Mechanics of Materials and Structures has become a popular new name of former Institutes for Strength of Materials and/or Structural Analysis at European Universities of Technology. This designation stands for a scientific program aimed at a symbiosis of material and structural mechanics. The adjective "computational" refers to the algorithmic component of Mechanics of Materials and Structures, which is frequently underrated. It was the advent of the digital computer that opened the door to computational mechanics, which has become a scientific discipline with a tremendous influence on our lives. This survey paper contains a report about a selection of recent research projects carried out at the Institute for Mechanics of Materials and Structures of Vienna University of Technology. Its aim is to demonstrate that the trinity of Computational Mechanics - Materials - Structures has a strong impact on modern life. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.