| description abstract | Each year, the associate editors of the ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering identify the most meritorious papers published in the Journal in the previous calendar year. An external committee then selects the best paper of the year from this list of Editors' Choice papers. The authors of this paper are the recipients of the Richard Skalak Award, named after an early leader within the ASME Bioengineering community. Richard Skalak (1923–1997) played a leadership role in the formative decades of the discipline of biomedical engineering through his technical contributions in biomechanics, his educational influence on students, and his service to many developing societies and journals. Richard Skalak believed in several central approaches to bioengineering and several central values in working with people. In bioengineering, these were (1) the useful combination of mathematical and computational modeling with experimental results, to better inform the new biological understanding that is derived, and (2) the inclusion of both microscale and macroscale phenomena in understanding complex biological systems. In terms of mentoring students and collaborating with colleagues, these were (1) sharing ideas freely, (2) listening to ideas of others and integrating the best into new developments, and (3) showing tolerance and respect for others at all times. These tenets help to guide us as a community and as a journal, and we are honored by the opportunity to contribute to Richard Skalak's legacy by giving an award bearing his name. | |
