Biophysical Netsletter - May 2014

2

2014

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

APRIL

Message from the President

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY

This year’s BPSAnnualMeeting inSanFrancisco served as a re- minder that, even in this difficult scientific funding climate, it is a great time tobe a biophysicist! The current strengthof our discipline was evidenced in the excellent science thatwas presented aswell as the energy and excitement that characterized themeeting. It is clear that scientists from a broad range of scientific areas are em- bracing the techniques andquantitative approaches that are at the core of whatwe, as biophysicists, do. Biophysics is in vogue!Whereas in the past scientists fromother disciplinesmay havewondered “what do biophysicists do?” they are now askinghow they can incorporate the

Officers President DorothyBeckett President-Elect EdwardEgelman Past-President FranciscoBezanilla Secretary Lukas Tamm Treasurer Paul Axelsen Council OlgaBoudker TaekjipHa SamanthaHarris KalinaHristova Juliette Lecomte Amy Lee Marcia Levitus MerrittMaduke DanielMinor, Jr. JeanneNerbonne Antoine vanOijen JosephD. Puglisi Michael Pusch BonnieWallace DavidYue Biophysical Journal Leslie Loew Editor-in-Chief

DorothyBeckett

powerfulmethods of biophysics to strengthen their own scientific programs. What has and continues tomake theBiophysical Society unique, however, is its inclusiveness, in all of its incredible, and sometimes overwhelming, interdisciplinary breadth anddepth. Because of this breadth, the Society provides a context inwhich researchers fromdisparate fields come together to exchange ideas, establishnetworks, and form collaborations to solve important biological problems. It has and continues tobe the home for thosewho are at the forefront of developingnew tools and approaches for obtaining quantitative informa- tion about biology. As biologists ofmany stripes increasingly adopt quantitative approaches, biophysicswill continue to grow in its significance for the overall progress of bothbasic and appliedbiological research.

“ It is clear that scientists from abroad rangeof scientificareas areembracing the techniques andquantitativeapproaches that areat the coreofwhatwe, as biophysicists, do. ”

This is also awonderful time tobeBiophysi- cal SocietyPresident. The energy thatwas evident at theAnnualMeeting is equally evident in the Society’s elected leadership and member volunteerswho serve on the numer- ous committees that carry out theworkof the Society. This year eachof these committees continues to increase its activities andopportunities for membershipparticipation. TheMinority AffairsCommittee brought theBPSBiomo-

SocietyOffice RoKampman ExecutiveOfficer

Newsletter AlishaYocum MonikaZakrzewska Production LauraPhelan Profile

lecularDome, whichhas been showcased at the past threeAnnualmeetings, to the SACNAS meeting last fall, and inApril the PublicAffairsCommittee brought it to theUSAScience andEngineeringFestival, which350,000members of the publicwere expected to attend. TheThematicMeetingsCommittee selected fourmeetings, describedonpage 4, to sponsor in2015,more than in any previous year. Eachof thesemeetingswill provide students from the host countrywith interest inbiophysics anopportunity to attend an interdisciplinary internationalmeeting. Societymembers have volunteered to serve as judges andhave given over 30BPSbiophysics awards at state and regional science fairs. As biophysicists, particularly in this difficult period for scientific funding, we have opportuni- ties to advocate for all scientific disciplines. In addition toour regular advocacy efforts, page 1 of this newsletter describes twonew initiatives spearheadedby the PublicAffairsCommittee: the newBiophysical SocietyCongressional Fellowship and theBiophysics: ChangingOur Worldmedia competition. These activitieswill enhance our efforts to educateCongressional representatives and the public about basic research and its impact not only onhealth, but also on economicwell-being. In the comingmonths, watch for other committee projects intended to engage all—members andnon-members alike-—in this exciting and growing field. It is indeed a great time tobe a biophysicist. — Dorothy Beckett , President

EllenWeiss Public Affairs

The Biophysical SocietyNewsletter (ISSN0006-3495) is published twelve times per year, January- December, by the Biophysical Society, 11400RockvillePike, Suite 800, Rockville,Maryland 20852. Distributed toUSAmembers and other countries at no cost. CanadianGSTNo. 898477062. Postmaster: Send address changes toBiophysical Society, 11400 Rockville Pike, Suite 800, Rockville, MD20852. Copyright©2014 by the Biophysical Society. Printed in theUnited States of America. All rights reserved.

Made with