Biophysical Society Bulletin | January 2020

President’s Message

Officers President

David W. Piston President-Elect Catherine Royer Past-President Angela Gronenborn Secretary Erin Sheets Treasurer Kalina Hristova Council Zev Bryant Linda Columbus Michelle A. Digman Marta Filizola Teresa Giraldez Ruben Gonzalez, Jr. Joseph A. Mindell Anna Moroni Marina Ramirez-Alvarado Jennifer Ross David Stokes Pernilla Wittung-Stafeshede Biophysical Journal Jane Dyson Editor-in-Chief The Biophysicist Sam Safran Editor-in-Chief

Committee to implement an optional auto- matic dues renewal program. Beginning with the 2021 dues cycle, members will have the option to select secure automatic annual dues renewal so that future year renewals will occur with little hassle. The membership staff will be communicating much more about this prior to the next renewal season. The meeting concluded with new business, which included a discussion about Society awards. The number of women being nomi- nated for Society awards has been stagnant the past several years, and is not reflective of the contributions of our membership. The Awards Committee has been tasked with a review of the nominating process, and mem- bers of CPOW are also looking into the history

of our nominations. You can read more about the CPOW work on Society Awards in this issue of the Bulletin . (Recognizing Women Biophysi- cists, p.1) As with the spring Council meeting, we walked away from our November meeting with a long list of action items. We also left feeling invigo- rated and excited about the work we are doing and all of the wonderful support from our volunteers, the engine that drives us, and our members, who inspire us. Together, we contin- ue to foster the biophysics community and the future of our science! As always, we welcome your questions, suggestions, and comments. — David W. Piston , President — Jennifer Pesanelli , Executive Officer

2020 Biophysical Society Thematic Meetings

Spatial Organization of Biological Functions Bangalore, India | August 17–20, 2020

A living organism relies on the interactions of molecular constituents within itself and with its surroundings to function properly. Recent studies have shown that the dynamic spatial organization of different molecular components within a cell, different cells within a tissue, and different organisms within a community, play critical roles in enabling the full function- ality of the organism. Furthermore, differential spatial organizations may imply a new level of functional regulation that complements the classic mechanism by molecular interactions. Understanding why and how biological functions are spatially organized requires a concert- ed effort from scientists of diverse backgrounds. This Thematic Meeting seeks to bring scientists from multiple disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering to discuss current advances in the studies of the spatial organization of biological functions, specifically on the topics of intracellular phase separa- tion and functional compartmentalization without the use of membrane, molecular organi- zations in the membrane and in the cytosol, three-dimensional (3D) architecture of physical compartments and cellular activities, pattern formation at different length and time scales, tissue structures, biofilms and host-commensal organization.

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.

Organizing Committee: Sankar Adhya , National Cancer Institute Melike Lakadamyali , University of Pennsylvania Jie Xiao , Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Vijay Kumar Krishnamurthy , International Centre for Theoretical Sciences Satyajit Mayor , National Centre for Biological Sciences Anjana Badrinarayanan , National Centre for Biological Sciences

Abstract Submission Deadline: May 1, 2020 Registration Deadline: May 20, 2020

www.biophysics.org/ 2020Bangalore

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