Revisions
- First Approved: 29 August, 1973
- First Revision: 15 August, 1983 (IVth ISB Meeting, Pennsylvania State University)
- Second Revision: 16 December, 1991 (XIII ISB Meeting, University of Western Australia)
- Third Revision: 3 July, 1995 (XVth ISB Meeting, University of Jyväskylä)
- Fourth Revision: 11 July, 2003 (XIXth ISB Meeting, Otago University, Dunedin)
- Fifth Revision: 4 July, 2004 (XIVth ESB Meeting, s'Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands)
Organization of Constitution
- Article 1: Name and Headquarters
- Article 2: Purpose
- Article 3: Membership
- Article 4: Governing Boards
- Article 5: Executive Council
- Article 6: General Assembly
- Article 7: Fiscal Year
- Article 8: Annual Subscriptions
- Article 9: Technical Groups
- Article 10: Dissolution of the Society
Article 1: Name and Headquarters
The International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) is an international organization with headquarters in the locality where the Treasurer resides.
Article 2: Purpose
2.1 The International Society of Biomechanics has the purpose of promoting the study of the biomechanics of movement with special emphasis on human beings.
2.2 It shall encourage international contacts among scientists in this field, promote knowledge of biomechanics on an international level, and cooperate with related organizations.
2.3 The property and income of the Society shall be applied solely towards the purposes stated above, and no part of that property or income may be paid or otherwise distributed, directly or indirectly, to members of the Society, except in good faith in the promotion of those purposes.
Article 3: Membership
The Society shall consist of five categories of members:
3.1 Honorary members shall be a restricted number of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the International Society of Biomechanics and to the field of biomechanics.
3.2 Charter and full members shall be individuals with a professional and scientific interest in Biomechanics.
3.2.1 Charter members will be recorded as those who were included in the first list of full members by the ad hoc organizing committee.
3.2.2 Other full members shall be accepted upon receipt of a completed application form and annual dues for the first year of membership. The Treasurer shall notify the Executive Council of new membership at its annual meeting.
3.3 Affiliate members shall be national associations on Biomechanics or related organizations with approved and effective by-laws.
3.3.1 The use of membership for any kind of political, sales or public relations promotion is prohibited.
3.4 Emeritus Members are those individuals who have retired, due to age or illness, from professional employment in Biomechanics, and have been active members in good standing of the Society for at least ten years.
3.5 Student members shall be full time students in an academic program related to Biomechanics.
Article 4: Governing Boards
The boards of the International Society of Biomechanics shall be:
a: The Executive Council
b: The General Assembly of Members
c: Technical Groups approved by Executive Council
Article 5: Executive Council
5.1 A President, President-Elect and Past-President and Council Members representing various disciplines in Biomechanics and a Student Representative shall constitute The Executive Council. A Treasurer, Secretary General, and Publications Officer are appointed officers with approval of the Council.
5.2 The Executive Council, apart from the Student Representative, shall be elected from among the full membership for a term of two years. The General Assembly shall elect the Student Representative from among the student members. Council members may be re-elected twice, i.e. term limit of six total years, apart from the Student Representative, who will have a single term of two years.
5.3 The first Executive Council shall be proposed by the ad hoc Organizing Committee and confirmed by the charter members at the organizing meeting that ratifies this constitution.
5.4 The Executive Council shall exclude those members who do not fulfill their responsibilities towards the Society under Article 3.
5.5 The Executive Council shall appoint all subcommittees as considered desirable.
5.6 The Executive Council shall delegate to a local committee or other appropriate body the powers necessary to organize each international congress or symposium.
5.7 The Executive Council shall sponsor and coordinate smaller regional meetings.
5.8 Decisions of the Council shall be made by simple majority of the council members present at the meeting, or if voting by other means, by simple majority of the respondents. A quorum shall consist of at least 3/4 of its members.
5.9 The Council shall meet at least once a year.
5.10 To the fullest extent permitted by the law of the State or Nation in which the society is headquartered, as the same now exists or may hereafter be amended, an Executive Council member or any member of the Society appointed by Council to undertake a specific task shall not be liable to the Society or its members or any of them for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as an Executive Council member or for any other cause excepting only willful misconduct.
Article 6: General Assembly
6.1 All members of the Society may attend the General Assembly.
6.2 The General Assembly is presided over by the President of the Society, or, if absent, by the Past-President or other member of the Council appointed by the President.
6.2.1 The General Assembly shall receive the President's and the Treasurer's report, as well as those of the Executive Council Members, and shall discharge them from responsibility of the past tenure of office.
6.3 The membership shall elect, by secret ballot at two year intervals, the President-elect and the Executive Council Members. The Past-President is responsible for soliciting nominations and preparing the official ballot.
6.3.1 Nominations shall be made by the members and the election shall be by secret ballot.
6.4 Honorary members may be nominated by three full members through correspondence to the Executive Council, who shall award this status by two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Council.
6.5 The General Assembly shall approve and grant affiliate memberships upon recommendations by the Executive Council. Approval of affiliate memberships shall be by open vote.
6.6 The General Assembly shall transact any additional business as may arise.
6.7 The General Assembly shall determine the dues following a recommendation made by the Treasurer.
6.8 The General Assembly normally shall be held every second year during a designated international congress organized by the Society or by related organizations.
6.9 Either the President or a majority of the Executive Council may convene an extraordinary General Assembly meeting of the Society. They must convene an extraordinary General Assembly at the request of at least 10% of all members.
6.10 Honorary members, student members, emeritus members and full members shall have one vote each.
6.11 For ordinary motions at meetings, except ones concerning constitutional amendments, a simple majority of eligible voters present shall rule.
6.12 Written motions to amend the Constitution shall be submitted to the Executive Council and distributed by a mail ballot to all members for decision which shall require a simple majority of all ballots returned to the Secretary-General. Notice of the results shall be given to all members, where upon the amendment will become effective.
6.13 Student members shall be accepted upon receipt of a completed application form, annual dues, and a letter from their academic institution attesting to their status as a full-time student.
Article 7: Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the Society shall begin each January 1st and end December 31st of the same year.
Article 8: Annual Subscription
8.1 Annual dues for individual members are payable to the Treasurer on January 1st of each year. Student membership dues will be lower than those of full membership.
8.2 Honorary, Emeritus and Affiliate members shall be exempt from annual dues.
8.3 Honorary members shall be invited to attend the biennial meeting of the Society and have their registration fee waived.
8.4 Individual members who fail to remit annual dues for three successive years shall be placed on the inactive list and shall forfeit all privileges of the society.
8.4.1 Members placed on an inactive status for non-payment of dues maybe reinstated to full membership upon payment of an amount equivalent to two years of annual dues.
8.4.2 Members who resign from active membership and are not in arrears in dues may be reinstated to active membership upon payment of one year's annual dues.
Article 9: Technical Groups
9.1 Technical groups of the Society shall be created from time to time for the purpose of advancing knowledge in a specialized area, or on a specific topic within the field of Biomechanics.
9.2 Members of the Society who have worked together informally to advance knowledge in a specialized area, or on a specific topic, for a period of at least four years (during which they may be referred to as a Working Group) may submit an application to the Executive Council for their group to be designated as a Technical Group of the Society.
9.3 Applications for designation as a Technical Group of the Society shall be decided on a majority vote of those members of the Executive Council present at the meeting for which the formation of the group has been proposed as part of the circulated agenda.
9.4 The activities of Technical Groups shall be administered by an Executive Board. The structure of this Board, how officers are elected, and how the Executive Board operates, will be defined in the Codes of Operation for each Technical Group which will be endorsed by the Executive Council.
9.5 The Board for each Technical Group shall meet at least once every two years.
9.6 Technical groups shall plan and conduct professional meetings, provided that prior approval for such meetings is obtained from a committee consisting of the President- Elect, President (Chairperson) and Past-President of the Society (hereafter referred to as the Committee of Presidents).
9.7 Technical groups shall enter into agreements with other organizations only after obtaining approval of the Committee of Presidents.
9.8 The Chairperson of each Technical Group, or a person designated by him or her, shall present, in person, a written report of the activities of the Technical Group to the Executive Council of the Society, at the time of each Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics.
9.9 Technical Groups may be disbanded by the Executive Council of the Society when, through failure to meet the obligations of any of the clauses of this Article, or for other reasons, they cease to serve the best interests of the Society.
Article 10: Dissolution of the Society
If, on winding up the Society, any property of the Society remains after satisfaction of the debts and liabilities of the Society and the costs, charges and expenses of that winding up, that property shall be distributed -
a. to another incorporated association or associations having objectives similar to those of the Society; or,
b. for charitable purposes.
Which incorporated associations or purposes, shall be determined by resolution of the members when authorizing and directing the Executive Council to prepare a plan for the distribution of the surplus property of the Society.
