Bilsay Sümer is an associate professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hacettepe University. He received the B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye, in 2003, both the M.S and the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, in 2009. He is the holder of over 10 national and international patents. He has authored and co-authored over 75 scientific publications in international and national peer-reviewed journals and conferences. He is an expert in measurement technology, sensor and actuators, smart materials and structures, contact mechanics and tribology, medical devices, flexible electronics and mechanical vibrations. He has been involved in many projects (NSF and national funding) as a researcher and coordinator in the field of intelligent sensors, actuators and smart materials.

Francesco Tornabene (nicknamed by his students: "The Lord of The Shells and Beyond") was born in Bologna, January 13, 1978. School-leaving examination in a classical liceo achieved at Liceo Classico "San Luigi" in Bologna in 1997. Patent for Industrial Invention: "Clutch for High Performance Automobiles" Question BO2001A00442 filed on 13-07-2001 in National Patent Bologna (Italy). Degree in Mechanical Engineering (Structural Mechanics) obtained at the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna on 23/07/2003. Title of Thesis: "Dynamic Behavior of Cylindrical Shells: Formulation and Solution". First position obtained in the competition for admission to the PhD in "Structural Mechanics" in December 2003. Winner of the scholarship, "Carlo Felice Jodi" for a degree in Structural Mechanics in 2004. Ph.D. in "Structural Mechanics" at the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna on 31/05/2007. Title of PhD Thesis: "Modeling and Solution of Shell Structures Made of Anisotropic Materials". Associate Professor at University of Salento.