Richards, Thibaut Divoux).
• Rheology Research Symposium led by Katie Weigandt. This symposium brought together students and professionals for insightful discussions on career development in the field of rheology.
• Community Engagement. Our dedicated student members, under the guidance of Jim Gilchrist, introduced rheology to children at the Austin Thinkery, inspiring curiosity in the next generation.
President of SoR Jonathan Rothstein presents Bingham Medal to Michael Graham.
• Student Trivia Night. A rheology-themed trivia night at Central District Brewing provided a setting for networking and camaraderie among graduate students and postdocs. The event was organized by Arshiya Bhadu and Elise Chen.
• Plenary Talks. Karen Daniels and Douglas Jerolmack gave an exciting talk on the Rheology of granular matter on Earth and in the solar system. Matteo Pasquali delivered a compelling talk on The nexus of materials, energy, and carbon dioxide—and how rheology is impacting it.
• Named Lectures. Michael Graham delivered an inspiring Bingham Lecture on Data-driven and physics-aware microstruc- tural modeling of flowing complex fluids. Lilian Hsiao gave an engaging Metzner Lecture titled Seeing is believing: Confocal rheometry of colloidal gels and suspensions.
• Technical Program. Spanning three and a half days, the technical program featured over 400 talks covering the breadth of rheology organized by an outstanding team of session chairs.
• Special Symposia. Space Applications and Low-Gravity Research organized by Norman Wagner, Thomas Voigtmann, and Olfa D’Angelo and The Future of Rheology organized by Matt Helgeson, Chunzi Liu, and Arman Ghaffarzadeh.
• Social and Networking Events. An authentic Texas bar- becue at Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden, generously sponsored by TA Instruments, kicked off the meeting with a delicious and relaxed gathering. The following day the Bingham Medal Reception and Banquet, emceed by SoR President Jonathan Rothstein, was a celebratory highlight. Bingham Medalist Michael Graham and Metzner Awardee Lilian Hsiao were honored in memo- rable fashion. Several esteemed members were inducted as SoR Fellows, including: Eric Furst, Christian Clasen, Albert Co, Norman Wagner, Michael Rubinstein, Brian Edwards, Michel Cloitre, Carlos López-Barrón, Michael Graham, Marie-Claude Heuzey, Julia Kornfield, and Gareth McKinley
• The 2024 Journal of Rheology Publication Award was presented to Norbert Willenbacher, Claude Oelschlaeger, Jonas Marten, and Florian Péridont for their article Imaging of the microstructure of Carbopol dispersions and correlation with their macroelasticity: A micro- and macrorheological study by JoR editor Dimitris Vlassopoulos.
• The 2023 Walters Prize from the Journal of Non- Newtonian Fluid Mechanics was presented to Fenghui Lin, Jiaxing Song, Zhiye Zhao, Nansheng Liu, Xi-Yun Lu, Bamin Khomami (Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics 312, 2023, 104968) by the journal editors-in- chief Robert Poole and Ian Frigaard
The Poster Session and Gallery of Rheology Reception, generously sponsored by Anton Paar, was one of the most vibrant and well-attended in SoR history, fostering dynamic exchange and collaboration
Closing Reflections - Participants left the meeting energized—with new research ideas, collaborations, and friendships old and new. Many departed with the sense of belonging to a thriving, supportive community, and perhaps a few with plans to return to Austin to catch what they missed the first time.
SoR Fellows at the 2024 Austin Annual Meeting Front: Evelyne van Ruymbeke, Charles Schroeder, Eric Furst*, Christian Clasen*, Jan Vermant, Paulo de Souza Mendes, Albert Co*, Norman Wagner*, Gerald Fuller, John Brady, Gregory McKenna, Andy Kranik, Michael Rubinstein*, Morton Denn and John Tsamopoulos.
Rear: Brian Edwards*, Michel Cloitre*, Jeff Morris, Carlos López Barrón*, Christopher Macosko, Ian Frigaard, Bamin Khomami, Michael Graham*, Marie-Claude Heuzey*, Eric Shaqfeh, Julia Kornfield*, Antony Beris, Anne Grillet, Kalman Migler, Gareth McKinley*, Steven Hudson, Dimitris Vlassopoulos, Roger Bonnecaze, Emanuela Del Gado, and Peter Olmsted.
* Class of 2024
Photo courtesy of Roger Bonnecaze.