Physics Today in partnership with The SOR present:
Soft Matter Mechanics of Major League Baseball’s Rubbing Mud
Shravan Pradeep, Douglas J. Jerolmack, and Paulo E. Arratia, Univ. of Penn.
and Alex Lopatka Editor, Physics Today April 22, 2026 | 11am EDT
For nearly a century, Major League Baseball has relied on a peculiar tradition: rubbing every new baseball with mud harvested from a secret location along a New Jersey river. While this practice has been trusted by players and umpires alike, the scientific basis for why this particular mud works has remained a mystery…
Click for info and to register: Major League Baseball’s Rubbing Mud
Future of Rheology Seminar Reminder
Hugo Castillo Sanchez, FAMU-FSU College of EngineeringSuspension balance modelling of microcirculatory blood flows capturing cell free layer
Sara Daryoush, Penn StateShear-induced nematic alignment in polysulfone melts
Thursday, April 30th, 2026, from 1–2:00 PM EDT.
SOR Annual Meeting: Submit your abstract!
Abstract Deadlines:Oral (May 15 );Poster and Gallery of Rheology (Aug. 14)
Boston in Fall
Click here for Abstract and 97th Meeting Info
Rheology Research Symposium
The RRS aims to provide mentoring and professional development opportunities to students within SOR. The SoR Rheology Research Symposium (RRS) will take place October 24-25, 2026, immediately before the 97th Annual SoR Meeting held. All RRS participants are eligible to receive travel grants to offset the costs of attending the RRS and the Annual Meeting. Application portal is now open. Spots are limited...
RRS, Austin
For application and further info. Rheology Research Symposium
VISA Letters
If you need a letter of invitation to apply for a VISA to attend the October SOR meeting in Boston, please contact Kalman Migler, as soon as possible at: secretary@rheology.org
Rheology Venture Fund Reminder
Do you have ideas on how we can increase our membership, bring rheology to kids, engage industry or be more inclusive? We are seeking your ideas to support our values and mission. The Rheology Venture Fund has $30k available to fund two to four ventures. Short proposal and budget are due April 17, 2026
More Information
Past Projects
Students in Spotlight
Bulletin article: The Society of Rheology (SOR) community thrives when its student members and early-career researchers are engaged and encouraged. Over the past year, a range of student-led activities has been organized under the support of SoR…. Student Affairs Report - 2025
Meet the new SoR Communications Liaison and Student Representative
Elise Chen and Jiye Lee join the SoR leadership team as the inaugural Communications Liason
and new Executive Committee Student Representative
Meet the new SoR Communications Liaison and Student Representative
Rheology
At The Peter Jay Sharp Theater, New York City, April 14 - May 16, 2026
(Finally, a play about Rheology!)
Bulbul Chakraborty
Written and directed by Shayok Misha Chowdhury,in collaboration with Professor Bulbul Chakraborty (Brandeis University) The Reviews are in! From Theatermania.com“…Chakraborty and son exude a special kind of chemistry that instantly charms the audience…It’s beautiful. It’s ridiculous. It’s unexpectedly moving…”
Use promo code RHEOSOR for tickets at a 20% discount for the Society of Rheology to attend the Post Performance Talk Back scheduled for April 24th or any performance up to May 2nd! There are only 15 tickets available on a first come first serve basis. Rheology - Playwrights Horizons
‘Round the Globe
Upcoming rheology meetings: from Boston, to Kraków, Guangzhou, Naples, Samos, Vancouver, San Diego and beyond…
Globe from space
Kudos to the winners of the 2026 Rheologica Acta Publication Award!
A two-axes shear cell for rheo-optics, Chiara Marraffa, Stefano Aime
RhAc_2026_Publication_Award.
Volunteer to support SOR!
Are you interested in getting involved with the SOR? We have many volunteer opportunities for members at all career stages, interests and abilities. Opportunities include: Organizing, chairing sessions, poster judging, public engagement, education...
We encourage all SoR members to contribute to News Flows through SOR Member Community the SoR Member Community
Haven’t joined the Member Community yet? Accept this invitation
to join the conversation! Put in your job postings, meeting announcements, etc.
Submit by the end of the month to be included in the next months NewsFlows
Do not reply directly to this email - it is not monitored. To communicate directly with the Secretary of the Society of Rheology Secretary, Kalman Migler, use secretary@rheology.org
The Journal of Rheology is the premier journal for advances in rheological research, methods and applications