In the scientific council meeting of CISM beginning of May 2016, Professor Wolfgang A. Wall has been elected to become a new rector of the International Centre for Mechanical Sciences, CISM (http://www.cism.it/) in Udine, Italy. He will take office in January 2017. CISM, International Centre for Mechanical Sciences, is a non-profit organization, founded in 1968 to favor the exchange and application of the most advanced knowledge in the mechanical sciences, in interdisciplinary fields like robotics, biomechanics, environmental engineering and in other fields (mathematics, information and system theory, operations research, computer science, artificial intelligence). It is located in the Palazzo del Torso in the center of Udine. CISM is international in both scope and structure: the Scientific Council, rectors, lecturers are selected from among the acknowledged authorities in their respective fields the world over. The principal activity of the Centre is the organization of courses, seminars, work shops, symposia, and conferences to present the state of the art of these sciences to researchers. It also provides advanced training for engineers operating in industry.