MecaNano General Meeting 2026

From April 27 to 29, Roma Tre University hosted the Final General Meeting of the MecaNano COST Action (CA21121), bringing together 120 researchers from across Europe and beyond for three days of scientific exchange on the mechanics of matter at the nanoscale.

The program covered the full spectrum of the field, with invited talks from internationally recognized experts including Prof. Verena Maier-Kiener (Montanuniversität Leoben), Dr. Brad Boyce (Sandia National Laboratories), Prof. Thomas Pardoen (UCLouvain), Prof. Nathan Mara (University of Minnesota), Dr. Julien Guénolé (CNRS), Prof. Marco Sebastiani (Roma Tre), Dr. Claus Trost (Austrian Academy of Sciences), and Dr. Jakob König (KAI – Infineon). Topics ranged from nanomechanical testing and small-scale mechanics to multiscale modelling and machine learning for materials science.

Our group was represented by M.Sc. Eireen Käkel and M.Sc. Basma Elsaka, who both took part in the poster sessions and scientific discussions. The warm Roman spring weather did its part too, encouraging the kind of spontaneous outdoor conversations that often matter just as much as the formal program.

A special thanks goes to Edoardo Rossi for the seamless organization of what was a truly memorable meeting. While the Rome gathering marked the conclusion of the COST Action funding, it was very much a celebration of a thriving community rather than a farewell - further meetings are already in the planning to keep the MecaNano network alive and active in the years to come.