5 The symposium was held in Freudenstadt from 28\h to 31 \ ofAugust st
nd 1967 and in Stuttgart from 1 to 2 of September 1967. The proposal to
hold this symposium originated with the German Society of Applied
Mathematics and Mechanics (GAMM) late in 1964 and was examined by a
committee of IUTAM especially appointed for this purpose. The basis of
this examination was a report in which the present situation in the
field and the possible aims of the symposium were surveyed. Briefly, the
aims of the symposium were stated to be 1. the unification of the
various approaches developed in recent years with the aim of penetrating
into the microscopic world of matter by means of continuum theories; 2.
the bridging of the gap between microscopic (or atomic) research on
mechanics on one hand, and the phenomenological (or continuum
mechanical) approach on the other hand; 3. the physical interpretation
and the relation to actual material behaviour of the quantities and laws
introduced into the new theories, together with applications; 4. the
further development of the theories, where necessary, and the
clarification of open questions; 5. a stocktaking of present
achievements and the prognosis for future developments. The committee
agreed unanimously that the topic of the symposium represented an
important phase of current developments in continuum mechanics, from the
purely theoretical point of view as well as in connection with possible
applications to actual materials.