Characterizing the mechanical properties of materials using indentation has been around for centuries. It has recently emerged as the technique of choice for evaluating and characterizing hard and soft tissue. Recent work on mechanotransduction - the transduction of biological signals through mechanical signals also provides fertile ground for work in this area. It has also been used in understanding the different cell functions and in assessing the soundness of various nanoBIO devices. At this conference, organized by the nanoBIO Node at Illinois, leading experts and scientists discussed the current and future trends in nanoindentation and its application in mechanotransduction and the mechanical characterization of soft materials.