Constitution


1. Name
1.1. This Society shall be known as the “International Association of Applied Mechanics” hereinafter referred to as the “Association”.

2. Place of business
2.1. The place of business of the Association shall be at “Orion Tuition Centre LLP, 420 North Bridge Road #03-06, North Bridge Centre, Singapore 188727”, or such address as may subsequently be decided by the Executive Committee and approved by the Registrar of Societies. The Association shall carry out its activities only in places and premises which have the prior written approval from the relevant authorities, where necessary.

3. Affiliation
3.1. The International Association of Applied Mechanics is not affiliated any affiliation.

4. Objects
4.1. The general objective of the Association is to promote research in Applied Mechanics globally within academic and industrial organizations.
4.2. The specific objectives of the Association are
4.2.1. To facilitate the exchange of information in Applied Mechanics amongst people in worldwide engaged in scientific research in Applied Mechanics;
4.2.2. To cooperate and affiliate with other national, regional or international professional bodies having similar interests to those of the Association;
4.2.3. To support and sponsor academic/research activities among members;
4.2.4. To print and circulate publications in areas related to Applied Mechanics.

5. Membership
5.1. Membership of the Association shall be open to all persons who are 21 years of age and above, and are involved in scholarly or scientific investigation and advancement of the field of Applied Mechanics within organizations engaged in research and development activities. Post doctoral fellows or students pursuing postgraduate studies in the abovementioned field, and are attached to established R&D organizations, will also be considered for membership. There shall be 4 categories of membership:
5.1.1. Honorary Membership
5.1.1.1. The President or General Secretary may, at his discretion, invite a distinguished researcher to become an Honorary Member of the Association on such terms as the Executive Committee may from time to time decide.
5.1.1.2. An Honorary Member is not allowed to stand for elections to the Executive Committee. He shall have no right to vote at the General Meetings.
5.1.2. Ordinary Membership
5.1.2.1. Ordinary membership shall be open to all researchers in Applied Mechanics or related fields.
5.1.2.2. An ordinary Member shall, upon acceptance and payment of all due fees and subscriptions, be entitled to use the full facilities of the Association. Only Ordinary Members who have paid up fully shall have the right to vote at General Meetings or stand for election to the Executive Committee.
5.1.3. Student Membership
5.1.3.1. Student membership shall be open to all students whose majors are related to Applied Mechanics
5.1.3.2. A Student Member shall, upon acceptance and payment of all due fees and subscriptions, be entitled to use the full facilities of the Association. Student Members shall not have the right to vote at General Meetings nor stand for election to the Executive Committee.
5.1.4. Corporate Membership
5.1.4.1. Corporate membership shall be open to all companies and organizations registered in the world, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.
5.1.4.2. Corporate Members shall be entitled to use the Association’s premises to promote their activities; place advertisements in the Association’s newsletter and publications at privileged rates; hold talks and seminars for the Members; and nominate up to eight persons from the company or organization to attend the Association’s activities at the rates charged to Ordinary Members.
5.1.4.3. Corporate Members shall have no right to vote in General Meetings.
5.2. Each member is permitted to hold only one category of membership at any one time. The membership is non-transferable.
5.3. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to restrict the number of members at any time and from time to time rescind such restriction and may order applications for memberships be held in abeyance for this purpose.
5.4. Membership Application and Fees
5.4.1 A person who wishes to join the Association shall submit his particulars to the Secretary on a prescribed form. The Executive Committee shall decide on the application for membership. A copy of the Constitution shall be furnished to every approved member.
5.4.2 The annual subscriptions payable are as follows:
1. Student Member $20 (SGD$28)
2. Ordinary Member $50 (SGD$70)
3. Corporate Member $500 (SGD$700)
5.4.5 Honorary Members may be exempted from the payment of subscription fees subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.
5.4.6 The entrance fees and subscriptions shall be determined by the General Meetings of members on recommendation from the Executive Committee from time to time.
5.4.7 Fees and subscriptions due from members should be paid by crossed cheques or postal order made payable to “International Association of Applied Mechanics” or by any other means deemed acceptable by the Executive Committee. Payments in cash will only be recognized if evidenced by an official receipt.
5.4.8 Any additional fund required for special purposes may only be raised from members with the consent of the General Meeting of members.

6. Cessation of Membership
6.1. Any member may resign from the Association by giving the Secretary a notice in writing to the effect but such member shall pay all debts due to the Association including the subscription due for the year in which such notice is given.

7. Conduct of Members
7.1. All members/guests participating in activities under the aegis of the Association shall at all times display good conduct and sportsmanship. They shall obey the Constitution and Bye-Laws of the Association and shall not in particular, commit any of the offences listed in the constitution or Bye-laws.
7.2. The Association shall have the power to discipline any member/guest participating in any of the Association’s activities or utilizing the Association’s premises, who acts in violation of this Constitution or the Bye-laws.
7.3. Any such breach of the Association’s Constitution or Bye-Laws or any behavior considered unbecoming of a member/guest whilst participating in such functions or whilst on the Association’s premises, shall be reported as soon as possible to the General Secretary who shall, if he considers necessary, appoint an Inquiry Committee of 3 members (comprising 2 members from the Executive Committee and an Ordinary Member) to inquire into the matter and submit a report and recommendations to the Executive Committee.
7.4. The member/guest against whom a complaint has been lodged, shall be given a reasonable opportunity of being heard by the Executive Committee before any action is taken.
7.5. If he is a member of the Association, the Executive Committee may thereafter decide to expel or suspend him, or impose any other lesser penalty. If the member refuses to reply to the charges, or fails to attend the meeting called to answer the charges, the Executive Committee may nevertheless proceed to decide on the penalty to be imposed.
7.6. The member being disciplined shall be entitled to appeal to a General Meeting against the decision of the Executive Committee made pursuant to Rule 7.5. A General Meeting shall be convened by the Executive Committee as soon as possible for that purpose on request by such member, provided that such request shall be made within two weeks of receipt of the decision of the Executive Committee. The decision of the General
Meeting shall be by way of a simple majority and shall be final and binding on such member. If no such request is made or such request is not made within the prescribed period, the decision of the Executive Committee shall be final and binding on such member.

8. Supreme Authority and annual General Meeting
8.1. The supreme authority of the Association is vested in a General Meeting of the members presided over by the President.
8.2. The Annual General Meeting shall be held:
8.2.1. To consider and confirm the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting and any other intervening General Meeting;
8.2.2. To receive and approve the Report of the Executive Committee and the Association’s accounts for the preceding two financial years ending 31st March;
8.2.3. Where applicable, to elect the office-bearers and Honorary Auditors for the following term.
8.3. Notice of the Annual General Meeting stating the date, time and place of meeting shall be given to members by the Secretary at least 14 days before the meeting. The notice shall be accompanied by the Executive Committee’s report, audited Statement of Accounts and the particulars of the Agenda. The particulars of the Agenda shall also be posted on the Association’s notice board four days in advance of the meeting.
8.4. At other times, an Extraordinary General Meeting must be called by the President on the request in writing of not less than 35% of the total voting membership or 30 voting members, whichever is the lesser, and may be called at any time by order of the Executive Committee. The notice in writing shall be given to the Secretary setting forth the business that is to be transacted. The Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened within two months from receiving this request to convene the Extraordinary General Meeting.
8.5. If the Executive Committee does not within two months after the date of the receipt of the written request proceed to convene the Extraordinary General Meeting, the members who requested for the Extraordinary General Meeting shall convene the Extraordinary General Meeting by giving ten days’ notice to the voting members setting forth the business to be transacted and simultaneously posting the agenda on the Association’s notice board.
8.6. At least ten days’ notice shall be given for an Extraordinary General Meeting. Notice of meeting stating the date, time and place of meeting shall be sent by the Secretary to all voting members. The particulars of the agenda shall be posted on the Association’s notice board four days in advance of the meeting.
8.7. Unless otherwise stated in this Constitution, voting by proxy shall not be allowed at all General Meetings.
8.8. Any member who wishes to place an item on the agenda of a General Meeting may do so provided he or she gives notice to the Secretary one week before the meeting is due to be held.
8.9. At least 35% of the total voting membership or 30 voting members, whichever is the lesser, present at a General Meeting shall form a quorum. Proxies shall not be constituted as part of the quorum.
8.10. In the event of there being no quorum at the commencement of a General Meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned for half an hour and should the member then present be insufficient to form a quorum, the members present shall be considered a quorum, but they shall have no power to amend any of the existing Constitution.

9. Management and Committee
9.1. The administration of the Association shall be vested in the Executive Committee consisting of the following to be elected at alternate Annual General Meeting:
• A President
• A General Secretary
• Two Vice-Presidents
• A Secretary
• A Treasurer
• Two Ordinary Committee Members
9.2. Names for above offices shall be proposed and seconded at the Annual General Meetings and election will follow on a simple majority vote of the members. All office-bearers, except the Treasurer may be reelected to the same or related post for a consecutive term of office. The term of office of the Executive Committee is four years.
9.3. Election will be either by show of hands, or subject to the agreement of the majority of the voting members present, by a secret ballot. In the event of a tie, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.
9.4. The Executive Committee shall meet as and when necessary to carry out the business of the Association but not less than thrice a year.
9.5. The quorum for the Executive Committee shall be at least one half of the members of the Executive Committee for the proceedings to be valid.
9.6. Notice of meeting shall be given at least 7 days in advance by the Secretary to every member of the Executive Committee before the date of the meeting. The General Secretary may call an Executive Committee Meeting at any time by giving three days’ notice.
9.7. Any member of the Executive Committee absenting himself or herself from three consecutive meetings without reasonable cause acceptable to the Executive Committee, may be removed from office by the Executive Committee.
9.8. In the event of a vacancy in the Executive Committee, the successor shall be coopted by the Executive Committee to serve until the end of the term. Any changes in the Executive Committee shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies within two weeks of the change.
9.9. The duty of the Executive Committee is to organize and supervise the daily activities of the Association. The Executive Committee may not act contrary to the expressed wishes of the General Meeting without prior reference to it and always remains subordinate to the General Meeting.
9.10. The Executive Committee has the power to authorise the expenditure of a sum not
exceeding $10,000 per month from the Association’s funds for the Association’s purposes.

10. Duties of Office Bearers
10.1. President
10.1.1. The President with General Secretary shall chair all General and Executive Committee Meetings and represent the Association in its dealing with outside persons.
10.1.2. The President shall appoint from among members of the Association and/or members of the Executive Committee;
10.2. General Secretary
10.2.1. The General Secretary with President shall chair all General and Executive Committee Meetings and represent the Association in its dealing with outside persons.
10.2.2. The General Secretary shall appoint from among members of the Association and/or members of the Executive Committee;
10.2.3. The General Secretary shall appoint such full-time or part-time assistants or employees of the Association, as he deems fit and to define their duties and to determine their remuneration.
10.2.1. The General Secretary shall keep all records, of the Association and shall be responsible for their accuracy, convene all meetings, keep minutes of all meetings and generally perform all the duties entrusted by the Association.
10.3. Vice-Presidents
10.3.1. The Vice-Presidents shall assist the President. In the absence of the President from any meeting, the Vice-President nominated by the President shall carry out the duties of the President. In the absence of any appointment, the Chairman shall be elected by the Management Committee from within the Committee for that particular meeting.
10.4. Secretary
10.4.1. The Secretary shall assistant General Secretary to keep all records, except financial, of the Association and shall be responsible for their accuracy, convene all meetings, keep minutes of all meetings and generally perform all the duties entrusted by the Association. He or she shall maintain an up-to-date Register of Members at all times.
10.5. The Treasurer
10.5.1. The Treasurer shall oversee the financial matters of the Association and submit half-yearly financial statements at the Executive Committee meetings. The Treasure shall
keep all funds and collect and disburse all moneys on behalf of the Association and shall keep an account of all monetary transactions and shall be responsible for their correctness. He is authorised to expend up to $1000 per month for petty expenses on behalf of the Association. He will not keep more than $1000 in the form of cash and money in excess of this will be deposited in a bank named by the Executive Committee. Cheques etc. for withdrawals from the bank will be signed by the Treasurer and either the General Secretary or the President or the Vice-Presidents or the Secretary.
10.6. Ordinary Committee Members
10.6.1. The Ordinary Committee Members shall assist the Executive Committee in the general administration of the Association and perform any other duties assigned by the Executive Committee or General Secretary or President from time to time.

11. Audit & Financial Year
11.1. Two voting members, who shall not be members of the Executive Committee, shall be elected as Honorary Auditors at alternate Annual General Meeting and shall hold office for a term of two years only. They shall not be eligible for re-election to the post of the Honorary Auditors for a consecutive term. They
a. will be required to audit each year’s accounts and present their report at the Annual General Meeting.
b. may be required by the President to audit the Association’s accounts for any period within their tenure of office at any date and make report to the Executive Committee.
11.2. The financial year shall be from 1st April to 31st March.

12. Trustees
12.1. If the Association at any time acquires any immovable property, such property shall be vested in trustees subject to a declaration of trust.
12.2. The trustees of the Association shall:
12.2.1. Not be more than 4 and not less than 2 in number.
12.2.2. Be elected by a General Meeting of members.
12.4. Notice of any proposal to remove a trustee from his trusteeship or to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy must be given by posting it on the notice board in the Association’s premises at least two weeks before the General Meeting at which the proposal is to be discussed. The result of such General Meeting shall then be notified to the Registrar of Societies.

13. Prohibitions
13.1. Gambling of any kind, excluding the promotion or conduct of a private lottery which has been permitted under the Private Lotteries Act Cap 250, is forbidden on the Association’s premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and persons of bad characters into the premises are strictly prohibited.
13.2. The funds of the Association shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in a court of law.
13.3. The Association shall not engage in any trade union activity as defined in any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Singapore.
13.4. The Association shall not attempt to restrict or interfere with trade or make directly or indirectly any recommendation to, any arrangement with its members which has the purpose or is likely to have the effect of fixing or controlling the price or any discount, allowance or rebate relating to any goods or service which adversely affect consumer interests.
13.5. The Association shall not indulge in any political activities or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.
13.6. The Association shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the Association or its office-bearers, Executive Committee or members unless with the prior approval from the relevant authorities.
13.7. The Association shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purposes without the prior approval in writing of the Head, Licensing Division, Singapore Police Force and other relevant authorities.

14. Amendments to Constitution
14.1. The Constitution shall not be altered or amended unless such alteration and amendment is proposed and approved at a General Meeting and with the consent of two-thirds of the voting members present at the General Meeting. Such alteration or amendment shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies.

15. Interpretation
15.1. In the event of any question or matter pertaining to day-to-day administration which is not expressly provided for in this constitution, the Executive Committee shall have power to use their discretion. The decision of the Executive Committee shall be final unless it is reversed at a General Meeting of members.

16. Disputes
16.1. In the event of any dispute arising amongst the members, they shall attempt to resolve the matter at an Extraordinary General meeting in accordance with this Constitution. Should the members fail to resolve the matter, they may bring the matter to a court of law for settlement.

17. Dissolution
17.1. The Association shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than 3/5 of the total voting membership of the Association for the time being resident in Singapore expressed, either in person or by proxy, at a General Meeting convened for the purpose.
17.2. In the event of the Association being dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Association shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds will be disposed of in such manner as the General Meeting of members may determine or donated to an approved charity or charities in Singapore.
17.3. A Certificate of Dissolution shall be given within 7 days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies.