Roderic Lakes is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a Fellow in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He has won numerous teaching awards and is the author and co-author of more than 194 archival publications; three books, including Viscoelastic Solids and Biomaterials (2nd and 3rd editions, with J. B. Park); and fourteen book chapters. The author's articles in Science and Nature are of particular note as they have led to numerous synergistic publications in a variety of disciplines.