Editor’s Note

When asked whether I would be interested of becoming the editor of the Journal of Engineering Mechanics of ASCE, I was flattered but hesitant in view of my current engagements. In fact, this took place at a time when early retirement became an option at the University of Colorado—Boulder and when another challenging opportunity to develop a computational mechanics program at the University of Houston appeared out of the blue. I reconsidered my initial decision after getting assurance of the support of the University of Houston to allocate time and energy to the editorship of JEM.

I am honored to have been asked by the Board of Governors of the ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI) to serve as editor of the Journal of Engineering Mechanics with its rich tradition. I realize that it will be a challenge to follow the steps of my able predecessors who succeeded in expanding the readership and diversifying the scope of JEM while increasing the Journal’s scholarly standard in the face of an onslaught of new journals in engineering mechanics and its multiple subdisciplines.

May I take this opportunity to thank Professor Ross Corotis and Provost Stein Sture at the University of Colorado—Boulder for their dedication and spirited efforts over the last $20\text{years}$ to turn the JEM into an ASCE journal worthy of the legacy of Isaac Newton, whose image is on its cover. On behalf of the JEM, I intend to continue their gallant efforts and work with our editorial board, the Board of Governors of EMI, and, of course, with the publication team at ASCE Headquarters.

It goes without saying I very much look forward to a fruitful cooperation with all future contributors and readers of JEM.