Biophysical Society Bulletin | April 2020

April 2020

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The inaugural issue of BPS’s new fully open access education journal, The Biophysicist was released online on February 14. This journal provides a home for biophysics education research as well as evidence-based pedagogical practices. Editor-in-Chief, Samuel Safran explains, “One important goal of our journal is to provide resources and research studies that will help nurture and develop both practices and concepts to delineate the field of biophysics education.” The journal includes both academic Research Articles and informal Reports and because learning never stops, content will aim to serve all levels fromundergraduate students to practicing researchers.

The Biophysicist Volume1, Issue1,2020 www.thebiophysicist.org

Safran encourages all members to consider submitting to this new journal. “While many in the biophysics research community may not pre- viously have thought of writing about their educational experiences, your collective wisdom and knowledge of classroom teaching, mentoring students and young researchers in lab or community settings, will contribute to our journal, and to a growing awareness of best practices and research in biophysics education.” In order to encourage submissions, especially those from younger biophysicists, all papers submitted before August 31 will be granted a 50 percent reduction in publication charges. To access the issue or to submit to The Biophysicist , visit www.thebiophysicist.org.

Inside

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President’s Message Biophysicist in Profile

Public Affairs Publications Annual Meeting

Biophysics Takes Over San Diego Scientists from around the world descended on San Diego, California, for five days of learning and sharing the latest research in biophysics. The meeting kicked off with 15 Subgroup programs on Saturday, followed by 24 symposia, 4 workshops, andmore than 500 platform talks over the next four days. The Exhibit Hall was packed withmore than 600 poster presentations daily. Patricia Clark , University of Notre Dame, and William Kobertz , University of Massachusetts Medical School, were recognized at the Awards Ceremony on Monday evening for their efforts as ProgramCommittee Co-chairs. For meeting highlights, see page 10.

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Career Development

Member Corner

Communities & Outreach

Upcoming Events

President’s Message

Report fromCouncil With the continued goals of increas- ing transparency, sharing informa- tion, and providing to our member- ship insights on the activities of the BPS Council, the governing board of Biophysical Society, here is a sum- mary of the Council meetings that took place in San Diego during the 2020 Annual Meeting. Joint Council, a combination of the current, the

updated Code of Conduct and implementation of the report- ing system—were first-steps in addressing this topic. The Sexual Harassment Task Force that was created last June will continue their work and look to address additional policies as well as provide programming and resources in support of an inclusive, harassment-free Society. A primary topic of discussion at Council meetings was BPS publications, as further action was taken on the proposals presented at the November Council meeting and reported on in the January issue of the BPS Bulletin . The Publications Committee recommended, and Council approved, a scope for the new open access journal, Biophysical Reports . You can read more about the new journal on page 9. The Publications Com- mittee also provided more information and a recommendation on engaging a public relations/marketing firm to help the Society better communicate the role and value of the Biophys- ical Journal to members. Council gave the green light to initiate that project. Biophysical Journal Editor-in-Chief, Jane Dyson , and Editor-in-Chief Sam Safran , of The Biophysicist , a new Society journal focused on biophysics education, presented reports to Council about the status and initiatives of their respective journals. A portion of the Council meeting was dedicated to hearing from BPS Committee Chairs. Committees provide annual writ- ten reports to Council, but this was an opportunity for Chairs to bring forward any particular challenges or issues. Among the items discussed were challenges retaining early career and younger members within the Society, industry engage- ment, the AAAS/BPS Fellowship Program, and diversity in the Society Awards. Conversations on these topics continued throughout the various Committee meetings, and several joint initiatives will occur in the coming months including a new child care policy being proposed by the Early Careers (EC) Committee in conjunction with the Committee on Professional Opportunities for Women (CPOW), and program development for industry engagement between EC and the Membership Committee. The BPS Travel Awards program is also a joint effort between the CPOW, Inclusion and Diversity (CID), Mem- bership, and Education Committees, who reported to Council that for the 2020 Annual Meeting, there were 763 Travel Award applicants and 215 winners. Half of the winners were female, and 27 percent were underrepresented minorities. A fewmembers of BPS leadershipmet with Executive Committee members of the International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB) during the Annual Meeting, and shared opportunities for collaboration. BPS will sponsor a plenary lecture and some poster awards at the IUPAB 2020meeting in Brazil this October. IUPAB joined BPS as a Partner Society for Biophysics Week 2020 and will sponsor a lecture at BPS 2021.

Catherine A. Royer

outgoing, and the incoming Council members, met the evening of Friday, February 14, and the morning of Saturday, February 15. New Council, the now current cohort, met the morning of Wednesday, February 19. A high point of the Joint Council agenda was giving thanks to outgoing Council members Zev Bryant , Teresa Giraldez , Ru- ben Gonzalez , and Marina Ramirez-Alvarado (though she was unable to attend) as well as Past-president Angela Gronenborn . Their service on Council has been invaluable, and they will be missed. Looking to the future, Zev Bryant, who also chaired the Nominating Committee for this cycle, presented the slate of prospective Council members and officers for the 2020 bal- lot. BPS members, including students, will elect new leaders during the upcoming BPS election in June. The Annual Meeting is always a central topic of discussion for Council. Patricia Clark and Bill Kobertz , 2020 Co-chairs, and Patricia Bassereau and Bertrand Garcia-Moreno , 2021 Co-chairs, were on hand to talk about current and future programming, including challenges related to speaker cancellations, the excellent member-suggested sessions, and a preview of the 2021 program. In 2021, the Society Awards Symposium will be replaced by a Biophysical Journal Symposium highlighting the Paper of the Year along with other outstanding science from the journal. Young Investigator Awardees of the Marga- ret Oakley Dayhoff Award and the Michael and Kate Bárány Award will present their work in the Future of Biophysics Symposium. Subgroup Saturday is a much anticipated part of the Annual Meeting, and the draft 2021 program was shared with the Subgroup Chairs so that they could provide feedback to the Annual Meeting Co-chairs and begin planning their sessions for 2021. Council identified some operational issues related to the Subgroup leadership and suggested some policy updates, which will be discussed with Subgroup Chairs during their annual call in May. Council reviewed the Sexual Harassment Symposium that was featured on February 16 and reaffirmed the commitment that recent actions on this topic — the symposium along with the

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President’s Message

Officers President Catherine A. Royer President-Elect Frances Separovic Past-President David W. Piston Secretary Erin Sheets Treasurer Kalina Hristova Council Linda Columbus Michelle A. Digman

The Council meetings closed with numerous, substantial new business discussions including an amplified focus on fostering and supporting diversity across the Society, consideration for BPS impact on climate change, and the launch of a panel to make strategic recommendations for the Biophysical Journal . There is much work for BPS Committees, volunteers, and staff to

do before Council reconvenes at the end of May. We welcome your feedback and questions at any time as we all strive to deliver on the mission, vision, and values of the Biophysical Society. — Catherine A. Royer , President — Jennifer Pesanelli , Executive Officer

Erin C. Dueber Marta Filizola Gilad Haran

Francesca Marassi Joseph A. Mindell Carolyn A. Moores

Anna Moroni Jennifer Ross David Stokes Pernilla Wittung-Stafeshede Biophysical Journal Jane Dyson Editor-in-Chief The Biophysicist Sam Safran Editor-in-Chief

THANK YOU! Volunteers Make It Possible.

The Biophysical Society extends its sincere thanks to members who volunteer their time and efforts in supporting the Society. The work of the Society would not be possible if it were not for your contributions. Together, WE can make a difference!

Society Office Jennifer Pesanelli Executive Officer Newsletter Executive Editor Jennifer Pesanelli Managing Editor Beth Staehle

Production Catie Curry Ray Wolfe Proofreader/Copy Editor Laura Phelan The Biophysical Society Newsletter (ISSN 0006-3495) is published eleven times per year, January-December, by the Biophysical Society, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 1110, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Distributed to USA members and other countries at no cost. Cana- dian GST No. 898477062. Postmaster: Send address changes to Biophysical Society, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 1110, Rockville, MD 20852. Copyright © 2020 by the Biophysical Society. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Be Involved. The Biophysical Society (BPS) provides many opportunities for members to get involved and give back to the biophysics community.

To learn more about the different opportunities, please visit www.biophysics.org/get-involved.

Gain Leadership Experience. Make a Difference. Expand Your Network.

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Biophysicist in Profile

Yamini Dalal Areas of Research Chromatin structure and epigenetics

Institution National Cancer Institute, NIH

At-a-Glance

Yamini Dalal was raised in a family of physicians and teachers who exposed her to science very early on. “As a kid, I devoured Michael Crichton novels, Scientific American , the British Encyclopedia , and my father’s copy of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine , especially the chapter on disor- ders caused by chromosomal abnormalities,” she shares. “I’ve always wanted to know how things work at the deepest possible level. The crave to understand mechanism led me to my recent interest in using biophysical tools to complement biochemical skills that I acquired in graduate school.”

Yamini Dalal

Yamini Dalal ’s father was a neurologist and professor, her mother is a general physician, an aunt is a gynecologist and professor, and another aunt was a high school teacher. Dalal herself developed an interest in her area of specialization, chromatin structure and epigenetics, very early on in her ed- ucation, and as she learned more, her curiosity only grew. “A chapter on chromosome abnormalities in the book Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine caught my imagination when I was very young, maybe 12 or 13,” she says. She attended a lecture on chromosome structure as an undergraduate at St. Xavier’s University, and she was further drawn in. “The first time I saw an electron microscopy image of chromatin, I was hooked forever. I wanted to figure out how these tiny little 10-nanometer beads dictate the astonishing beauty and diversity in complex life forms all around us. Even now, in the lab, I get a thrill from seeing chromatin.” She picked up a few skills as a high school student that have served her well since —Dalal’s earliest job was grading math and English exams for her aunt, and she tutored other students in school who were struggling to keep up. “It was a great experience, figuring out ways to fully understand some- thing well enough to explain it others,” she says. “It held me in good stead when I was a graduate teaching assistant.” She attended Greenlawns High School, which follows the challenging Indian Certificate of Secondary Education cur- riculum, then went on to pursue her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and life sciences at St. Xavier’s University, one of the oldest colleges under the University of Bombay umbrella. After completing her degree in 1995, she moved to the United States to undertake PhD studies at Purdue University in the lab of Arnold Stein . There, she used classical chromatin bio- chemistry tools to understand how DNA sequence motifs and linker histones can shape the chromatin structure in silico, in vitro, and in vivo. Dalal moved to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for a postdoctoral fellowship in 2003. There she worked on

chromatin and centromeres with Steve Henikoff , after meeting him at a Keystone Conference. “What I remember though is not the meeting itself but spending time chatting with her while waiting for our flights at the airport. Yamini was keen to know more about centromeres, their special chromatin and the interesting way that they evolved, and I was interested in her chromatin biochemistry perspective,” Henikoff shares. “Yamini joined my lab as a postdoc and got her start in the centromere field while complementing her biochemistry ex- pertise with in vivo approaches. After she began her own lab we kept in touch by e-mail and at chromatin or centromere meetings, although we haven’t worked together on projects since she left. However, Yamini’s influence lingered on after she left the lab. For example, when she convinced me that we should try atomic force microscopy, which we found to be excellent advice.” Now Dalal is a senior investigator and group director in the in- tramural research program at the Center for Cancer Research at NCI/NIH in Bethesda. “We work on three major projects: understanding how the chromatin structure of centromeres contributes to its essential and conserved function; dissecting how subtle variations in mechanical properties can alter the properties of the chromatin fiber and downstream function; and figuring out why specific chromatin features are altered in cancer cells, and whether and how they contribute to disease progression,” she explains. “My lab has found it insightful to probe chromatin function using combinatorial methods, including biochemistry, genomics, molecular biology, and computational approaches.” Mary Pitman , a predoctoral fellow in her lab, shares her impressions of Dalal’s leadership style, saying, “I think as a researcher, Yamini has to be able to keep track of and lead a very multidisciplinary effort. Lab meetings in the Dalal lab span hardcore bioinformatics, cell biology, molecular dynam- ics and theory, and biochemical assays. Yamini’s strength in that setting is that she is always engaged, energetic, and is able to see the larger picture while developing a surprising

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Biophysicist in Profile

amount of knowledge about all of the research techniques employed in her lab. But I think, as a personality she balances her fast thinking and very active engagement in scientific dis- cussions with a laid back and jovial attitude which is a difficult balance to strike.” Her favorite thing about biophysics is “the elegance and simplicity that it brings to complicated biological questions,” she says. “With the amazing tools that are constantly being invented by engineers and biophysicists, the sky is the limit. I don’t think there is any part of the biology nano-world that we will not be able to tackle over the next 20 years.” “Over the years,” Dalal shares, “I have admired colleagues past and present, especially those who came from non-sci- ence backgrounds, or who were the first in their families to go to college while working two jobs. These colleagues have succeeded by sheer dint of will, effort, perseverance, and grit, and they have done beautiful science. That’s what I love best about science — that it is egalitarian, not aristocratic. It’s not about pedigree, it’s about accomplishments. The break- throughs can come from anywhere — or anyone.” The discovery process can be a slow one, which is a difficult truth for any curious scientist. Dalal says that her biggest challenge has been “coming to grips with the reality that it takes years for experimental work to catch up with intuitive leaps that turn out right sometimes, but just as often turn out wrong. It can be frustrating to have to wait months or years

to get to the answer. But it does have the benefit of keeping one going!” She hopes to contribute knowledge to the future of the field, but also to lead by example in “making science a more wel- coming place for others from diverse backgrounds and skill sets, but united by a common passion to really chase the hard questions,” she shares. “I hope that well-trained scientists from my lab will go out there and break new ground and make even more critical discoveries.” Being relatively new to the biophysics community, Dalal has found the Biophysical Society helpful in meeting people who work in diverse topics, learning about new tools, and reading literature beyond the scope of her own work that reminds her of the larger picture. She has been excited about “meeting scientists whose work I’ve admired and read for years, learn- ing about the chromatin biophysics community, and having two graduate students who taught me a little bit about real physics!” She advises trainees to follow their true interests. “Take the time to figure out what those are, because it will motivate you throughout your life. In the meantime, acquiring skills is its own reward — learn a skill and own it!” she says. “Finally, have a sense of integrity about who you are. I like a quote from the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley , which gets this point across far more elegantly ‘I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.’”

Call for 2022 Biophysical Society Conferences Proposals Proposal Deadline: May 11, 2020

The Biophysical Society sponsors small (100–150 attendees), recurring (biennial to triennial) multi-day confer- ences on focused topics within the broad realm of biophysics. These meetings, held primarily in the United States, between the months of May and August, aim to bring together senior researchers, postdoctoral researchers, and students working in similar scientific areas to discuss the latest cutting-edge research. The Society is now calling for proposals for the 2022 BPS Conferences. Complete submissions will be considered by the BPS Conferences Committee and, pending review, organizers will be contacted for additional, more detailed, information. The Committee’s final recommendations will be submitted to the Society Council for approval in early November. For criteria and submission requirements, visit www.biophysics.org/meetings-events/bps-conferences/criteria-and-submission-information Proposals must be submitted at www.surveymonkey.com/r/MXTDZBX

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Public Affairs

PCAST Directs Attention to STEMEducation and NSB Collaboration

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) met in early February for two days to work on three focus areas: industries of the future; enhancing US science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce; and increased engagement with federal laboratories. During the first day, PCAST subcommittees addressed the three focus areas and provided updates and interim recommenda- tions to fellow council members. Subcommittees emphasized the need to build university and community college partnerships to drive needed curriculum changes and the considerable amount of untapped STEM talent in rural regions. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Kelvin Droegemeier , who chairs PCAST, noted that the future of the STEM workforce should not focus on terminal degrees but rather on the necessary skill sets for various research and industry sectors. Day two consisted of a joint meeting between PCAST and the National Science Board (NSB). NSB members provided an over- view of their recently released 2020 Science and Engineering Indicators, highlighting three macro trends affecting the US sci- ence and engineering enterprise: increased globalization, a global trend toward technology, and cultivating talent. These data will help inform the priorities and recommendations set forth by PCAST in the coming year.

NIH Approves Programs to Enhance Faculty Diversity and Support High-Risk, High-Reward Research The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Council of Councils provided updates on the NIH Common Fund, which supports innovative research that no single NIH Institute or Center can address on its own. The Council voted to approve the concept for a new program to foster diversity and renewed an updated program to support High-Risk, High-Reward (HRHR) research. Hannah Valantine , NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, presented a concept clearance for the Faculty Insti- tutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST)

program. FIRST aims to establish a faculty cohort model for hiring that offers institutional support for mentoring, sponsor- ship, and professional development programming. Expected outcomes of FIRST are 120 new faculty who are committed to diversity and inclusion, hired at 10 to 12 extramural institu- tions. Estimated FIRST funds are expected to be USD $241 million distributed over nine years. Ravi Basavappa , Program Official for Office of Strategic Coordi- nation, presented a proposed reissuance of the HRHR pro- gram. Unusually innovative research with potential for broad impact is the emphasis of the HRHR program’s four awards. Anticipated awards in fiscal year 2020 amount to USD $97.4 million, funding at least seven Pioneer Awards, 33 New Inno- vator Awards, seven Transformative Research Awards, and 10 Early Independence Awards.

Numbers By the

The BPS 64th Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, attracted attendees from 54 countries and held over 100 scientific sessions.

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Public Affairs

Around theWorld Worldwide Precautions for COVID-19 Have Repercussions on Research The ripple effect from the January 23 shut-down of travel in and out of Wuhan, China, has resulted in a growing number of researchers in quarantine who are isolated in their homes, unable to visit their labs. Researchers working outside of Chi- na, who had returned home for visits or conferences, are left unsure of when they will be able to return and continue their research. Research efforts are not only being felt by those under quarantine in China, but also by researchers in other countries who work collaboratively with Chinese scientists. While the quarantines and travel bans have allowed other countries to prepare for what is now a global outbreak, it remains to be seen what kind of impact these months of lost or delayed work will have on global research. High-Risk AI Technology Facing Strict Regulations in Europe The European Commission has unveiled its plan to strictly regulate artificial intelligence (AI). New laws will be drafted to include a ban on “black box” AI systems that humans can’t in- terpret. This ban aims at governing high-risk uses of the tech- nology, such as in medical devices and self-driving cars. The plan also includes measures to update the European Union’s 2018 AI strategy and pump billions of Euros into research and development over the next decade. The commission wants binding rules for “high-risk” uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in sectors like health care, transport, or criminal justice. The criteria to determine risk would include considerations such as whether someone could get hurt — by a self-driving car or a medical device, for example — or whether a person has little say in whether they’re affected by a machine’s decision. The rules would also govern the large data sets used in training AI systems, ensuring that they are legally procured, traceable to their source, and sufficiently broad to train the system. The law will also establish who is responsible for actions resulting from an AI system— such as the company using it, or the company that designed it. High-risk applications would have to be shown to be com- pliant with the rules before being deployed in the European Union.

A Scientist on Capitol Hill: An Inside View on the Coronavirus Timeline Researchers throughout government, academia, and industry have been working at a breakneck pace to study the novel coronavirus that is at the center of the current worldwide outbreak. Within just two weeks of publication of the genetic sequence of the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a RT-PCR assay for detection of this virus, and soon after they published the protocol for this assay on their website. About a month later, the first two atomic-level cryo-EM structures of the viral spike glyco- proteins were published by researchers at the University of Texas and the University of Washington. Just 42 days after publication of the genetic sequence, Moderna Therapeutics developed a vaccine candidate for clinical trials at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. These remarkable breakthroughs would not have been pos- sible without years of research on similar coronaviruses like those that cause SARS and MERS. However, STAT report- ed coronavirus researchers have faced fluctuating funding opportunities. Research funding has increased in immediate response to previous outbreaks caused by coronaviruses, but when the immediate threat passes, funding has settled back down. The current outbreak underscores the importance of sustained federal research funding, from basic biomedical research to vaccine development, in our country’s ability to respond to outbreaks. Without those researchers like the groups in Texas and Washington, who are poised to study novel disease-causing pathogens, we would not be able to react as quickly to future threats to human health. We must invest in the next generation of researchers who study the fundamental aspects of pathogens by providing steady, pre- dictable funding. Finally, the rapid availability of research results has undoubt- edly accelerated the pace of our understanding of this novel threat. A group of over 100 publishers, scientific societies, and research funders signed a pledge to ensure rapid and open sharing of research results related to the novel coronavirus. This situation may turn out to be a useful test case for the utility of preprint publication, and the ability of the scientific community to conduct peer review in real-time. https:/www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/rt-pcr-detection-instructions.html https:/science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/02/19/science.abb2507 https:/www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.19.956581v1 https:/investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-ships-mr- na-vaccine-against-novel-coronavirus-mrna-1273 https:/www.statnews.com/2020/02/10/fluctuating-funding-and-flagging-inter- est-hurt-coronavirus-research/ https:/wellcome.ac.uk/press-release/sharing-research-data-and-findings-relevant-nov- el-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak https:/www.statnews.com/2020/02/03/retraction-faulty-coronavirus-paper-good-mo- ment-for-science/ — Leah Cairns , BPS Congressional Fellow https:/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/sars-cov-2-seqs/

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Publications

Know the Editor Chris Chipot

Open Access at the Biophysical Society

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Lorraine Editor, Channels and Transporters Biophysical Journal

If you publish your science, you know that the open access movement has gained significant ground and attention in the last few years. You also know that it can be a confusing landscape filled with many terms being used interchangeably, multitudes of options, funder restrictions, and policies still being formed. Numerous surveys support the notion that researchers want Societies to support more open access op- tions and research also tells us that open access is particular- ly attractive to early career researchers. Like most publishers, the Biophysical Society has been studying, discussing, and tracking developments in order to respond strategically and position the Society’s publications in the best way to serve its membership, as well as its extended author and reader community. To be successful, a publisher must provide options for re- searchers to publish within their field. The BPS is committed to serving biophysics by offering a range of publishing options in terms of access and cost. In such an environment, when you’re ready to publish your work, you can choose between two models: subscription and open access. Under the sub- scription model, the cost of publication is covered by readers — spread across thousands of institutional and individual subscribers or license holders —who pay to receive access and also — in the case of Biophysical Journal — authors who pay page charges. In the case of gold open access, individuals or institutions pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) up- front to cover the cost of publishing. These articles are made immediately and permanently available to the rest of the world upon publication. Readers do not pay for a subscription to access these articles. There are a few reasons why APCs are typically much higher than page charges: (1) Open access does not change the cost of publishing an article (the invest- ment in peer review, typesetting and composition, editors and proofreaders, technology, webhosting, software engineers, staff, and ancillary services such as Crossref for linking DOIs, etc. remains), (2) in the open access environment, the publish- er is working to replace the lost subscription income, and (3) APCs are charged only on accepted articles. Open Access Options at the Biophysical Society Biophysical Journal is currently a hybrid journal which means it is supported by a combination of subscription fees and APCs. Authors may elect to publish gold open access for a fee. By doing so, the author’s work is open to the world immediately, thereby avoiding the 12-month embargo for articles behind a subscription paywall. This option was introduced to the jour- nal in order to provide choices for authors who want or are required by their funder to publish open access. The number of authors opting for open access is on the rise in the journal.

Chris Chipot

What are you currently working on that excites you? I am a theorist by training. My research focuses on the development of original strategies for the investigation of rare events in large biological objects by means of comput- er simulations. These events typically span the millisecond timescale, and are rare from a theoretical perspective only because brute-force atomistic simulations seldom exceed the microsecond timescale. Our methods are applied to the study of recognition and association phenomena, and the function of membrane proteins. We are in exciting times for computa- tional biophysics, as simulations are viewed with less skepti- cism and have become a powerful complement to experimen- tal approaches by furnishing a dynamic view of the molecular interactions at play. More than 20 years after the joint Nobel prize of John Walker and Paul Boyer , I am still fascinated by the exquisite complexity of ATP synthases, and invigorated by the combination of statistical mechanics with the high-reso- lution structural information supplied by our collaborators to decrypt the motor action of these membrane enzymes. How do you stay on top of all the latest developments in your field? In recent years, the landscape of scientific publishing has evolved dramatically, with the number of published papers growing at a rate of nearly five percent per year, making it difficult to keep track of the exciting science conducted across the world. With over 2.5 million articles published yearly, separating the wheat from the chaff has become nearly im- possible, and the chance of overlooking a good paper is sadly inevitable. I regularly browse through the table of contents of the journals where I usually publish my work and have set up alerts, which is admittedly far from sufficient. Scientific events like the BPS Annual Meeting are an inexhaustible source of information. Editorial and peer-reviewing duties have helped me stay afloat and not miss the latest stimulat- ing developments in the field.

FollowBPS Journals on Twitter @BiophysJ and@BiophysicistJ

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The Biophysicist Announces Reduced Publication Fees The first issue of The Biophysicist has been published and the journal is well on its’ way to issue two. Thanks to all who submitted, reviewed, tweeted about and read the journal. Be sure to spread the word about this open access, education-focused journal. The Biophysicist is celebrating the first issue by reducing publication fees by 50 percent through August 31, 2020. What does this mean for you as an author? • If you submitted to the journal between July and December of 2019, and your article was accepted, there are no publication charges. • If you submit to the journal between January 1, 2020, and August 31, 2020, publications fees will be reduced by 50 percent as follows: Research Articles • $800 Nonmembers • $500 Members • $400 Members at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution Reports • $200 Member • $100 Member at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution • No Charge for Student Forum, Book Reviews, Comments Submit your work to The Biophysicist and take advantage of these rates. If you haven’t read this journal yet, visit www.thebiophysicist.org/toc/biop/current.

With the advent of Plan S and other funder mandates, hybrid journals are not always an acceptable solution and some funders require that research they support be published in a fully open access journal. In response to this, BPS will be launching a fully open access journal next year called Biophysical Reports . A new open access journal would be Plan S compliant and is in keeping with the Society’s strategic initiatives. The Society already has the infrastructure in place to support an open access journal. Finally, The Biophysicist , the new BPS education-focused journal is also fully open access. Next Issue: Plan S, Executive Orders, and Publisher Mandates . BPS to Publish Biophysical Reports In response to last year’s publications survey and focus groups, and as a result of the growing open access move- ment, the Biophysical Society plans to publish a fully open-access journal titled Biophysical Reports . The journal will include: • Letters: Letters will move out of BJ and into Biophysical Reports . Letters are less than five pages, with no supple- mental materials. • Reports: Reports have a maximum of 25k characters and five figures. Supplemental materials can have no more than five figures and must be as short as (or shorter than) the Report. • Articles: Articles are full-length papers from authors who desire to or must publish in fully open access journals. Although the overall scope will overlap with Biophysical Jour- nal , this publication will distinguish itself in two categories: (1) process, including faster decision times in all categories, and (2) focus, where Letters and Reports are not required to be written for a generalist audience and therefore may be written for specialists (more niche), and papers reporting new methods or technologies that have potential to open new areas of biophysical investigation are suitable, but specific application to a research study is not necessary. The journal is targeted to launch in 2021 and will be published in partnership with Cell Press.

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Annual Meeting

Symposia & Workshops Meeting attendees in San Diego enjoyed five days filled with 15 Subgroup symposia, 24 symposia, 4 workshops, and 64 platform sessions highlighting the latest research topics and biophysical techniques.

BPS Annual Lecture Due to travel restriction, Sunney Xie, from Pecking University, was unable to attend the BPS Annual Meeting, however we were able to live stream his presentation at the BPS Lecture on Monday, February 17. To view the BPS Lecture online, go to www.biophysics.org/2020meeting.

Bose Speaker and Fitbit Raffle Winners

Kristina Vogel, UFZ Leipzig

Julie Ducharme, McGill University

Career Programs Attendees had over 30 career education-related sessions for all career levels to choose from scheduled throughout the meeting.

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Annual Meeting

Over 600 posters were presented each afternoon in the Exhibit Hall which spanned the interdisciplinary field of biophysics. Another 500 oral platform presentations were selected from among submitted abstracts.

Poster Presentations

2 nd Place “A Traction Owl” Integrin-mediated cellular forces during early adhesion Tejeshwar Rao

3 rd Place Phoenix Reborn Ziliang Zhao

1 st Place If Proteins Were Cats Fiona Naughton

Image Contest

Congratulations to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of the Biophysical Society Art of Science Image Contest. The Society received over 40 submissions and the 10 finalists were displayed at the Annual Meeting where attendees voted for their top two images. The Image Contest and prizes were sponsored by Chroma Technology. Visit the website for the description of the winning images, www.biophysics.org.

Exhibits

Attendees visited exhibitors and viewed product demonstrations, saw the latest lab equipment and scientific publications, and explored new technologies in the Exhibit Hall.

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Annual Meeting

2020 SRAA Poster CompetitionWinners

Channels, Receptors and Transporters Natsuki Mizutani , Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Japan

COUPLING MECHANISMS OF VSD MUTANTS OF CI-VSP. Che Chun Alex Tsui , University of Oxford, UK & Scripps Re- search Institute MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS STUDIES OF THE PROTON CHANNEL OTOPETRIN AND OTHER MECHANICAL- LY-ACTIVATED ION CHANNELS. Cryo-EM Hamidreza Rahmani , Florida State University INSIGHTS INTO VARIOUS TYPES OF MYOPATHY USING THE ATOMIC MODEL OF LETHOCERUS MYOSIN FILAMENTS Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Ibraheem Alshareedah , University at Buffalo SEQUENCE-ENCODED INTERACTIONS MODULATE REENTRANT LIQUID CONDENSATION OF RIBONUCLEOPRO- TEIN-RNA MIXTURES. Andrea Guljas , University of Toronto, Canada ROLE OF π-π INTERACTIONS IN LIQUID-LIQUID PHASE SEPARATION. Macromolecular Machines and Assemblies Joel C. Heisler , University of California – Merced CLOCK OUTPUT SERVES DUAL PURPOSE OF GENE REGULATION AND TIME KEEPING. Jenny Liu , Northwestern University THE ROLE OF BACKBONE AND SIDECHAIN DYNAMICS ON FIMH ALLOSTERY. Dhiman Ray , University of California – Irvine HOOGSTEEN BASE PAIRING IN DNA VS RNA: THERMODY- NAMICS AND KINETICS FROM ENHANCED SAMPLING SIMULATION AND MARKOV STATE MODELING. Mechanobiology Jeffrey Lotthammer , Ohio State University IN-SILICO ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY OF INNER-EAR MECHANO- TRANSDUCTION CHANNEL MODELS. Hao-Che Wang , University of Wisconsin-Madison DISCRIMINATOR EFFECTS ON OPEN COMPLEX FORMATION, STABILIZATION, AND TRANSCRIPTION INITIATION.

The 31 winners of the annual Student Research Achievement Awards were recognized at the 64th Biophysical Society An- nual Meeting Awards Ceremony on February 17, 2020. These students were selected by judges from the Society’s sub- groups for their outstanding presentations during the poster competition. One hundred twenty-two students participated in the competition. The winners are: Bioenergetics, Mitochondria and Metabolism Santosh Adhikari , University of Minnesota LIVE-CELL SUPER-RESOLUTION MICROSCOPY OF FAA4 RE-DISTRIBUTION ON LIPID DROPLETS DURING METABOLIC TRANSITIONS IN YEAST. Bioengineering Kartik Lakshmi Rallapalli , University of California – San Diego RATIONALIZING THE EFFECT OF MUTATIONS ON THE EDIT- PREPARATION OF PEPTIDES WITH HIGH AFFINITY TO CAN- CER TARGETS IN MRNA DISPLAY VIA CONTINUOUS-FLOW MICROFLUIDICS. Biological Fluorescence Reena R. Beggs , University of Alabama at Birmingham STRUCTURAL CHANGES TO DESMOSOME ARCHITECTURE DURING ASSEMBLY AND MATURATION. Jia Hui Li , Freie Universität Berlin, Germany DIRECTED MANIPULATION OF MEMBRANE PROTEINS BY FLUORESCENT MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES. Jinho Park , Seoul National University, South Korea REAL-TIME OBSERVATION OF DNA CLEAVAGE BY CRIS- PR-CAS9 ENDONUCLEASE USING PYRENE MOLECULE AS A SENSITIVE PROBE FOR DETECTING SUB-NM STRUCTURAL CHANGE. Biopolymers in Vivo Furqan Dar , Washington University in St. Louis MULTIDIMENSIONAL PHASE DIAGRAMS FOR MULTICOMPO- NENT SYSTEMS COMPRISING MULTIVALENT PROTEINS. Meranda Masse , University of Wisconsin – Madison EFFECT OF NASCENT PROTEINS ON THE STABILITY OF THE RIBOSOME. ING EFFICIENCY OF ADENINE BASE EDITORS. Wan-Zhen Lin , University of Southern California

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Annual Meeting

Membrane Fusion, Fission and Traffic Elif S. Köksal , University of Oslo Center for Molecular Medicine, Norway MILD TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS MAY HAVE ENHANCED THE GROWTH AND FUSION OF PROTOCELLS ON THE EARLY EARTH. Travis J. Morgenstern , Columbia University A POTENT VOLTAGE-GATED CALCIUM CHANNEL INHIBITOR ENGINEERED FROM A NANOBODY TARGETED TO AUXILIARY CAVβ SUBUNITS. Membrane Structure and Function Ewa Drab , University of Geneva, Switzerland MECHANISM OF THE INHIBITORY INTERFERENCE IN HUMAN ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES. Moshe T. Gordon , University of Colorado DIRECT DETECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A PHOS- PHOINOSITIDE DEPENDENT KINASE-1 (PDK1) HOMODIMER ON A TARGET MEMBRANE SURFACE VIA SINGLE MOLECULE FLUORESCENCE. Membrane Transport Shanlin Rao , University of Oxford, UK ANNOTATING ION CHANNEL PORES: STRUCTURES, HYDRO- PHOBICITY AND THE THRESHOLD FOR PERMEATION. Maiwase Tembo , University of Pittsburgh PHOSPHATE POSITION ON PHOSPHOINOSITIDES IS KEY IN MEDIATING TMEM16A CURRENTS IN XENOPUS LAEVIS OOCYTES. Motility and Cytoskeleton Abby Jurgensmeier , Wichita State University MONITORING PALLADIN’S EFFECT ON ACTIN DYNAMICS AND ORGANIZATION WITH TIRF MICROSCOPY. Zhenhui Liu , Johns Hopkins University UNVEILING THE TREND OF CHANGES IN MECHANICAL PHENOTYPES BETWEEN SUBPOPULATIONS OF ISOGENIC CANCER CELLS AT DISTINCT METASTATIC STAGES. Nanoscale Approaches Sean Carney , University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF STEPPING DYNAMICS OF E. COLI UVRD HELICASE. Rachel Leicher, Rockefeller University

Kamila R. Mustafina , McGill University, Canada STED SUPER-RESOLUTION IMAGING OF DUOX1 AND CEN2 REVEALS SUBSTRUCTURE OF MEMBRANE MACROMOLECU- LAR COMPLEXES IN HUMAN BRONCHIAL EPITHELIAL CELLS. Physical Cell Biology Dushyant Mehra , Mayo Clinic CHARACTERIZATION OF DCAS9 INTERACTION KINETICS AND LOCAL CHROMATIN STRUCTURE IN LIVE HUMAN CELLS US- ING PALM SUPER-RESOLUTION MICROSCOPY. Vinh H. Vu , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign STRUCTURE-FUNCTION ANALYSIS OF E-CADHERIN DIMERIZATION AT THE PLASMA MEMBRANE. 2020 Undergraduate Student Poster Award Winners Congratulations to the students who won awards at the 2020 Annual Meeting for their poster presentations. These students were selected based on the quality and scientific merit of their research, knowledge of the research problem, contribution to the project, and the overall presentation of their poster. Steven D.E. Fried , University of Arizona G-PROTEIN-COUPLED RECEPTORS ARE SOLVENT-SWOLLEN IN THE FUNCTIONALLY ACTIVE STATE Molly Myers , Creighton University PHASOR-FLIM QUANTIFICATION OF CHANGES IN KERAT- INOCYTE METABOLISM AND TISSUE ARCHITECTURE IN A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF UV-INDUCED SKIN CANCER Donna Roscoe , Amherst College COMPARING DNA FOLDING FOR DIFFERENT FOLDING AGENTS Jack Rubien , Swarthmore College RNA-PROTEIN PHASE SEPARATION IN CANCER: INVESTIGAT- ING HUMAN SATELLITE II RNA STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION Javier Vilcapoma , University of Albany TOWARD TAILORED BIOSTABILITY OF DNA NANOSTRUC- TURES

SINGLE-MOLECULE INVESTIGATION OF PRC2 NON-ADJACENT NUCLEOSOME BRIDGING.

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Career Development

Working Towards and Negotiating Autonomy as a Postdoc

The transition period between earning a PhD and establishing a long-term sustainable career often involves post- doctoral training. Life as a postdoctoral researcher (postdoc) brings a number of exciting opportunities to join dif- ferent laboratories, acquire new skills, network, travel, etc. However, this time is equally challenging and brings a lot of uncertainties, especially about what future opportunities await. Developing certain skills is critical when pursuing career opportunities in either academia, industry, or other employment sectors. One such skill is autonomy or independence, which often receives less atten- tion during postdoctoral training compared to research-based and techniques-based skills and peer-reviewed publications. So how does one work towards gaining autonomy? Active communication is a critical first step. A postdoc should actively communicate with their supervisor and discuss their progress in the laboratory. They should explain their roles in any new developments such as designing a protocol or proce- dure that is efficient and resource-saving, or troubleshooting steps related to experiments or laboratory operation. A post- Cottrell Scholar Award (CSA) The CSA is available to early career faculty at US and Canadian research universities and primarily undergradu- ate institutions. Awards are for three-year projects in the amount of $100,000 for the entire project. Who may apply: Eligible applicants are tenure-track faculty who hold primary or courtesy appointments in chemistry, physics, or astronomy departments that offer bachelor’s and/or graduate degrees in the applicant’s discipline. Deadline: July 1, 2020 Website: https:/ rescorp.org/cottrell-scholars/cot- trell-scholar-award/guidelines Grants & Opportunities

doc should also take leadership roles in project development, implementation, figuring out funding opportunities for their work (e.g., postdoctoral fellowships and travel grants), as well as for research dissemination, such as writing manuscripts and presenting their research at conferences. One of the roles of a supervisor is to provide an environment that motivates trainees in their laboratory to come up with new ideas, ways to design experiments, and even realistic side-projects. A postdoc should always identify such opportunities and take a leadership role to demonstrate that they are ready to gain autonomy. A postdoctoral trainee should also communicate about their future goals with their supervisor and ask for sug- gestions to help them achieve those goals. Once a supervisor observes such signs of maturity, they would likely encour- age the trainee to further enhance their skills by assuming a semi-independent group leader role within their group. Aside from being an outstanding researcher, a postdoctoral trainee should also develop interpersonal skills, treat col- leagues in the laboratory and out with respect and fairness, have a long-term plan, and acknowledge help from colleagues

appropriately. — Molly Cule

Wellcome Collaborative Awards in Science Collaborative Awards promote the development of new ideas and speed the pace of discovery. This opportunity funds teams of researchers, consisting of independent research groups, to work together on the most import- ant scientific problems that can only be solved through collaborative efforts. Who may apply: Eligible applicants must be from teams of research programs at institutes in the United King- dom, Republic of Ireland, or in low- or middle-income countries. Deadline: April 21, 2020 Website: https:/wellcome.ac.uk/funding/schemes/col- laborative-awards-science

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Publications Member C rner

Important Dates April 17, 2020 Spatial Organization of Biological Functions, Bangalore, India

May 1, 2020 Physical and Quantitative Approaches to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance, Stockholm, Sweden • Abstract Submission Deadline May 20, 2020 Physical and Quantitative Approaches to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance, Stockholm, Sweden • Early Registration Deadline

• Early Registration Deadline • Abstract Submission Deadline May 1, 2020 • Deadline for BPS Award Nominations

Student Spotlight Valentin Dunsing

University of Potsdam, Germany Institute of Biochemistry and Biology What do you wish you knew before you began your studies in biophysics?

Originally, I trained in physics so I knew fairly little about biology when I became interested in biophysics during my graduate studies. When I started reading biological papers, I literally needed to look up every second word. Although this was very difficult, everything I read was fascinating and opened a new world for me. Nevertheless, the more I learn about the complexity of biological systems, the harder I find it to combine this knowledge with a naive physicist’s view. In addition, it took me some time to realize that cartoons in textbooks or papers are mostly hypotheses rather than safe knowledge, which would have been useful to be aware of from the beginning.

Valentin Dunsing

Members in the News

Amitabha Chattopadhyay , CSIR Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, and Society member since 1984, received the Prof. G.N. Ramachandran Gold Medal for Excellence in Biological Sciences & Technology from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), government of India.

Amitabha Chattopadhyay

The Biophysical Society is grateful to its Industry Partners.

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For Industry Partner Membership information, contact alevine@biophysics.org.

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