Biophysical Society Bulletin | February 2022

Communities

When not volunteering for BPS, what do you work on? I study the structure and function of DNA—work that I’m really excited about because we keep uncovering new se- crets about the molecule of life! I also play flute in the Texas Medical Center Orchestra, so I spend my Wednesday nights working on beautiful symphonic music. Subgroups Membrane Structure and Function Thomas E. Thompson Award Winner The Membrane Structure and Function (MSAF) Subgroup would like to announce the winner of the Thomas E. Thomp- son Award. This prestigious honor recognizes an outstanding contribution in the field of membrane structure and function. This award celebrates the legacy of Thomas E. Thompson , a true pioneer in the field of membrane structure and assembly, and a former president of the Biophysical Society (BPS) and editor-in-chief of Biophysical Journal . The 2022 recipient of the Thomas E. Thompson Award is Abdou R. Thiam , from the École Normale Supérieure de Paris, France. He joins the previous winners of the award: Bill Wimley , Sarah Keller , Scott Feller , Karen Fleming , Peter Tieleman , Daniel Huster , Dimitrios Stamou , Emad Tajkhorshid , and Markus Deserno . We invite all the attendees of the 2022 BPS Annual Meeting to be present during the award lecture at 11:50 AM on Sat- urday, February 19, as part of the exciting scientific program for the MSAF Subgroup. For members who cannot attend the meeting in person, the Subgroup session recording will be available on-demand. — Francisco Barrera , Chair — Kandice Levental , Secretary-Treasurer — Ingela Parmryd , Chair-Elect Membrane Transport Cole Award Winner Join us in congratulating the 2022 Cole Award winner, Henry M. Colecraft of Columbia University! Our Subgroup will be celebrating Colecraft together with the Channels, Receptors and Transporters Subgroup during the Cole Award Dinner at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting on Saturday, February 19, at 6:30 PM. Please join us for this fantastic occasion! — Lucie Delemotte , Chair

Lynn Zechiedrich Committee for Professional Opportunities for Women (CPOW)

Lynn Zechiedrich

Is this your first volunteer position for BPS? If not, what other positions have you held? My first volunteer job was as a blogger for the Biophysical So- ciety (BPS) Annual Meeting in 2019. I then joined the Commit- tee for Professional Opportunities for Women (CPOW) after getting to know the fabulous Gabriela Popescu . I had shared with her some of what I had learned at the Higher Education Resource Services Institute Leadership Development Program (https:/www.hersnetwork.org/) about promoting minoritized students. Through CPOW, I have the privilege of continuing to learn about these important issues and, more importantly, ways to counter these issues to promote inclusive excellence and diversity. Why do you volunteer? Starting with my first conversation with Dr. Popescu, I real- ized that BPS leadership is sincere in making real steps to improve diversity and inclusive excellence. I had learned that implicit bias—manifested as microaggressions and microin- validations against a person’s gender, sex, race, color, culture, sexual orientation, disability, country of origin, state in which they live, institution in which they work, or any other person- al characteristic—is a major barrier to inclusive excellence and limits diversity in ways that marginalize, tokenize, and minoritize people. Unchecked, inherent bias contributes to a culture of hostility that forces minority groups out of the sciences. The loss of this scientific talent and the innovation that diversity brings to science hurts our ability to address scientific issues of worldwide importance. I feel welcomed and valued at BPS. I volunteer because I want everyone else to feel welcomed and valued as well. What has been a highlight from your volunteer experience? The biggest highlight is getting to know BPS staff and BPS volunteers from all over the world! Do you have advice for others who might be thinking about volunteering? Do it! Your unique perspective is needed to help plan and execute BPS activities for the benefit of all.

February 2022

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