Biophysical Society Bulletin | February 2024

Communities

Handling Difficult Work Situations in Academia In academia, as in all other places of employment, situations that can be de

Subgroups Reflections on 20 Years of the Membrane Fusion, Fission, and Traffic Subgroup

The Endocytosis and Exocytosis Subgroup, now called Mem brane Fusion, Fission, and Traffic (MFFT), was founded in 2003. Current Subgroup Chair-Elect Jeff Knight (University of Colorado Denver) chatted with original Chairs Manfred Lindau (University of Miami) and Kevin Gillis (University of Missouri) at the recent 2023 BPS Conference on Membrane Fusion and Budding. A synopsis of their conversation follows JK: How did the Subgroup start? KG: It grew out of a “capacitance dinner” that had been held at the annual Biophysical Society meeting since the 1990s or maybe earlier. At the time, patch-clamp membrane capaci tance measurements, pioneered in Erwin Neher ’s group, were emerging as a high-resolution, single-cell assay of exocy tosis and endocytosis. Several of us had worked with Neher directly. There was a lot of excitement in the endocytosis and exocytosis field, but many of the discussions were happening at other meetings that weren’t as fun for us as biophysicists. Bob Chow (now retired) and I thought more people in the field would come to Biophysical Society meetings if we had our own Subgroup, so we gathered enough signatures to launch it. Bob was the informal Chair the first year, I was the first elected Chair, and Manfred was Chair the following year, with Bob elected as Chair a couple years later. ML: One of the special things I remember is that Bernard Katz ’s son was able to attend one of the early Subgroup meetings and presented the Katz award—I think it was the very first one, which went to Erwin Neher. JK: What were some of the key questions in the field then? ML: A lot of them are the same questions we’re asking now. People were characterizing readily releasable versus re serve pools of secretory vesicles, and the timing and calcium sensitivity ranges of each pool. People are still talking about different vesicle pools, and there are still questions about how to define them. Another key question then and now was whether the calcium signal for exocytosis reaches a locally high concentration due to calcium channel activity next to the exocytotic vesicle, or if it’s a diffuse, low concentration that triggers sensitive calcium sensors not tightly co-localized with calcium channels. We’re still seeing that question asked, because biology seems to use both mechanisms.

scribed as difficult or challenging are bound to arise. This broadly can be said to include issues with your project, issues with a co-worker, or issues with a superior. Issues with your project. Academic research is hard. If you ever hear a co-worker saying how easy they have it, please do not believe the hype. The best professors struggled for years to get to where they are, and those Nature papers typically take five to six years in a highly successful project to get to that stage. Therefore, please do not despair if you encounter serious hur dles. Besides academic challenges, issues such as data manage ment (or loss) can be mitigated by having a data management plan (DMP) at the outset of your project. In general, foreseeing potential problems is the best way to avoid them blowing up in your face! Issues with a co-worker. This type of difficult situation can be of a very personal nature. Maybe your co-worker irritates you or maybe your projects overlap in an unhealthy manner. A good manager should be able to mitigate the latter issue, while the former issue can be contained by having respectful boundaries. If the situation cannot be resolved, the best approach is a lev el-headed chat with the person at issue. Avoid personal attacks, as this can only make the situation worse. Another solution is to keep a distance from the person if you can. In instances of gross misconduct, consult your dean or Title IX office (in the United States), if applicable. Issues with a supervisor. This can be the hardest type of chal lenge since your supervisor generally has a lot of influence over your future and the direction of your projects. If the issue per tains to compatibility or fit, try to meet your supervisor halfway and take good notes during meetings to ensure you are both on the same page regarding the project. If there is a more serious problem, such as misconduct, you might consider discussing with your supervisor’s line manager. You should weigh the pros and cons based on factors such as the severity of the situation and how long you have left in your project. This type of issue can be the hardest to overcome successfully. Every workplace has its challenges. Dealing with them effec tively will allow you to take joy in your work while you strive to succeed in your career. I wish you the best of luck! — Molly Cule

February 2024

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