Biophysical Society Bulletin | January 2024

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January 2024

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY

2025 Society Awards The Biophysical Society is accepting nominations for its 2025 awards, now through May 1, 2024. We are excited to announce four new awards beginning this cycle: Early Independent Career Award, Outstanding Doctoral Research in Biophysics Award, Klaus Schulten and Zaida Luthey-Schulten Computational Biophysics Lecture Award, and PUI Faculty Award. Each award is described briefly in the list on Page 3. Full details, including eligibility information, are listed on the BPS Society Award page (https:/www.biophysics.org/awards-fund ing/society-awards). We particularly encourage nominations of researchers from diverse backgrounds, including international members and those from under represented groups. We also continue to welcome self-nominations. Inside 2024 New and Notable Symposium Speakers Announced The Annual Meeting Program Chairs were challenged in making the selections this year from among the very large number of out standing nominations submitted by Society members. The speak ers will present their work on Tuesday, February 13, 4:00–6:00 PM, USA Eastern, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the BPS Annual Meeting. The New and Notable Symposium will feature exciting new discoveries across scales ranging from single molecules, to supramolecular assemblies, all the way to whole animals. Ibrahim Cissé and Elizbeth Villa , Annual Meeting Program Chairs, will co-chair the Symposium. Jürgen Plitzko , Max-Planck Institute of Biophysics, Germany Serial-Lift-out: En Route to the Molecular Anatomy of Whole Organisms by Cryo-Electron Tomography Edward C. Twomey , Johns Hopkins University, USA How Allosteric Competition and Inhibition Is Coordinated in AMPA Receptors Jacalyn Vogel , McGill University, Canada New Insights for Nanoscale Condensates: Direct Measurements of +TIP Body Properties and Function in Living Cells Michelle Wang , Cornell University, USA Replication under Torsion Jürgen Plitzko Michelle Wang Edward C. Twomey Jacalyn Vogel

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President’s Message

Annual Meeting

Stay Connected with BPS

Society Awards

Career Development

Biophysicist in Profile

Member Corner Communities Important Dates

Publications Public Affairs

President’s Message

So What Does A President Do? I often get asked by students and colleagues some variation of the question: "What is it like to serve as President of the Biophysical So ciety?" A short answer is: "It is not a huge time commitment, but the President does have some power to enact positive changes." The

2. PUI Faculty Award. We want to honor excellence in academic research and mentoring by faculty at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI), a source of a great number of current and future biophysicists. 3. Early Independent Career Award. This award is for those who have led their own independent research group for fewer than six years and will be based on their contributions during their independence. Accommodations will be made to account for pauses in careers due to child rearing or other reasons. 4. Outstanding Doctoral Research in Biophysics Award. Nominations will require an essay by the nominee explaining their thesis research to a broad audience with scientific inter est. One winner from a U.S.-based institution and one winner from a non-U.S.-based institution will be chosen. 5. Agnes Pockels Award in Lipids and Membrane Biophysics. The Avanti Award in Lipids, awarded since 1997, will be renamed after Agnes Pockels, who determined the size of single lipid molecules and built the precursor for the Lang muir-Blodgett trough. We hope you nominate yourself or other deserving candi dates for these awards (the deadline is May 1, 2024). Our most recent initiative is the Sustainable Future Task Force. President-Elect Gabriela Popescu kindly agreed to chair the task force, which will recommend steps that BPS should take to empower our members who would like to apply their skills and expertise to research related to a sustainable future. They will also look into how to align BPS activities with the goal of achieving a sustainable future. We look forward to taking concrete steps, based on their recommendations, to harness the full potential of biophysics to preserve the planet for future generations! Other responsibilities of the President I will mention are to name the BPS Lecturer and to appoint the Program Chairs for the next Annual Meeting. Elizabeth Villa and Ibrahim Cissé are the Program Chairs who put together an exciting and forward-looking program for the upcoming 2024 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, and Carolyn Bertozzi , 2022 Nobel lau reate in Chemistry, will give the BPS Lecture. Her lecture on the Monday evening of the Annual Meeting will be followed by a dance and ice cream social (back for the first time since 2020!). Finally, at the Annual Meeting we will also present another exciting lineup of speakers at the President’s Sympo sium on Black in Biophysics. I cannot wait to welcome you to Philadelphia! — Taekjip Ha , President

President presides over BPS Council meetings, held three times a year. Because of the outstanding staff in

Taekjip Ha

the Society office who can turn our decisions into reality, the Council can focus on strategic thinking. We make a conscien tious effort at this by reminding ourselves, at the beginning of Council meetings, of our strategic plan objectives: foster a diverse and inclusive global community, invest in the future of biophysics, enhance the sharing of knowledge, and advocate for biophysics. A great example of a Council-directed initiative that has been put into practice during my term is the three programmatic changes to the Annual Meeting, all designed to increase pre sentation opportunities. First, we created a fifth speaking slot in our symposia, which in the past had four invited speakers for each. These 20+ "Symp Select" speakers are chosen from the abstracts submitted. The response from our member ship was incredible: more than 400 abstracts were submit ted for Symp Select talks from principal investigators of all career stages, from brand new professors to members of the National Academies. Second, those who give 15-minute platform talks are given the option of also presenting a post er. This year, it will add more than 200 presentations to the poster sessions. Third, we added flash talks to the platform sessions. This increased the number of platform speakers by 25%. We hope the additional scientific content will also add to the value of our annual meetings. The Council also just approved the creation of four new awards and the renaming of an existing award. Our motiva tion was to honor the scientific excellence of our members by more fully representing the diversity of research topics, career stages, and geographic locations of our members. The new and renamed awards are: 1. Klaus Schulten and Zaida Luthey-Schulten Computational Biophysics Lecture Award . We thank Zaida Luthey-Schulten, who donated funds to endow this award. This is the only award that comes with a speaking opportunity (as a Symp Select Speaker), which we hope will bring additional visibility.

January 2024

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Society Awards

Officers President Taekjip Ha President-Elect Gabriela Popescu Past-President Gail Robertson Secretary Teresa Giraldez Treasurer Samantha Harris Council Patricia Bassereau Margaret Cheung Henry Colecraft Martin Gruebele Kumiko Hayashi Syma Khalid Susan Marqusee Emmanuel Margeat Elizabeth Rhoades

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The Kazuhiko Kinosita Award in Single-Mol ecule Biophysics , recognizing researchers for their exceptional contributions in advancing the field of single-molecule biophysics; The Klaus Schulten and Zaida Luthey-Schul ten Computational Biophysics Lecture Award , recognizing researchers for their outstanding contributions in computational or theoretical, including analytical theory, aspects of biophys ical systems and service to the Biophysical Society or to society broadly; The Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award , given to a woman who holds very high promise or has achieved prominence while developing the early stages of a career in biophysical research within the purview and interest of the Biophys ical Society; The Michael and Kate Bárány Award , which recognizes an outstanding contribution to bio physics by a person who has not achieved the rank of full professor at the time of nomination; The Outstanding Doctoral Research in Biophysics Award , recognizing excellence in thesis research, writing, and service by two PhD candidates in biophysics, one pursuing their PhD at an academic institution in the United States and one pursuing their PhD at a non-U.S. institution; The PUI Faculty Award , honoring excellence in academic research and mentoring by faculty at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI); And, finally, the 2025 Fellows of the Biophys ical Society , honoring distinguished members who have demonstrated sustained scientific excellence. Awards will be presented at the 2025 Bio physical Society Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California. For information and to submit a nomination, visit www.biophysics. org/awards-funding/society-awards. If you have any questions, please contact awards@ biophysics.org.

Awards to be bestowed this cycle include: The Agnes Pockels Award in Lipids and Mem brane Biophysics (formerly the Avanti Award in Lipids ), given to an investigator for outstand ing contributions to advancing the field of lipids and membrane biophysics; The Anatrace Membrane Protein Award , which recognizes an outstanding investigator who has made a significant contribution to the field of membrane protein research; The BPS Award in the Biophysics of Health and Disease , honoring a significant contribu tion to understanding the fundamental cause or pathogenesis of disease, or to enabling the treatment or prevention of a disease; The Carolyn Cohen Innovation Award , rec ognizing a BPS member who advances our fundamental understanding of biological sys tems through the development of novel theory, models, concepts, techniques, or applications; The Early Independent Career Award , recog nizing a faculty member, independent investi gator, or staff scientist at an academic institu tion, national research lab, or private research organization with six or fewer years of service who has made noteworthy contributions in biophysics research and service during their independence; The Emily M. Gray Award , given for significant contributions to education in biophysics, which may include classroom instruction, mento ring research scientists, developing novel educational methods or materials, promoting outreach to the public or youth, attracting new students to the biophysics field, and fostering an exceptionally conducive environment for biophysics education; The Founders Award , given to scientists for outstanding achievement in any area of bio physics; The Ignacio Tinoco Award of the Biophysical Society , which honors meritorious investiga tors who make important contributions to the physical chemistry of macromolecules;

Kandice Tanner Valeria Vasquez Jing Xu Biophysical Journal Vasanthi Jayaraman Editor-in-Chief The Biophysicist Padmini Rangamani Editor-in-Chief Biophysical Reports

Jörg Enderlein Editor-in-Chief

Society Office Jennifer Pesanelli Executive Officer Newsletter

Executive Editor Jennifer Pesanelli Managing Editor John Long Production Ray Wolfe Meredith Zimmerman Proofreader/Copy Editor 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 © 2024 by the Biophysical Society. Darren Early Laura Phelan

January 2024

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Biophysicist in Profile

Patricia O'Hara Area of Research Fluorescence spectroscopy of macromolecules

Institution Amherst College

At-a-Glance

Patricia O'Hara earned her PhD in the late 1970s and went on to be the first woman to be tenured in physical sciences at Amherst College, an institution that had been all male until 1976. Now, as she enters phased retirement, she is spending more time writing. Her textbook Food Chemistry in Small Bites will be published soon.

Patricia O'Hara

Patricia O’Hara grew up in Long Island, New York, the child of an aeronautical engineer father and a mother who worked in the home, caring for the family’s five children. O’Hara’s father passed away when she was young, and her mother eventually remarried a man with eight children of his own. They had two more children together, making O’Hara the exact middle child in a family with 15 kids. She is the only scientist of the bunch and says she fell in love with science as a child through reading “How and Why” books belonging to her brothers. She graduated from Adelphi University in 1976 with a bache lor’s degree in chemistry. From there, she moved to Columbia University, where she earned a master’s degree and PhD in Biophysical Chemistry. “Biophysics wasn’t really a field when I started doing it in graduate school, where I worked with a wonderful physical chemist, Richard Bersohn ,” she shares. “I was part of a small subgroup of his working on proteins, doing laser-induced FRET [fluorescence resonance energy transfer]. My graduate work using lasers to measure FRET and ESR [electron spin resonance] to measure metal binding site prop erties ignited my interest in the broad array of nondestructive assays for looking at biological structure and function.” Upon completion of her PhD, O’Hara undertook a postdoctor al research assistant position with Steven Boxer at Stanford University. She explains, “At Stanford, I explored the effect of protein environment on chromophore properties in the central exon fragment of hemoglobin. I characterized the binding of chlorophyll to this protein subdomain by ESR, NMR [nuclear magnetic resonance], and CIDNIP [chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization] and grew crystals for x-ray crystallogra phy.” In 1983 she finished her postdoc and started a position at Amherst College as an assistant professor, where she has been since then. “I am the first woman to get tenure in the Physical Sciences at Amherst College, which is a selective liberal arts college and was all male until 1976,” O’Hara remembers. “Being the first woman in an institution that had been all male for 150

years was a challenge, but my experience of having 10 brothers and being by nature very stubborn prepared me well.” She has been a member of the Biophysical Society for 30 years and found the community especially valuable as an early career scientist. She says, “The Biophysical Society Meetings were a lifeline to me at early stages of my career. It is where I met col leagues to collaborate with and where my students gave their first scientific talks and posters.” Employed at a primarily undergraduate institution, O’Hara has worked with many students over the years as they were expe riencing the joy of research for the first time. “I have mentored 75 undergraduate researchers in their senior honors projects and several hundred non-thesis undergraduates,” she reportss. “Watching students learn to love research is always its own reward.” The students’ love of research is matched—and enhanced— by her own. O’Hara says, “‘Turning on the Light’, the title of a paper I wrote for the Journal of Chemical Education and my most-downloaded publication, provides a metaphor for what I love in biophysics. I still feel the awe and wonder when the inner workings of molecular machines and biological processes are revealed.” To young scientists, O’Hara offers this advice: “Find yourself a community that is supportive and welcoming. Be open to getting help and advice from the least likely places.” These days, she is starting phased retirement, winding down four decades of research and doing more writing in its place. She shares, “My future plans involve writing science books at a level that those without technical training can understand. My first book was The Chemical Story of Olive Oil , and I am currently involved in writing about food chemistry—something that might seem far from biophysics but in reality is not. My textbook, Food Chemistry in Small Bites , will be published by the University of California Press in the near future.”

January 2024

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Publications

Know the Editor Sarah Rauscher University of Toronto Associate Editor Biophysical Reports

Editor’s Pick

Sarah Rauscher

At a cocktail party of non-scientists, how would you explain what you do? We look at proteins as a machine, and we are aiming to describe in precise detail how this machine works, to develop a blueprint. Viruses and bacteria, for example, target specific proteins and bind with them, while protein mutations are involved in diseases like cancer. Treatment design, therefore, often starts with getting a clear understanding of the structure and dynamics of the pro teins involved in disease. We are using computer simulations to better understand disordered proteins—proteins without a fixed, static structure. Computational methods are perfectly suited to studying the molecular structures of disordered proteins, which cannot be fully investigated through experiments. By simulating these proteins, in collaboration with people who are working on them by using experimental approaches, we can develop a more complete picture of what they look like and how they move. These simulations are computationally challenging and can take on the order of hundreds to thousands of computers for, in some cases, a full year. It took me eight months to run all the simula tions for my first PhD paper. As computational power increases, we can simulate larger systems for longer times. What are you currently working on that excites you? Changes in proteins are at the root of many diseases, and the structure and dynamics of proteins are highly sensitive to even subtle perturbations. For example, disordered proteins are af fected by changes in solution conditions, while protein mutations underlie various diseases. Simulations offer a powerful tool to describe the effects of different types of perturbations at the mo lecular level. My lab is currently working on several projects along these lines. For example, we are studying the effect of molecular crowding on the structure and dynamics of fluorescent proteins in collaboration with Eitan Lerner at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We are simulating protein motion in a crystal environ ment in collaboration with Rama Ranganathan at the University of Chicago. Through collaboration, we can relate molecular mecha nisms deciphered by using computational and in vitro approaches to biological processes in vivo, allowing us to make more rapid progress than any of these approaches could make individually.

Biophysical Reports Establishing Riboglow-FLIM to visualize noncoding RNAs inside live zebrafish embryos Nadia Sarfraz, Harrison J. Lee, Morgan K. Rice, Emilia Moscoso, Luke K. Shafik, Eric Glasgow, Suman Ranjit, Ben J. Lambeck, Esther Braselmann “The discovery of fluorescent proteins and subsequent engi neering efforts have revolutionized fields across biology, but comparable tools to visualize RNAs live are critically lacking. Here, the authors demonstrate that the RNA Riboglow-FLIM platform might fill this need. Of note, they establish that Riboglow-FLIM requires fluorescence lifetime imaging mi croscopy (FLIM). The fluorophore element in Riboglow-FLIM is variable, hence a far-red fluorophore for use in live multicel lular environments can be used after careful biophysical char acterization. The authors make use of the common strategy of injecting mammalian cells producing a fluorescence sensor into live embryos as a systematic step of introducing com plexity of a multicellular environment. The authors demon strate that different cellular conditions produce heteroge neous Riboglow-FLIM signatures that can be quantitatively differentiated.”

Version of Record Published September 25, 2023 DOI: https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.bpr.2023.100132

Follow BPS Journals on X @BiophysJ @BiophysReports @BiophysicistJ

January 2024

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Around the World: Meet the Fifth Cohort of BPS Ambassadors The Biophysical Society Ambassador Program was created to both enhance BPS content for the global biophysical com munity and provide new pathways into biophysics in home countries. These Ambassadors work in conjunction with BPS committees and staff to offer increased content, program ming, and voice to the international biophysical community. BPS would like to thank the members of our second cohort— Gonzalo de Prat Gay of Argentina, Siti Ngalim of Malaysia, Irep Gozen of Norway, and Canan Atilgan of Turkey—for their dedi cation and service to the international biophysical community. Kumiko Hayashi Japan What do you do professionally? statistical physics and, after completing my PhD, I have applied this knowledge to biological systems, including motor proteins. I have a passion for both programming and experimental work, so I aim to create an environment in my lab where both theoretical and experimental research can coexist and complement each other. I previously held a position as a Council member of the Biophysi cal Society from 2021 to 2023. In Japan, I have extensively orga nized bilateral symposiums with nations including China, Taiwan, Australia, and the United States. At present, I am part of the Executive Organizing Committee for the 21st IUPAB (Internation al Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics) Congress, scheduled to take place in Kyoto this June. What led you to apply for the BPS Ambassador Program? During my tenure on Council, I had limited opportunities to inter act with young researchers and students from Japan, and thus couldn't involve the younger generation in BPS activities as much as I'd have liked. I aspire to play a role in connecting young Japa nese researchers and students not only with the United States but also with many other countries around the world. I believe it would be beneficial to see an increased participation of young Japanese researchers and students in BPS. Kumiko Hayashi I am a professor at the University of Tokyo in Japan. I earned my degree in non-equilibrium

What are your Ambassador Program Goals? My goal is for young researchers and students from Japan to feel closer to BPS. To achieve this, I plan to utilize Zoom meetings to foster interactions between BPS members from around the world and young Japanese researchers and students. I also intend to collaborate with the Japanese Student Chapter. Tell us something fun about yourself? I love coffee. I collect Starbucks City Mugs. Whenever I attend the Annual Meeting, I look forward to buying a new mug! Serdar Durdagi Turkey What do you do professionally? a scientist who conducts research in the field of protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions. My primary focus is on devel oping effective computational techniques that enable a deeper understanding and exploration of these interactions. My labora tory has been dedicated to developing novel codes using ma chine learning approaches to develop structure- or ligand-based models against different diseases. We engage in virtual screening of ultra-large molecular databases using these models, ultimate ly designing new therapeutic molecules. Additionally, we prioritize drug repurposing studies in my laboratory, seeking opportunities to repurpose existing drugs for new therapeutic purposes. What led you to apply for the BPS Ambassador Program? My deep passion for biophysics and my strong desire to contrib ute to the growth of the field and dissemination of knowledge. This program provides a unique platform to connect with other researchers and share the importance of biophysics in a variety of scientific and educational contexts. What are your Ambassador Program Goals? My primary objective will be to foster stronger integration of the biophysics community in the region with the Society. I will actively advocate for events and initiatives aimed at encouraging and supporting young scientists interested in biophysics, guiding them towards rewarding career paths within the field. Tell us something fun about yourself? Aside from my deep interest in computational biophysics and molecular interactions, I have a passion for culinary arts. When I'm not immersed in scientific work, you may find me in the kitch en experimenting with complex recipes and molecular gastrono my techniques. Serdar Durdagi I am the dean and a full professor at the School of Pharmacy of the Bahçeşehir University. I am

January 2024

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George Shubeita United Arab Emirates What do you do professionally?

Leonel Malacrida Uruguay What do you do professionally?

I study a range of problems relating to mo lecular-motor-based trafficking, its regula

I hold a position as the head of the Advanced Bioimaging Unit (UBA), a groundbreaking

Leonel Malacrida

George Shubeita

tion, and dysregulation in disease, and work on developing a predictive understanding of the consequences of macromo lecular crowding on biological function. Part of my efforts are also dedicated to developing new biophysical tools. I have pioneered methods that allow precise single-molecule force measurements within living cells. What led you to apply for the BPS Ambassador Program? Upon moving to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to join New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) a few years ago, I came to realize that I have to proactively raise awareness about biophysics and its relevance. In contrast to my previous environments, where I was often part of a cohort of biophys icists, I found myself the only biophysicist within the program of physics among many astrophysicists and astroparticle physicists, with only a couple of other biophysicists scat tered within the various other programs. However, with the recruitment of three outstanding new faculty members over the past year, NYUAD is now establishing the foundation for a vibrant biophysics hub. What are your Ambassador Program Goals? In my role as a Biophysical Society Ambassador, I aim to ex tend my experience of promoting biophysics at my institution to a more regional effort and emphasize the unique oppor tunity in the UAE, where numerous higher education insti tutions are in close proximity, making collaborative efforts feasible and meaningful. The accelerating pace of interest in fundamental and applied research in the UAE, coupled with the agility in decision making due to minimal institutional inertia, provides a fertile ground for advancing biophysics. A stronger biophysics presence at this stage and stronger global connections with biophysicists will have a long-lasting impact. Tell us something fun about yourself? Beyond my scientific pursuits and parenting responsibilities, I find joy in making things outside the lab and enjoy cooking and creating with Arabic calligraphy.

collaborative venture between the Universidad de la República and the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo in Uruguay. Additionally, I am an associate professor in the Pathophysiology Department at the Hospital de Clínicas, Facultad de Medicina, Udelar. At the UBA, my passion and expertise converge as I lead the development of cutting-edge tools encompassing hardware, software, and novel methodologies at the intersection of microscopy and spectrosco py. These innovations empower us to dissect intricate biological quandaries through a rigorous quantitative lens. What led you to apply for the BPS Ambassador Program? My journey with the BPS Ambassador Program is deeply rooted in my longstanding affiliation with the Biophysical Society. Since 2011, I've actively participated as a devoted student at the BPS Annual Meetings. This dedication to the field led me to take on a pivotal role within the local biophysical chapter of the National Biological Science Society in 2013. In this capacity, I zealously worked towards cultivating national and regional opportunities, providing young scientists with a broader platform to expand their horizons. My commitment extends to my involvement as the Uruguayan representative in the Latin American Federation of Biophysical Societies (LAFeBS) since 2020 and as a founding member and Executive Committee member of the Latin America Bioimaging Consortium (LABI). Through these initiatives, I aim to leverage my regional influence to amplify the presence and impact of the Biophysical Society in my geographical sphere. What are your Ambassador Program Goals? As a BPS Ambassador, I aspire to tighten ties between BPS and regional initiatives like LAFeBS and LABI. Through my extensive involvement with these organizations, I aim to create a favor able ecosystem that enhances young biophysicists’ prospects, helping them access the many BPS activities. My ultimate goal is to promote biophysics-related regional workshops and cours es, spotlighting the exceptional work of many Latin American biophysicists. Tell us something fun about yourself? Beyond my scientific pursuits, I have a deep-seated passion for music, and am particularly fond of guitarists such as George Harri son . Over more than 25 years, I've immersed myself in the world of guitar playing and own a humble guitar collection. Despite my enduring dedication to the guitar, my progress in mastering this instrument remains somewhat modest. Nevertheless, I remain optimistic this may improve soon.

January 2024

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Sponsored Content

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Annual Meeting

Thank you to our sponsors: ACS Publications Bruker Carl Zeiss Microscopy LLC Chroma Technology HORIBA Scientific HÜBNER Photonics Leica Microsystems LUMICKS Mad City Labs Inc Nanion Technologies PicoQuant Photonics North America Inc. Physical Review Journals Published by APS RCSB Protein Data Bank Sophion Bioscience A/S Sutter Instrument Thermo Fisher Scientific Worthington Biochemical Corp Did You Submit a Late Abstract by the January 4, 2024, Deadline? Look to receive your programming notice the week of January 22. Please contact the Society Office if you do not receive notification.

First Timers and New Members

First-Time Attendee Drop By Saturday, February 10, 2024, 5:00 pm –6:00 pm

Is this your first time attending a Biophysical Society Annual Meeting? Wondering what to do first and how to get the most out of your time? Drop by the First-Time Attendee event on Saturday evening during the Opening Mixer to learn how to navigate the meeting. Society staff and com mittee members will be on hand to answer your questions about the meeting and help you gain the most from your time at the BPS 2024 Annual Meeting. View our guide to learn to navigate the meeting before you arrive at https:/www.biophysics.org/2024meeting/general-info/navi gating-the-meeting.

New Member Welcome Coffee Monday, February 12, 2024, 10:15 am –11:15 am

All new Biophysical Society members are invited to participate in an informal gathering to meet members of the Society’s Council and Committees, find out about the Society’s activities, get acquainted with other new members, and enjoy refreshments. Dinner Meet-Ups Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, 6:00 pm Interested in making new acquaintances and experiencing the cuisine of Philadelphia? Meet at the Society Booth each evening Sunday through Tuesday at 6:00 PM, where a BPS member will coordinate dinner at a local restaurant. In addition to the general Dinner Meet-Up groups, there will be specific meet-ups for different groups and focus topics: • Sunday, February 11 – General, Policy & Advocacy • Monday, February 12 – General, Black in Biophysics, Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI) • Tuesday, February 13 – General, Networking for Nerds Additional groups may be added, and dates may be subject to change. Attendees are responsible for covering their individual expenses.

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Annual Meeting

Poster Printing Tired of traveling with your poster? Want to have it printed and delivered directly to the Pennsylvania Convention Center for onsite pickup? Once again, we have partnered with Tray Printing to simplify your printing for pick up on site. Visit the Annual Meeting website and click on “Abstracts,” then “Post er Guidelines” for more information. Orders will be accepted beginning January 10, 2024. Career Development Center/Job Board Do you have a position to fill in your lab or company? Are you looking for that next job opportunity in the field of biophys ics? If you answered yes, then you need to stop by the Career Development Center during the Annual Meeting to post or view the latest job openings! Annual Meeting Special for Employers and Job Seekers: Post early to save and increase visibility! Here are the advantages to posting your job or resume on the Society Job Board between now and January 31: For Employers • Copies of your job posting for participants to view onsite if your job is live during the time of the Annual Meeting • Space available to conduct interviews onsite at the meeting • Time saved at the Annual Meeting For Job Seekers • Connect with employers searching to fill vacant positions now and meet up at the Annual Meeting • Look at available job postings and identify those employers that are onsite at the Annual Meeting • Ability to be interviewed onsite at the meeting • Time saved at the Annual Meeting Resume posting is FREE for all attendees. Job posting is avail able at a highly discounted special rate. For more information, please visit www.biophysics.org/2024meeting and click the Career Development Center tab.

Plan, Sync, Connect with the Mobile App and Desktop Publisher Visit biophysics.org/2024meeting for more information on the Biophysical Society Events Desktop Planner and Events App. Available mid-January. Search keyword “BPS Events” in the app stores below:

Exhibitor Presentations* Exhibitor presentations will be held throughout the week of the Annual Meeting by companies that have exciting products, tools, and technologies to showcase. All meeting attendees are welcome at these presentations. Sunday, February 11 9:30 am –11:00 am Bruker 11:30 am –1:00 pm Carl Zeiss Microscopy LLC 10:30 am –12:00 pm Bruker 1:30 pm –3:00 pm Mad City Labs Inc 2:30 pm –4:00 pm Thermo Fisher Scientific Monday, February 12 9:30 am –11:00 am Sophion Bioscience A/S 10:30 am –12:00 pm HORIBA Scientific 11:30 am –1:00 pm Nanion Technologies 12:30 pm –2:00 pm Leica Microsystems 2:30 pm –4:00 pm PicoQuant Photonics North America Inc 3:30 pm –5:00 pm LUMICKS Tuesday, February 13 10:30 am –12:00 pm Journal of General Physiology (JGP) *Presentation list as of December 1, 2023. To learn more about these Exhibitor Presentations, visit https:/ www.biophysics.org/2024meeting/program/Scientific-Ses sions/Exhibitor-Presentations. If you are interested in hosting an Exhibitor Presentation, contact Exhibit Management at exhibits@biophysics.org.

biophysics.org/ 2024meeting

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Career Development

Out of Academia and Back Many newly graduated PhDs decide to leave the traditional academic track for another type of job, be it in pharma/bio tech, government, teaching, or publish ing, just to name a few. Some continue

Apart from bench research, there are many other types of jobs in academia where the principles you learn in the private sector would be very useful. These include, but are not limited to, academic administration, scholarly communications, university publishing (often part of the university library), and technology transfer. Explore your options and keep an open mind! — Molly Cule Event Teaches PUI Professors about Useful Software Platform

their career paths within the work environment they chose, while others find their way back to academia. You might wonder how difficult it would be to go back to an academic job after be ing in the private sector or the government or somewhere else. Good news! You can go back. And you will find that the skills and experience you acquired during your time away are very useful in the academic setting, even more so than you imagined. One of my colleagues has an interesting and very convoluted career path. When she started her career, she assumed she would always stay in academia. She got her PhD from a large, well-respected institution, did a postdoc at another top-tier school, and managed to land two faculty positions. She was happy (enough) with her career, perhaps in part because she didn’t know much about other options, ones that don’t involve being at an academic institution. Then she noticed an ad in a scientific journal that a large publisher was looking for people with advanced degrees, no publishing experience necessary. My colleague applied on a whim and ended up getting a job as an editor, working with scientists on books and journals. Ultimately, it turned out to be a fantastic career choice for her. While she was never truly passionate about bench work, she really liked science and this job allowed her to able to contribute to science without actually doing research. Plus, she learned a lot about business, about how to deal with budgets, reading profit and loss statements, and to understand terms such as top and bot tom lines, financial accountability, and return on investment. As my colleague moved up the ranks in the publishing industry, she found that she was getting further and further away from the science. She missed the hands-on content and publishing work. So, she decided to leave her job and just do contract work. Ultimately, one of the contracts was with her alma mater, but in academic publishing, not in bench research. That eventually led to a full-time job at that university, managing a team of edi tors and instructional designers. The time in the private sector taught my colleague a lot about the business world. She often uses the same guiding principles in evaluating projects, devel oping workflows, and navigating organizational changes. She came full circle, returning to her academic roots and even at the same institution where she started her career, in a completely unexpected and very satisfying way, doing the type of work she loves.

In a prior primarily undergraduate insti tution (PUI) networking event summary, some of the challenges and potential solutions facing todays PUI professors were discussed. In an aim to expand the resources that these professors have available to them, Adam Schuyler , assistant professor at the University of Connecticut, was kind enough to present a tutorial and

Adam Schuyler

Q&A session about NRMbox specifically tailored to PUI pro fessors at the most recent event. Developed by the National Center for Biomolecular NMR Data Processing and Analysis, NMRbox provides a comprehensive and integrated software platform that includes a variety of tools and software packag es for processing, analyzing, and interpreting data, and is ideal for biophysics research and education. NMRbox is completely free and can give each user access to a personal virtual desktop along with powerful, cloud-accessed computational resources. However, while extra processing power will always be useful, the heart of its appeal for re searchers in PUIs lies in its inclusive access to a diverse array of programs. The platform's arsenal includes, among other things, free access to powerful tools like MatLab, open ing educational avenues without the burden of prohibitive software costs. This can enable undergraduates to delve into complex structural investigations and can alleviate many of the issues that researchers face regarding replication in all computational fields. Additionally, NMRbox provides a wealth of educational resources that professors can utilize in both the classroom and the lab. These tools can help facilitate a smooth onboarding process, reducing the strain on labs that need to train new undergraduates each year. We hope that this information can help other PUI professors, and we look forward to exploring further resources in future

January 2024

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY

Career Development

Student 2: It can depend on your principal investigator (PI). When doing lab rotations, pay attention to the environment and talk to the students in the lab to see what they think of the expectations and work-life balance. It’s not worth it to struggle through with a PI who will not be supportive or who will require too many working hours, even if the research is interesting. Student 3: Ask up front if a PI is hands-on or hands-off. Each person might have a different preference for which they would rather work with, but it is helpful to know if you should expect detailed weekly assignments with lots of check-ins, or a PI who is more hands-off and expects the lab to run. That can be challenging if you aren’t good at motivating yourself; you might not be very productive without structure and that can catch up to you. Know what works for you. Student 4: Having a good work-life balance does depend a lot on the PI. Be very careful when doing rotations to ask lab members, and if they’re not transparent about it that can show that the lab doesn’t have a good culture. It’s not just about them interviewing you—you’re also interviewing them. Be really picky about your mentor and PI—picking a mentor is almost like picking a spouse! Posanno: Your relationship with your PI does last longer than most marriages in the U.S.! This is great advice from the students. It’s important to know how to pick the right PI for you—it’s about chemistry and working styles. Remem ber that people don’t have access to the information inside your head. We think everything is so obvious, but if you work best first thing in the morning or late at night, no one will know unless you tell them. So many mismatches with labs and work-life balance come from not sharing information. In the absence of context, that’s when people form judgments. If you’re providing context or an explanation for things that people don’t see—that can help avoid some PI problems or judgments forming. There will be another similar session in the fall of 2024.

events. If you have a topic or tool that you think could benefit the members of the PUI Network, then please reach out to Ethan Rogers-Yosebashvili at eyosebashvili@biophysics.org. The PUI Network will be hosting its first ever Annual Meeting Mixer, and we would love to see you there! This event will be held Sunday, February 11, 2024 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM during the BPS Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. Virtual Graduate School Panel Answers Questions for Students The Membership Committee sponsored a Virtual Graduate School Panel Discussion on November 1. More than 150 students from 22 countries registered to attend. Three advi sor-level panelists participated: Melanie Cocco , Membership Committee Chair; Yadilette Rivera-Colón , Education Committee Chair, and Shana Posanno . Four graduate students also joined as panelists to answer questions from the audience. To keep things candid, the session was not recorded so that the cur rent students could speak openly about their experiences. The session was scheduled for one hour, but ended up lasting a half an hour longer because there were still so many ques tions being asked. There were more than 30 questions, many of which were answered in detail with advice from more than one panelist. One of the key questions and the answers from the panelists is summarized below. Q: Is it hard to find a good work-life balance? Student 1: Graduate school is like an endurance test—it is possible to wear out quickly. You may need to be at the lab late and that can be a big challenge in maintaining connec tions with people. As long as you have a schedule in mind, that can help maintain a balance. Make sure you’re making healthy decisions. It’s sometimes better to leave the lab ear lier rather than stay late; it’s better to not make mistakes and feel better the next day to start fresh.

Numbers By the

The BPS Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI) Network is currently composed of more than 1,100 BPS members.

January 2024

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY

Member Corner

Members in the News

Two Society members received a Cottrell Scholar Collaborative Award: Rigoberto Hernandez , Johns Hopkins University and member since 2006, for leading the Academic Lead ership Training (ALT) 2.0 Program; and Jennifer Ross , Syracuse University and member since 2002, for leading the Lead Better, Disrupt Barriers, and Have an Impact Project.

Paul Wiseman , McGill University and Society member since 1998, was named a Fellow of the Biophysical Society of Canada.

Jennifer Ross

Paul Wiseman

Grants & Opportunities

The L’Oreal USA For Women in Science Foundation This foundation is seeking five exceptional female scien tists looking to advance their research and serve as role models for the next generation of girls in STEM. Who can apply: Candidates must have completed their PhD and started in their postdoctoral research position by the application deadline, must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and must be female. Deadline: January 26, 2024 Website: https:/ www.loreal.com/en/usa/pages/group/ fwis/

2024 Lasker Awards The Albert Lasker Basic Research Award is for a funda mental discovery that opens up a new area of biomedical science. The Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award is for a major advance that improves the lives of many thousands of people. Who can apply: Anyone who has made an original and significant contribution in basic or clinical medical re search, or in public service, is eligible for nomination. Nominees may reside in any country. Self-nominations will not be considered. Deadline: February 5, 2024 Website: https:/ laskerfoundation.org/awards/about-the awards/

Student Spotlight

Ghiska Ramahdita Washington University in St. Louis What skill have you learned in your studies that you find useful in other aspects of your life?

Much like cells sense, perceive, and respond to their physical environment, my studies in biophysics and mechano biology have taught me adaptability. I have learned to embrace new challenges, allowing myself time to process and respond effectively, and will keep applying this transferable skill to various aspects of life.

Ghiska Ramahdita

January 2024

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY

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