Biophysical Society Bulletin | February 2019

Biophysicist in Profile

Officers President Angela Gronenborn President-Elect David Piston Past-President Lukas Tamm Secretary Frances Separovic Treasurer Kalina Hristova Council

Zev Bryant Jane Clarke Linda Columbus Bertrand Garcia-Moreno Teresa Giraldez Ruben Gonzalez, Jr. Arthur Palmer Marina Ramirez-Alvarado Jennifer Ross David Stokes Joanna Swain Pernilla Wittung-Stafeshede Biophysical Journal Jane Dyson Editor-in-Chief

Society Office Jennifer Pesanelli Executive Officer Newsletter

Piston at the beach with his wife Adrienne and his daughters Casey and Elena.

The most challenging aspect of the research endeavor, on the other hand, is its endless possibilities. “Biology is not deterministic. While we have never seen any mechanism that doesn’t follow physical rules, there is likely an infinite set of combinations that could lead to the observed result,” he explains. “So, the trick is you have to figure out what is happening, not just what could be happening. This is challenging and makes it easy to go down the wrong path at times.” When he’s not working, he spends much of his time with his family. “I spend quite a bit of time taxiing my daughters to their activities (music lessons, gymnastics, ballet). My wife, Adrienne, and I love going to the symphony, theater, and dance,” he shares. “I enjoy choral singing, and am always looking for opportuni- ties to do challenging music.” Piston will begin his year-long term as Presi- dent of the Biophysical Society during the 63rd Annual Meeting in Baltimore in March 2019. The Society’s meetings have been important in his career as a venue to catch up on advanc- es in the broader field outside of his area of specialization. “I have met several new col- laborators at the meeting,” he shares. “I have also met most of the students who eventually joined my lab as postdocs through the Society one way or another.”

Serving as President of the Society is one way for Piston to help lift up young biophysicists of all backgrounds. “At this point in my career, I am more interested in helping the next generation of scientists make an impact,” he says. “I am working to level the playing field for everyone who wants to work in research. The combination of intelligence, creativity, and grit needed to make an impact as a researcher can come from any background or gender. The problems we are working on are hard, and we need to leverage all of the talent available.” His advice to those just starting out in their careers is to always make time to think deeply about their research questions. “Life has a way of getting frenetic, and there is so much pressure to get grants and publish and teach and serve on committees and… It is important to think and find what others are missing,” he says. “Sometimes, the answer is right in front of you, but you are too busy doing things to realize what you are seeing. Also, be fearless in learning and applying new techniques. It is easy to rely on the approaches you know, but those aren’t always the best way to answer your research questions.”

Executive Editor Jennifer Pesanelli Managing Editor Beth Staehle Contributing Writers and Proofreaders Dorothy Chaconas Laura Phelan

Caitlin Simpson Elizabeth Vuong Sean Winkler

Production Catie Curry Ray Wolfe

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. Canadian GST No. 898477062. Postmaster: Send address changes to Biophysical Society, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 1110, Rockville, MD 20852. Copyright © 2019 by the Biophysical Society. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

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