BPS2026 Program Book

Career Development Center Workshop From Challenge to Choice: Reframe Uncertainty as Fuel 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, Esplanade, Room 151 In times of uncertainty or crisis, it may feel like you have no control over your career and your science. But these moments can actually serve as the springboard for even more innovation and lead you to create some thing novel, if you learn to reframe this challenge as fuel. In this session, you will learn a step-by-step framework that enables you to emerge stronger, more balanced, and resilient and refreshed in times of stress. You will reframe and shift uncertainty into growth opportunities for your career, research, organization, team, and project, and gain confidence and mechanisms to identify and catalyze professional experiences that drive advancement, even in a crisis circumstance. The bottom line is you have more control that you may think – and in this workshop, you will develop the tools to clarify your agency and power in career and scientific discovery and deliver even more impact to society. Exhibitor Presentation: Nanion Technologies 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm, Esplanade, Room 158 From PhD to Policy Wonk: Exploring Career Opportunities Outside Academia and Industry 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm, Esplanade, Room 153 New generations of biophysicists are exploring career pathways outside of the lab by using their expertise to impact science and health policy on the state and federal levels. Join the Public Affairs Committee for a panel discussion by current and former BPS Congressional Fellows and learn more about how they have used their PhD to impact policy both during and after their fellowships and if this might be the path for you. Panelists Sarah Smaga, BPS Congressional Fellow, Office of Representative Mad eleine Dean (D-PA-04), USA Clarissa Bhargava, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, USA Jessica Wu, FutureHouse and Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally (ESAL), USA Career Development Center Workshop Identifying Your Career Options Using MyIDP and LinkedIn 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm, Esplanade, Room 151 Not sure where your professional future lies or how to approach the process in an organized and strategic manner? Concerned about what you might do after you finish your training, especially in these uncertain times? This presentation provides a framework and resources for mov ing forward with confidence towards the next step in your professional future. In addition, it will provide specific examples of how to build out your knowledge of a new potential career field and forge valuable con nections that can facilitate a successful transition.

765-FlashTalk 12:40 pm FORCES DRIVING TUMOR SPHEROID EXPANSION UNDER MECHANICAL CONFINEMENT. Junqin Zhu , Rebecca Lau, Tara E. Eustis, Alex Esclama do, AnnahMarie Behn-Link, Ovijit Chaudhuri

M O N D A Y

Annual Meeting of the Student Chapters 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Esplanade, Room 156

Join BPS Student Chapters from all over the world for a networking ses sion. Attendees will meet Student Chapter officers and representatives and learn about each chapter. This session aims to establish chapter interactions, communications, and planning for future Student Chapter Annual Meeting sessions. Exhibitor Presentation Leica Microsystems 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Esplanade, Room 157 Expanding the Boundaries of Nanoscopy with Leica TauSTED Xtend: Enhanced Detection for Deep and Gentle Imaging Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy has transformed nanoscale imaging by enabling visualization of subcellular structures be yond the diffraction limit. Yet, the challenge of achieving high-resolution imaging deep within living samples—while minimizing phototoxicity— remains a critical barrier. Leica’s STELLARIS TauSTED Xtend introduces a paradigm shift in super-resolution microscopy by harnessing fluores cence lifetime-based information and photon-efficient strategies to deliver gentle, high-quality imaging over extended time periods. TauSTED Xtend transcends the limitations of traditional intensity-based and gated STED approaches, offering superior resolution at significantly reduced light doses. This advancement is made possible through its synergy with the extended Power HyD detector family and STED white objectives featuring SmartCorr technology, which together enable researchers to probe biological structures in depth with unprecedented clarity and minimal light dose. In this presentation, we demonstrate how TauSTED Xtend facilitates long-term live-cell imaging using diverse fluorescent probes and labels, unlocking access to fast nanoscale dynamics of cellular processes such as signaling, gene expression, and protein trafficking. The integration of TauSTED Xtend into the STELLARIS confocal platform marks a major step forward in making nanoscopy more biologically relevant, empower ing researchers to explore the living cell with unmatched precision and gentleness. Speaker Haridas Pudavar, Product Performance Manager – Confocal Systems, North America, Leica Microsystems Inc Biophysical Journal Associate Editor Meeting 11:30 am - 1:30 pm, Room 312

69