Biophysical Society Bulletin | December 2018

Public Affairs

Publications

Know the Editor Wendy Shaw

Continued from Page 1 Samuel Safran Named Editor-in-Chief of The Biophysicist Safran, a member of the Biophysical Society since 2001, received his PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His professional interests include theoretical physics of soft and biological matter; cooperative structure and dynamics with an emphasis on cell shapes, biological cell adhesion, cellular and nuclear mechanics and dynamics, self-assembly of amphiphiles (membranes, vesicles), and electrostatic interactions in soft and biological matter. He has a strong interest in interdisciplinary science education with an emphasis on the role of physics in the understanding of biology and materials science. Safran has served on the editorial boards of Soft Matter , Langmuir , and Current Opinion in Colloid Science , and has published numerous articles, books, and invited reviews. The Biophysicist is an online-only journal being developed by the Biophysical Society to publish high-quality, original peer-reviewed articles and invited reviews that are within the broad purview of teaching and learning biophysics at any edu- cational and professional level. Features of the journal will in- clude articles on generalized education, educational research, current topics in teaching, biophysics history and perspectives to the field, tutorial articles on specific topics in biophysics, software notes, technical developments, as well as laboratory methods. In additional to education topics, the journal will address the teaching of biophysics through written and video documentation. Safran presented a strong vision for the journal, including a target author and reader community that includes biophysi- cists as well as those who may identify as physicists, chem- ists, engineers, or biologists. “The needs of the biophysics community are unique since it includes students, educators, and researchers who often come to the field from different disciplinary backgrounds; what unifies them is the application of their expertise, conceptualization, and methods to prob- lems in the life sciences. The traditions of physics, chemistry, and engineering encourage the development and application of novel experimental approaches as well as the imaginative design of synthetic biophysical systems,” says Safran. Watch for news of the journal launch in 2019!

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Editor, Proteins

Wendy Shaw

What are you currently working on that excites you? Two areas: the first is developing catalysts for renewable energies by mimicking functional features of enzymes. If we could achieve the performance of enzymes and also achieve stability, it would be a critical step to a carbon free energy economy. The second is understanding how nature uses pro- teins to form elegant hard tissues such as bones and teeth. Enamel and bone crystals are made of the same material but enamel crystals are 3,000 times longer than those of bone and form an intricate weaved pattern to (ideally) last a lifetime, in part due to the proteins present during formation. If we could understand that process and replicate it, it would expand our ability to make stronger, smarter, better materi- als. What have you read lately that you found really interest- ing or stimulating? (a paper, a book, science or not sci- ence). I recently read the thought-provoking book Blink , by Malcolm Gladwell . It discusses “gut feelings” and when you should trust them versus when you shouldn’t. As scientists, we have a lot of intuition about a scientific process and how a partic- ular line of questioning may give us new insight. We make snap judgments frequently based on hundreds of things we are observing in real time. Often these are right because our expertise allows our subconscious to rapidly process this information without having to bring it to the front of our mind. However, we also do this with people. As we are learning more and more, our snap judgments about people are caused by unsubstantiated bias that is directly affecting our workforce. Learning to understand snap judgments and knowing when to question them is essential as we move forward. Gladwell does a great job of laying this out in a way that allows you to identify your own biases, call them out, and decide which should be trusted and which shouldn’t.

A scene from the Brazilian election. Photo Credit: Angela Gronenborn

Fc-dependent Mechanisms of Antibody-mediated Killing (U01) Applications are invited from institutions and orga- nizations to conduct research focused on elucidating mechanisms of Fc-dependent, antibody-mediated killing of infected or aberrant cells, or antibody-medi- ated therapeutic ablation of cells implicated in immune pathologies, including autoimmune and allergic diseas- es. Studies are expected to define variables that affect efficiencies of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxic- ity (ADCC) and/or antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis (ADCP), both in vitro and in vivo. Deadline: February 1, 2019 Website: https:/grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/ RFA-AI-18-042.html On October 28, Jair Bolsonaro notched a decisive win in Brazil’s presidential elections, securing over 55 percent of the vote. For the past several years, Brazil was consumed by a corrup- tion inquiry into its former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and analysts have described Bolsonaro’s victory as a rejec- tion of the status quo. However, Bolsonaro has also stirred controversy having previously stated he was in favor of Brazil becoming a dictatorship and maligning disadvantaged groups throughout his campaign. Grants & Opportunities Around theWorld Jair Bolsonaro Scores ResoundingWin in Brazil’s Presidential Election

Prominent Scientists Fear a No-Deal Brexit

Twenty-nine Nobel Prize winning scientists and six winners of the Fields Medal wrote Prime Minister Theresa May on Oc- tober 22, describing their concerns over research funding and the free movement of people in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The British Government is facing an end-of-March deadline to finalize an exit agreement with the European Union, or risk a no-deal situation.

Lymphatics in Health and Disease in the Digestive System (R01) Applications are invited that investigate aspects of lymphatic vessel physiology, development, and patho- physiology related to health and diseases of the digestive system. Studies to understand the factors that control local lymphatic vessel functional anatomy and physiology and development during health or disease in this system and its organs, and the mechanisms by which alterations of lymphatic vessel function affect organ function, are of interest. However, studies with the major focus on im- mune mechanisms, role of lymphatics in cancer metasta- sis, and study of lymphatic vessels in organs other than those from the digestive system will not be considered. Deadline: February 21, 2019 Website: https:/grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/ RFA-DK-18-021.html

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BPS has supported 53 networking events in 14 different countries throughout the world.

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T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E B I O P H Y S I C A L S O C I E T Y

T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E B I O P H Y S I C A L S O C I E T Y