Welcome to the new SOR website!
The Society of Rheology launched a new website in October 2025 at the 96th Annual Meeting in Santa Fe, NM .
The work began in 2023, when Past SoR President, Jonathan Rothstein began discussions and negotiations with American Institute of Physics (AIP) to host the website on their new digital experience platform (DXP). In fall 2024, with the contract secured, I joined the SoR web team, along with long-time webmaster, Albert Co, to begin working with AIP to migrate the content from the old website to the DXP. In parallel, we began designing the new website from the bottom up, starting with a fresh palette, bespoke architecture and carefully curated content based on anticipated and desired user journeys. Albert and I met with the AIP team several hours a week for the following year to get everything in place and to ensure I was trained to be able to continue to build, update and maintain the new website. Several members of the SoR Executive Committee also reviewed website drafts and provided critical feedback to ensure the website would be accessible and engaging to newcomers while continuing to provide the valuable content from the old website that members had come to rely on.
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In the January 1995 issue of Rheology Bulletin, then SoR President Robert C. Armstrong commented that he was looking for volunteers to create and maintain the website for The Society of Rheology. I responded and we met in Boston to go over the structures and plans for the website in the early summer of 1995. By the early fall of 1995, the SoR website was live at http://www.umecheme.maine.edu/sor. It was hosted at the server of the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Maine. By late 1999, SoR acquired the domain names rheology.org and societyofrheology.org. Later SoR also obtained the domain name rheology.com from a supportive company. The website continued to be hosted on a series of Chemical Engineering servers at the University of Maine until late 2025.
The early web pages were coded in HTML with a simple text editor. As server and web technologies advanced over the years, the hardware and software for the SoR website were updated accordingly. In order to support the activities of SoR members, I developed several web apps in conjunction with the use of SQL databases. These included the abstract submission and management web apps, the web apps for public access of meeting programs and abstracts, the meeting registration and management web apps, the member web app with searchable membership directory, the biennial election web app, and the constitution and rules amendment voting web app.
The new website features a new modern logo, also unveiled in 2025, and new color palette and font that aim to invite, engage and keep visitors–members and non-members alike–coming back to explore.
We aim to bring new folks into the fold while also providing valuable and timely resources for our members.
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The navigation pane takes users on a journey from simple curiosity about what rheology is (What is Rheology? ), to learning more about the society (Who Are We? ), to how to get involved (Get Involved ), become a member (Membership ) and join in our meetings (Meetings ), to learning about our awards and awardees (Awards ), and exploring society publications (Journal of Rheology ) and news (News ).
We also launched a monthly newsletter, News Flows , that features announcements, upcoming events, job opportunities, kudos, and other news from the SoR Executive Committee as well as SoR members. News Flows is sent via email to all members and then resides on the website for easy access and archiving. Members can contribute to the News Flows by posting their announcements on the new SoR Member Community - a virtual ecosystem where members can share useful information and resources, engage in discussions, post and search for job opportunities.
We designed and curated the architecture, content and ‘look’ and ‘feel’ of the website to highlight four themes that capture SoR’s unique ethos.
The Society of Rheology is…
…a vibrant, dynamic and forward-looking society that supports the next generation of rheologists and embraces the future of rheology. The homepage prominently displays the student-led Future of Rheology Virtual Seminars which now each have their own dedicated event page. The Art of Rheology page features artwork submitted by students and postdocs to the Gallery of Rheology contest and the popular Rheology Comics , also designed by student members. We revived our Industry Spotlights that feature interviews with SoR members in industry, discussing everything from how to successfully navigate a career in industry, to what inspires them, to their day-to-day responsibilities. Finally, we feature awards for students and postdocs, including the Student Poster Award , Postdoc Poster Award and Gallery of Rheology Contest.
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…a close-knit community that recognizes the unique identity and value of each of its members. We feature many photos, carousels and videos throughout the website that are refreshed often that feature members enjoying each other’s company at meetings and other events. Our Who Are We? page showcases the bios of all of our Executive Committee members and lists our other committee members and volunteers. To engage more of our members in Society activities, we launched a new Volunteer Form that members can complete to express their interest in volunteering for different SoR activities. Our Awards page highlights all of our awardees, from student poster awardees to Bingham Medalists , searchable by year and name to easily discover the amazing members who we have recognized over the years.
…proud of our rich history and values the traditions that have carried us through the years. We have a dedicated History page that highlights our rich history through newspaper clippings, Oral Histories and a Past Presidents Yearbook. We have all of the previous Meeting pages and Bulletins from over the years accessible for those wishing to dive into the past.
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…passionate about sharing the wonders of rheology with the world. Our What is Rheology? page is designed to draw passers-by in to discover how fun and accessible rheology is. We have our motto ‘Everything Flows’ translated into 80 different languages and feature links to several pages that explore the world of rheology in whimsical and educational ways. Rheology is Fun showcases the K-12 outreach activities we do and provides resources for educators. Rheology in the Kitchen features videos from the popular Soft Matter Kitchen and more fun with food and recipes. We prominently feature our Rheology Venture Fund projects that aim to engage more audiences in the rheology through projects ranging from Rheology Comics to DIY Rheology to special sessions at our annual meetings on Geology Rheology and Space Rheology.
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Do you have ideas on how to make the website even better? Do you want to get involved with website content generation and/or curation?
Reach out to Rae Robertson-Anderson at web_admin@rheology.org to share your thoughts and ideas!