Biophysical Society Bulletin | July/August 2019

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Sunney Xie Named 2020 BPS Lecturer Xiaoliang Sunney Xie , Lee Shau-kee Professor at Peking University and Director of Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, has been selected as the 2020 BPS Lecturer at the Biophysical Society 64 th Annual Meeting in San Diego, California. Previously, Xie received the Biophysical Society Founders Award. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, as well as a member of the National Academy of Medicine, among several other prestigious honors. He has made major contributions to the fields of single-molecule enzymology and biophysical chemistry and, along with his research group, pioneered the development of coherent Raman scattering microscopy and single-cell whole genome sequencing. Recently named Director of the Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Xie has made significant advances in single-cell genomics. In particular, his inventions have been used for preimplantation genetic testing with in vitro fer- tilization. His lecture, “From Single Molecule Biophysics to Single Cell Genomics: When Stochasticity Meets Precision,” will take place on Monday, February 17, 2020.

Sunney Xie

BPS Announces Leah Cairns as Congressional Fellow

Inside President’s Message Networking Events Biophysicist in Profile

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The Society is pleased to announce that it has selected Leah Cairns , PhD, as its 2019–2020 Congressional Fellow. Cairns will spend a year working in a congressional office on legislative and policy areas requiring scientific input. She will also participate in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)’s Science and Technology Fellowship Program, which includes an orientation on congressional and executive branch operations and a year-long seminar series on issues related to science policy. Since receiving her PhD in biophysics and biophysical chemistry, Cairns has worked as a fellow at the Na- tional Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. “I’m so

Public Affairs

Thematic Meeting

Member Corner & Important Dates

Student Spotlight Career Development

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Grants and Opportunities

Leah Cairns

honored to serve as the Biophysical Society Congressional Fellow in the historic 116 th Congress,” said Cairns. “I look forward to learning how public policy is truly made and to acting as a voice for scientists on Capitol Hill.“ Read more: https:/www.biophysics.org/ policy-advocacy/congressional-fellowship.

Annual Meeting Publications Communities Student Chapters

Obituary

Society Elections are Open: biophysics.org/election

Deadline to Vote: August 1, 2019 VOTE

Upcoming Events

President’s Message

AMessage from the President We often get questions about how the Society is run, and specifical- ly, exactly what it is that the BPS Council does at our meetings. To answer these questions in the spirit

for Women (CPOW), the Committee for Inclusion and Diversity (CID), and the Nominating Committee were reviewed. CPOW and CID provided comprehensive reports and metrics about their activities. The work of these committees and their re- ports were exceptional, but Council identified shortcomings in our review process, especially regarding how we give feed- back to the committees and support them in implementing changes. Council is now developing more detailed procedures to streamline the process and facilitate communication with the committees. For the Nominating Committee, procedures were vetted against best practices, compared with those of other Societies, and no recommendations for changes in our process were made at this time. Council also participated in a self-evaluation exercise to assess our own performance as it relates to the principles of good governance processes, oversight and direction setting, and decision effectiveness. The results of the exercise and discussion highlighted themes including the need for more concrete, data-driven planning, improving communication between Council and committees, and better integration of the strategic plan in all activities of the Society. We plan to repeat the Council assessment exercises regularly and use the information to improve our processes and effectiveness. Subgroups are a vital part of the Biophysical Society, and they have been working over the last year to develop focused names and descriptors with a goal of clarifying their prima- ry focus for members to more easily select the Subgroup(s) appropriate to their interests. We reviewed and approved the proposed name changes and new descriptors and will be pro- moting this information broadly beginning July 1. We encour- age all members to take advantage of Subgroup programming and enjoy Subgroup Saturday at the Annual Meeting. Council spent a significant portion of the afternoon discuss- ing the issue of sexual harassment. We unanimously agreed to join the Societies Consortium on Sexual Harassment in STEMM which was launched earlier this year. The mission of the consortium is “to support academic and professional disciplinary societies in fulfilling their mission-driven roles as standard bearers and standard setters for excellence in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical (STEMM) fields, addressing sexual harassment in all of its forms and intersectionalities.” Our main motivation for joining this group is to learn what actions are most effective towards eliminating sexual harassment in our Society. We acknowl- edge that sexual harassment is only one aspect of bias and harassment that affects our members, and we hope that the actions we take in this arena can be translated to help eliminate other barriers to our goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

of transparency, we will use this column to summarize the delibera- tions and actions of Council for our members. The Council meets four times each year (twice at the Annu-

David. W. Piston

al meeting, once in late spring and once in the fall). The spring Council meeting is focused as much as possible on strategic planning, and is often held in the hometown of the Society President. This year, we met in St. Louis, Missouri, on Satur- day, June 1, for a full day of discussion and actions, involving program activities and strategic initiatives. We started the day with a couple of committee-related action items. First, we reviewed the new BPS Conferences Commit- tee charge and approved the inaugural committee members who will be led by Chair Suzanne Scarlata. We are excited to be launching this series of small, recurring conferences on fo- cused biophysical topics. Second, we discussed and approved a recommendation from the Public Affairs Committee to expand the BPS Congressional Fellowship Program which will further expand our relationships on Capitol Hill. In 2017, the Society leadership developed a five-year strate- gic plan. As part of this planning process, Council requested that all committees develop metrics for their activities and established a cycle on which to review the work of the com- mittees and their alignment with the strategic plan. The first committee to undergo this review was the Annual Meeting Program Committee. Council accepted the completed review report prepared by the Annual Meeting Subcommittee. We view this report as a living document that will serve as a guide for each new Program Committee with the gathered wisdom of each year’s successes and challenges. The subcommittee made recommendations including: (1) providing more op- portunities for Society members to participate in the Annual Meeting planning process; (2) increasing opportunities for members of all career levels to speak in platform talks; (3) increasing representation of international scientists; (4) increasing representation of non-academic scientists in all aspects of the meeting; and (5) shifting the balance of sym- posia topics to allow for more coverage of new and emerging areas. We are very appreciative of the thoughtful work of this subcommittee and will be working to include their recom- mendations for BPS2020 and future meetings. We have set up a four-year rotation for committee reviews, and this year the Committee for Professional Opportunities

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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

In addition, we determined that we will add a symposium to the BPS2020 schedule on Sunday, February 16, to present this issue. This symposium will include findings from the 2018 National Academies consensus report Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine . It will also include discussion about how BPS and its members can act to confront and eliminate sexual harassment, bias, and other behaviors that are inconsistent with a fully inclusive Society. All the members of Council recognize we have a lot of work to do in this area. We are committed to the necessary conversations, programming, policies, and training necessary to prevent and address sexual harassment in our community. The spring Council meeting was full of excellent discussion and, as always, we generated a long list of action items for ourselves and BPS staff. We look forward to working with you—our members and volunteers—to further the mission of the Society and support the global biophys- ics community. We also greatly value and appreciate input from you, and a future column will be focused on how you can get involved in leading our Society. If you have a question, suggestion, or a comment, please feel free to contact us. — David W. Piston

Networking Events The Biophysical Society is excited to announce the upcoming Networking Events. Come out and network with fellow biophysicists if you’re in the area!

Society Office Jennifer Pesanelli Executive Officer Newsletter Executive Editor Jennifer Pesanelli Managing Editor Beth Staehle

More information about each event can be found here: www.biophysics.org/upcoming-networking-events Jeopardy & Pizza by Illinois Biophysics August 2019 (Date TBD) Urbana, IL, USA Biophysics and the Things that Move Under Your Skin September 2, 2019 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Biophysics Networking Symposium in Chicago September 6, 2019 Chicago, IL, USA Mechanical Properties of Cells and Tissues September 20, 2019 Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

Career Conversations over Coffee with Bonus Trivia September 26, 2019 Tempe, AZ, USA The Second Green Mountain Biophysical Symposium October 14, 2019 Burlington, VT, USA Youth Workshop of Biophysics December 7, 2019 Beijing, China Another round of Networking Event submissions will be accepted in the fall, from September 16 to October 31.

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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Biophysicist in Profile

Carlos Baiz Areas of Research

Institution University of Texas at Austin

Biophysical chemistry of proteins and membranes in complex environments

At-a-Glance

Carlos Baiz traveled to the United States from Uruguay as a high school exchange student, and fell in love with the area of Michigan where he was living. He stayed in the United States for universi- ty, and began working in a lab as an undergraduate. There, he discovered how rewarding research could be, which sent him down the path toward his career as a biophysicist.

Carlos Baiz

Carlos Baiz , Assistant Professor in the Department of Chem- istry at the University of Texas at Austin, grew up in Salto, Uruguay, a small town near the northern border with Brazil and across the river from Argentina. He always liked taking things apart and exploring how things worked. “In high school, I became seriously interested in chemistry,” he says. “The book that really got me thinking about studying chemistry was General Chemistry by Linus Pauling . I had picked up this book at a bookstore on impulse and ended up reading it cover to cover.” He traveled to the United States as an exchange student in 2001 for his final year of high school, to learn English and experience the culture. He lived with a host family in Calumet, Michigan, a small town in the state’s Upper Peninsula. “I really liked the area and my host family, so after graduating, I decid- ed to stay and attend Michigan Technological University as an undergraduate,” he shares. As a young person, Baiz says, “I never had a strong sense of what career I wanted to pursue, all I knew is that I liked phys- ics and chemistry. I wanted to learn more about how mole- cules behaved, and how chemical structures translate to bulk material properties. When I joined a lab as an undergraduate, I discovered how rewarding scientific research can be.” He received his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Michigan Technological University in 2005, then undertook a PhD program at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where he worked with Kevin Kubarych . Following the completion of his PhD, he joined Andrei Tokmakoff’s group at MIT, where he began using infrared (IR) spectroscopy to study protein folding. “During my postdoc, the group moved from MIT to the University of Chicago,” he shares. “I was very involved with the move. Helping set up the new labs in Chicago was a valuable experience and helped me understand the intricacies of setting up laser labs from scratch. The experience trans- lated very well when setting up my own labs at University of Texas-Austin.”

As a postdoc, he explored fast protein folding using tempera- ture-jump two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy. “Infrared spectroscopy probes the vibrational modes of the protein backbone, which report directly on the secondary structure of the protein. However, the spectra are congested and some- what difficult to interpret,” he explains. “We were fortunate to collaborate with Prof. Vijay Pande on simulations. The MD [molecular dynamics] simulations were essential for help- ing us understand how the protein folds. I also worked on developing simulation methods to interpret IR spectra of large proteins. The efforts were mostly directed at making 2D IR spectroscopy a more useful biophysical tool.” Following his postdoc, Baiz started a position as assistant professor in the chemistry department at the University of Texas at Austin. His group is investigating proteins and lipid membranes using IR spectroscopy. “Specifically, we inves- tigate the environments surrounding biomolecules using ultrafast infrared spectroscopy. In general, we are interest- ed in complex, crowded environments that mimic the cell cytoplasm. Much of the protein folding work that was done in the past, starting with the Anfinsen experiments, has been on biomolecules in dilute buffer solutions, but recently it has become evident that the environment plays a significant role in determining the structure and the dynamics of proteins,” he shares. “We are also investigating ‘cryoprotectants,’ which are small molecules that are typically added to cells prior to freezing them. Freezing single cells is possible, but with larger tissues, ice crystals mechanically damage the cells and tissue structure. Cryoprotectants are compounds that cause water to freeze in a disordered ‘glassy’ state. These compounds, however, are toxic to cells at the concentrations required for freezing large tissues. For this reason, we are investigating their effects on protein and membrane structure and stability. Understanding the effects of these compounds on biomole- cules will enable us to develop formulations that have lower toxicity.”

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Biophysicist in Profile

Baiz’s colleague Martin Zanni , University of Wisconsin-Mad- ison, is familiar with his work primarily as an editor of The Journal of Physical Chemistry , and admires his insight. “Carlos Baiz is a very talented and creative biospectroscopist. His research draws from a range of experimental and theoretical techniques and the depth of the insights reflected in his work is remarkable,” Zanni shares. “Although he is my junior by a decade, he has impacted my thinking on a range of topics, from the classification of protein structural dynamics to infra- red microscopy. He is applying new infrared spectroscopies to gain insights into vexing problems in biophysics.”

Recently, his research has been moving towards applying the methods of physical chemistry to investigating complex systems in their native environments. “One emerging area of biophysics is investigating the effects of crowding and heterogeneity, and molecular diversity. For example, plasma membranes contain hundreds of different lipid species,” he explains. “Many of the early experiments used simple bilayers composed of a single lipid species as a mimic of the plasma membrane, but it is becoming evident that heterogeneity plays an important role. I believe, in general, biophysicists are quickly leaving the ‘test tube’ behind and beginning to investi- gate the behavior of molecules in their native environments. I am excited to be part of this emerging area of biophysics.”

Baiz hiking with his wife Sarah in Texas Hill Country.

The most rewarding and challenging aspect of his career is working with students. “New professors are hired because of their training in research—doing experiments, analyzing data, writing papers, etc.—but we receive very little training on how to successfully lead and mentor a diverse group of students,” he says. “Working with students and postdocs of different cultural backgrounds, with different levels of exper- tise, and inspiring everyone to bring their own perspective to the group has also been incredibly rewarding. I am lucky to work with such a talented group of students and postdocs every day.” He shares one of the key pieces of advice he gives to his students and trainees: “I subscribe to the ‘fail often and fail quickly’ philosophy. In science, success often comes after a series of failures, so it is important to learn what things don’t work, in order to find out what works. In this process, it is also important to try new things, take risks, and not give up so easily. It is easy to talk yourself out of doing an experiment, but until you try something, you cannot know for sure wheth- er it will work.” The first members of the Baiz group in 2016 (left to right): Jennifer Flanagan, Sean Eding- ton, and Baiz.

When he is not in the lab, Baiz pursues a variety of hob- bies that keep him busy. “I enjoy being outdoors, hiking and canoeing in the summer. I also compose and mix electronic music on my computer,” he says. “I am interested in history, particularly US military and nuclear history. I also have a small collection of firearms and I enjoy going to the range every once in a while.” His advice to young researchers is to “find something you enjoy doing and pursue it with all your passion. Do not worry about your future. Instead do what you enjoy, and you will be successful as a scientist.”

Green Cards for Scientific Researchers: How to Win Your EB-1A/NIW Case July 23, 2:00 PM Eastern Presented by Brian Getson , Esq.

Register Today at biophysics.org/webinars

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Public Affairs and Outreach

Rally for Medical Research Biophysical Society members in the United States are invited to join BPS in Washington, DC, on September 18–19 for the Rally for Medical Research Funding! Registration is now open for the annual Rally for Medical Research fly-in where you will meet with your elected officials and advo- cate on behalf of making National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding a national priority. This event, established in 2013, includes more than 300 national organizations coming together with a focused message on increasing NIH funding and raising awareness about the research it supports. Please email Leann Fox at lfox@biophysics.org to learn more and sign-up to attend.

BPSWelcomes Leann Fox as Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs BPS welcomes Leann Fox as the new director of advocacy and public affairs. Fox brings more than 22 years of experience building advocacy and public affairs programs for non-profit membership associations with a focus in healthcare. She has built grassroots advocacy programs from the ground up; developing grassroots initiatives on both the state and federal levels and leading some of the largest grassroots lobbying events in Washington, DC. Fox holds a master’s degree in po- litical management from The George Washington University. She can be reached at (240) 290-5606 or lfox@biophysics.org. Federal Spotlight Continues to Shine on Potential Foreign Threats to US Research The United States Congress continues to look into poten- tial foreign threats to US research and how best to protect research efforts funded through federal grants. On June 5, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing to explore the po- tential threat posed to funded research efforts by the NIH and the National Science Foundation. Witnesses from NIH, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspec- tor General, and the Department of Homeland Security were invited to testify in a two-part public and classified hearing.

Witnesses testified that over the past three years they have become aware of threats to the grants process and intellec- tual property. Lawrence Tabak , Principal Deputy Director, NIH, testified that a small proportion of scientists had received foreign research support that they did not properly disclose on their grant applications. Tabak indicated that in fiscal year 2018, NIH considered more than 80,000 applications for funding and that as of May 2019 only 61 awardee institu- tions have been contacted about specific concerns related to disclosure. Tabak’s testimony pointed out that since 2000, 39 percent of US Nobel prizes in physics, chemistry, and medicine have been awarded to foreign-born scientists and that the United States cannot afford to reject brilliant minds working honestly and collaboratively to advance scientific knowledge. Les Hollie , Chief of Investigative Operations, Office of Investi- gations, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, stated that NIH had recently referred 16 allegations of non-compliance to their office for investigation, but declined to give additional detail in the public portion of the hearing. He further stated that while foreign threats to re- search is a high-profile, complex issue, the cases under their purview involve all aspects of grant fraud. Proposed Legislative Initiatives At the end of May, US Representative Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11) introduced the Securing American Science and Technology Act (HR 3808). The bipartisan bill would establish an interagency working group to coordinate activities and develop guidance to protect federally funded research and development from foreign interference. In addition, the bill calls for the creation of a new National Academies Roundtable called the National Science, Technology and Security Roundtable. The new round- table would be composed of senior representatives

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Public Affairs and Outreach

Brazilian Academics Protest Against Budget Cuts Protestors in Brazil took to the streets in mid-May. The protestors—made up of students and faculty—sought to call attention to the government contingency cuts believed to be 1.69 billion reais ($412 million US) and the impact they will have on the future of Brazilian science and higher education. One of the first consequences of the cuts was the suspension of more than 3,500 new research scholarships for under- graduate and graduate student stipends. One researcher, having recently completed his PhD in the United Kingdom and returned to Brazil to begin his career, has seen his fellowship vanish overnight. Given the uncertainty involved, he must now consider whether to remain in Brazil or look for more stable opportunities abroad. European-Based cOAlition S Announces Plan S Principles and Implementation Guide On May 31, cOAlition S, an initiative aimed at making research publications fully and immediately open access, released their Plan S Principles and Guidance on the Implementation of Plan S. This plan impacts publication of research funded by participating organizations including Wellcome, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and several national funders in Europe with support from the European Commission and the European Research Council. The overarching principle states that “all scholarly (peer reviewed) publications on the results from research funded by public or private grants provided by national, regional, and international research councils and funding bodies, must be published in open access journals, on open access platforms, or made immediately available through open access reposito- ries without embargo.” Compliance with Plan S principles will apply to research from grants awarded from January 2021 forward. Guidance on the implementation is available at https:/www.coalition-s.org/ principles-and-implementation/

and practitioners of federal science, intelligence, and national security agencies; law enforcement and key stakeholders in scientific enterprise including institutions of higher education; federal research labs; industry; and non-profit organizations. The roundtable will be tasked with exploring and identify- ing effective approaches to mitigating foreign threats, while maintaining an open exchange of ideas and international talent required for scientific progress. While participating in the Senate finance hearing on foreign threats to research, US Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) announced that he would be introducing the Secure Our Research Act, to increase congressional oversight of federal research spending. Citing concerns of foreign influence, the legislation would establish a federal working group that would develop a framework to enhance cyber security protocols and protect federally funded research from foreign interference, espio- nage, and exfiltration. On June 7, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a directive prohibiting employees and most contractor personnel from certain participating talent recruitment programs operated by rival nations. The policy does not directly name which countries’ programs are prohibited, but officials from DOE have stated the policy applies to China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The Biophysical Society will continue to monitor this issue and the impact it might have on US and international members. Around TheWorld Fertility Clinics Seek Help with Gene-Editing Embryos Following the announcement that geneticist He Jiankui gene-edited two babies using CRISPR and the subsequent condemnation of his peers in the scientific community, re- ports are emerging that fertility clinics from around the world have been reaching out to He for help in gene-editing babies. He has gene-edited a third embryo that is believed to be in its seventh month of gestation. In response to the outcry from the scientific community, and concerns raised by one of the co-inventors of the CRISPR gene-editing tool as to its readiness for clinical use in human embryos, the World Health Organization has formed an advi- sory committee to develop global standards for governance and oversight of human genome editing. In addition, the US National Academy of Medicine, the US National Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society of the UK, along with other academic institutions, have started putting together an inter- national commission to address genome editing.

Connect with BPS

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Outreach

Quantitative Aspects of Membrane Fusion and Fission Padova, Italy | May 6–10, 2019

The Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting, “Quantitative Aspects of Membrane Fusion and Fission,” was heldMay 6–10, 2019, at the Historical Botanical Gardens in Padova, Italy. The meeting attracted a diverse group of 115 scientists from24 countries with interests in exo- and endocytosis, mitochondrial dynamics, other membrane remodeling events, and related protein dynam- ics and function. It addressed the growing need for collaboration between experimentalists and theorists to fully take advantage of the quantitative nature of the experimental observations in this field, to improve the quantitative descriptions of membrane events, and to provide theoretical and simulation-based hypoth- eses for experimental testing. This was reflected in the mix of speakers, with about one-third of the 44 talks presenting data analysis, modeling, or simulations of membrane behavior, and the remainder presenting experimental data. The elegant keynote lecture on the structure of the SNARE complex was delivered by Axel Brunger , Stanford University. In addition to the speakers, 60 posters were presented during active poster sessions, which allowed for intensive and lively direct interaction between the participants. The Biophysical Journal sponsored four awards for outstanding poster presentations by students and postdocs. Congratulations to all four awardees! There was also time for social interaction, visits to the Historic University of Padova (with Galileo’s Podium still in place), and the Historical Botanical Gardens, a UNESCOworld-heritage site. The meeting was organized by Morten Gram Pedersen , Universi- ty of Padova, Italy; Sebastian Barg , Uppsala University, Sweden; Jenny Hinshaw , NIH, USA; Dinah Loerke , University of Denver, USA; and Jakob Sørensen , University of Copenhagen, Denmark. We are thankful for additional support from the University of Padova, Avanti Polar Lipids Inc, and Chroma Technology.

Congratulations to the winners of the Biophysical Journal Poster Competition.

Biophysical Journal Poster Contest award winners: from left, Mico Božic, Sindhuja Gowrisankaran, Alenka Gucek, and Qiangjun Zhou.

Student Winners and Poster Titles: Mico Božic , University of Ljublijana, Slovenia

Astroglial Activation by Interferon Gamma Augments Cell Surface Expression of Antigen Presenting MHCII Molecules Via Increasing Exocytotic but Decreasing Endocytotic Vesicle Interactions with the Plasmalemma Sindhuja Gowrisankaran , European Neuroscience Institute, Germany Regulation of Vesicle Acidification by Rabconnectin-3A Postdoctoral Winners and Poster Titles: Alenka Gucek , Uppsala University, Sweden Fusion Pore Regulation by Camp and EPAC2 in Pancreatic Beta Cells Qiangjun Zhou , Stanford University, USA Molecular Mechanism of Neurotransmitter Release: Locked Until the Last Millisecond

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Member Corner

Important Dates Revisiting the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology at the Single-Molecule Level July 15–18, 2019, Lima, Peru Biology and Physics Confront Cell-Cell Adhesion October 14–17 , 2019, Aussois, France Late Abstract Submission Deadline: August 2, 2019

64 th BPS Annual Meeting February 15–19, 2020, San Diego, California

Molecular Biophysics of Membranes June 7 –12, 2020, Tahoe City, California

Student Spotlight Vishal Minhas

Nanyang Technological University School of Biological Sciences As you move forward in science, what type of research do you see yourself doing? Why? As I move forward in science I see myself working on problems focused on understanding the compaction of genetic information using computational and biophysical tools. Since DNA is one of the most fascinating creations of nature and also given its application in gene therapy, it makes it even more exciting.

Vishal Minhas

Members in the News

Five Society members are newly elected members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS):

Frances Separovic , University of Melbourne, and Society member since 1985, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to science education, particularly biophysical chemistry, as an academic, and to young women scientists. Karen Fleming , Johns Hopkins University, and Society member since 2004, received the 2019 Provost’s Prize for Faculty Excellence in Diversity from Johns Hopkins University.

Frances Separovic

Cynthia Wolberger Edward Egelman Mark Nelson WilliamWeis Cynthia Wolberger , Johns Hopkins University, and Society member since 1995; Lila Gierasch , (not pictured) University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Society member since 1981; Edward Egelman , University of Virginia, and Society member since 1984; Mark Nelson , University of Vermont, and Society member since 1990; William Weis , Stanford University, and Society member since 2010.

Karen Fleming

Nieng Yan , Princeton University, and Society member since 2017, was elected a Foreign Associate of NAS.

Sharona Gordon , University of Washington, and Society member since 1995, was awarded Brown University’s 2019 Horace Mann Medal.

Nieng Yan

Sharona Gordon

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Career Development

Tips on Building a Network One of the keys to a successful

you have an interest in their work, and may spark future collaboration between both parties. Similarly, if there is a speaker invited to your institution to give a seminar, it may be worthwhile for you to volunteer to carpool for them. Doing so will give you a chance to interact with the speaker and to get to know them personally, thus increasing your chances of expanding your network. If attending meetings or interacting with guest speakers poses a challenge, then reaching out to authors directly is another option. More often than not, au- thors are always happy to discuss their research with people who take interest. To help accomplish this, some journals offer readers the ability to publish their comments on recent- ly published papers. The Circulation journal encourages their readers to publish a short Letter to the Editor to comment on recently published papers in the journal. This is one method in interacting with various authors, as well as building up your academic credentials in your field of research. Social media, such as LinkedIn and various scientific forums, is another platform that people may use to expand their network. Your peers will always remember and appreciate you if you are actively contributing to the forums and offering constructive criticism. In doing so, others may recognize your talents and may reach out to you for possible future collaboration. It is good practice to always be prepared to introduce yourself to others because the time may arise at any moment. By being a good team member, actively participating during conferences and seminars, and keeping up to date with the latest scientific publications are many ways to help build your professional network. John Simon GuggenheimFellowship Applications are invited for fellowships to further the development of scholars by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge under the freest pos- sible conditions and irrespective of race, color, or creed. Who can apply: The competition is open only to citizens and permanent residents of the United States and Canada. Deadline: September 16, 2019 Website: http:/www.gf.org/competition-timeline/

career in both academia and industry is building a network. Building a network is a process and isn’t something that can be accomplished in a single day, so it is never too early to start. Below are some insightful tips and recommenda- tions that will hopefully help you as you build your network.

The people you work with can be a great resource in building your network, which may include advisors, classmates, and colleagues. Establishing a rapport with these people will not only gain you a first-degree connection, but also create the opportunity for you to establish second-degree connections as well. It is also good to keep in contact with colleagues from your previous institution, or someone you have met personal- ly by sending them a short email during the holiday seasons. By keeping in contact, these people may introduce you to potential collaborators, new positions, funding information, and experts in specific research fields. Another important resource for building your network are professional events, such as scientific meetings, seminars, and journal clubs. Scientists and professionals from the industry attend these conferences and events in order to present their research and promote products, so attending them will give you an opportunity to establish new connections and strengthen previous networks. Extensive research before attending these conferences is essential to expanding your network. For instance, if you are planning on attending oral presentations or poster sessions, be sure to have questions ready for the presenter. This shows that Grants & Opportunities Pew Latin American Fellows This program provides support for young scientists from Latin America to receive postdoctoral training in the United States. Who can apply/be nominated: Applicants must identify and confirm a postdoctoral position in the laboratory of an established principal investigator in advance of applying. Deadline: September 25, 2019 Website: https:/www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/ pew-latin-american-fellows/to-apply

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Career Development

Undergraduate Poster Award Competition In the past three years, the BPS’ Education Committee has held an Undergraduate Poster Award Competition (UPAC) during the Society’s Annual Meeting. The goal of this compe- tition is to recognize the increasingly high quality of under- graduate research and to encourage further participation of undergraduates in the Biophysical Society and at the Annual Meeting. This past March, 75 talented students participated in the competition in Baltimore, Maryland. The students were judged on the quality and scientific merit of their research, knowledge of the research problem, contribution to the project, and overall presentation of the poster. Judges looked for students to present a clearly stated question, hypothesis, results, and conclusions. The following four students were chosen as the recipients of the award and were recognized during the BPS Lecture: Claire Evensen University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA Characterizing Transient Intermediates in Productive RNAP Transcription Initiation Joie Ling Haverford College, USA The Placement of Vibrational Probe Labeled Substrates to the Phosphopantetheine Arm of the E. coli Acyl Carrier Protein for Site-Specific Vibrational Spectroscopy Nicolae Sapoval University of Chicago, USA A New Open Structure of the Insulin Degrading Enzyme Provides Insights into the Conformational Transition of the Molecule Brian Soong Johns Hopkins University, USA Designing a Photo-switchable Helicase through Structure-Function Relationship The UPAC is a great opportunity for students to give a scientific presentation and get immediate feedback about their work. The next Undergraduate Poster Award Competition will be held at the BPS 64th Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, on Saturday, February 15, from 3 PM–5 PM. Watch for more information in the October issue of the BPS Bulletin and on the Annual Meeting website.

Renew Your BPS Dues Online You can now renewBPS membership for 2020. Don’t wait, renew today to keep your member benefits. biophysics.org/ RENEW

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Annual Meeting

A Note from the ProgramChairs We are excited to present the program for the 2020 Annual Meeting. This year’s program will highlight the many roles biophysics plays as a cornerstone of biology, physics, and chemistry, as well as its significance in linking basic scientific research with translational applications. Accordingly, the 2020 symposia and workshops span the full spectrum of biophysics, seamlessly integrating in vitro, cellular, in vivo, computational, and theoretical biophysics. We have invited a diverse group of leading scientists from around the world to present their latest work on a wide range of topics from fundamental physical be- havior of biomolecules to applications in human health and disease. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego!

Thank you to our sponsors: Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Bruker Corporation Carl Zeiss Microscopy LLC Chroma Technology ELEMENTS SRL HORIBA Scientific Leica Microsystems

Mad City Labs Mizar Imaging Molecular Devices Nanion Technologies Physics Today Sophion Bioscience A/S

Patricia Clark University of Notre Dame

William Kobertz University of Massachusetts Medical School

Sutter Instrument Wyatt Technology

Symposia Mapping the Immune System Krishnendu Roy , Georgia Institute of Technology Arup K. Chakraborty , MIT Stacey Finley , University of Southern California Additional speaker to be announced Shapeshifting: Proteins with More Than One Structure Sarah Bondos , Texas A&M University, Chair Lauren Porter , HHMI, Janelia Research Campus Brian Volkman , Medical College of Wisconsin Additional speaker to be announced ATP-driven Maintenance of Protein Homeostasis Aaron Lucius , University of Alabama, Chair Hideki Taguchi , Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan Marina Rodnina , Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany Matthew Shoulders , MIT

Personalized Medicine: Protein Sequence Variation on Human Health Christian Landry , Laval University, Canada, Chair Douglas Fowler , University of Washington Anna Panchenko , NCBI, NIH Harmit Malik , Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Sensational Membrane Proteins Emily Liman , University of Southern California, Chair Kate Poole , University of New South Wales, Australia Bailong Xiao , Tsinghua University, China Vanessa Ruta , The Rockefeller University Anion Channels Criss Hartzell , Emory University, Chair Merritt Maduke , Stanford University Michael Pusch , University of Genoa, Italy Laszlo Csanady , Semmelweis University, Hungary

Abstract Submission & Registration NowOpen Remember To submit an abstract or register for the Annual Meeting you must have a myBPS Account.

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Workshops Design and Constructing Quantitative Biosensors Edward Lemke , IMB Mainz, Germany, Chair Kevin Plaxco , University of California, Santa Barbara Virginia Cornish , Columbia University Kai Johnsson , Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany Robert Campell , University of Alberta, Canada Chemical Biology Tools for Biophysics Henry Colecraft , Columbia University, Chair Megan Wright , University of Leeds, United Kingdom Stephan Pless , University of Copenhagen, Denmark Kimberly Beatty , Oregon Health & Science University Dirk Trauner , New York University Simulation Strategies for Large Scales Tobin Sosnick , University of Chicago, Chair Karissa Sanbonmatsu , Los Alamos National Laboratory Lillian Chong , University of Pittsburgh Raffaello Potestio , University of Trento, Italy Adrian Elcock , The University of Iowa Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy Elizabeth Hinde , University of Melbourne, Australia, Chair Enrico Gratton , University of California, Irvine Paul Wiseman , McGill University, Canada Didier Marguet , Centre D’immunologie Marseille-Luminy, France Steve Presse , Arizona State University

Membrane Proteins in Infectious Disease Peter Kasson , University of Virginia, Chair Robert Stahelin , Purdue University Priscilla Yang , Harvard University Walther Mothes , Yale School of Medicine Biophysical Underpinnings of the Origin of Life Ken A. Dill , Stony Brook University, Chair Irene Chen , University of California, Santa Barbara Daniel Bolon , University of Massachusetts Medical School Betul Kacar , University of Arizona Asymmetric Membranes Georg Pabst , University of Graz, Austria, Chair Karin Reinisch , Yale University Alessio Accardi , Weill Cornell Medical College Sylvie Roke , EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland Exocytosis & Autophagy Arun Anantharam , University of Michigan, Chair Lauren Jackson , Vanderbilt University Mary Munson , University of Massachusetts Medical School Noa Lipstein-Thoms , Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Germany Cytoskeleton and Motility Joseph Falke , University of Colorado Boulder, Chair Barbara Baird , Cornell University Mira Krendel , SUNY Upstate Medical University Margaret Gardel , University of Chicago Molecular Motors Bik-Kwoon Tye , Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, Chair Maria Spies , The University of Iowa Anna Marie Pyle , Yale University Additional speaker to be announced Translational Control Christine Dunham , Emory University, Chair Shinobu Chiba , Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan Paul Whitford , Northeastern University Onn Brandman , Stanford University Single Molecule Visualization of Transcription, Translation and Splicing Magnus Johansson , Uppsala University, Sweden, Chair Daniel R. Larson , National Cancer Institute Timothy Stasevich , Colorado State University Jingyi Fei , University of Chicago

Mitochondrial Calcium Fluxes Gyorgy Csordas , Thomas Jefferson University, Chair Elizabeth Jonas , Yale University Paolo Bernardi , University of Padova, Italy Elizabeth Murphy , NHBLI, NIH Systems Biology Yvonne Chen , University of California, Los Angeles Additional speakers to be announced Neuron-glia Interactions Kira Poskanzer , University of California, San Francisco, Chair Gary Yellen , Harvard Medical School Bruno Weber , University of Zurich, Switzerland Arlette Kolta , University of Montreal, Canada Kinetic Stability: Controlling Longevity at the Molecular Level Jonathan King , MIT, Chair Elizabeth Meiering , University of Waterloo, Canada Margaret Sunde , The University of Sydney, Australia Additional speaker to be announced “Fuzzy” Interactions and Crowding Catherine Musselman , The University of Iowa, Chair Clifford Brangwynne , Princeton University Francesco Cardarelli , Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy Margaret Cheung , University of Houston Pharmaceutical Biophysics Jeanne Hardy , University of Massachusetts Amherst, Chair Greg Bowman , Washington University in St. Louis Alex Bunker , University of Helsinki, Finland Dorothee Kern , Brandeis University

biophysics.org/ 2020meeting

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Annual Meeting

Abstract Categories The Society organizes platform and poster sessions based on scientific areas. The abstract topic categories are reviewed annually and modified as needed to reflect new and evolving areas in biophysics. When submitting an abstract, you will be asked to select the category in which your abstract best fits. The abstract categories for the 2020 Annual Meeting are listed below. Proteins 1F Protein Dynamics & Allostery 1G Membrane Protein Structures 1H Membrane Protein Dynamics 1I Membrane Protein Folding 1J Enzyme Function, Cofactors & Post-translational Modifications 1K Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDP) & Aggregates Nucleic Acids 2A DNA Replication, Recombination & Repair 2B Transcription 2C Ribosomes & Translation 2D DNA Structure & Dynamics 2E RNA Structure & Dynamics 2F Protein-Nucleic Acid Interactions 2G Chromatin & the Nucleoid Lipid Bilayers & Membranes 3A Membrane Physical Chemistry 3B Membrane Dynamics 3C Membrane Active Peptides & Toxins 3D Membrane Fusion & Non-bilayer Structures 3E Membrane Structure 3F Protein-Lipid Interactions: Channels 3G Protein-Lipid Interactions: Structures 3H General Protein-Lipid Interactions Cell Physiology & Biophysics 4A Membrane Receptors & Signal Transduction 4B Mechanosensation 4C Exocytosis & Endocytosis 4D Calcium Signaling 4E Intracellular Calcium Channels & Calcium Sparks & Waves 4F Excitation-Contraction Coupling 4G Cardiac, Smooth & Skeletal Muscle Electrophysiology 1A Protein Structure & Conformation 1B Protein Structure Prediction & Design 1C Protein Stability, Folding & Chaperones 1D Protein-Small Molecule Interactions 1E Protein Assemblies

4H Muscle Regulation 4I

Intracellular Transport

Channels 5A

Voltage-gated Na Channels Voltage-gated Ca Channels Voltage-gated K Channels

5B 5C

5D TRP Channels 5E Ligand-gated Channels

5F Ion Channel Regulatory Mechanisms 5G Ion Channels, Pharmacology & Disease 5H Other Channels Cytoskeleton, Motility & Motors 6A Skeletal Muscle Mechanics, Structure & Regulation 6B Cardiac Muscle Mechanics & Structure 6C Cardiac Muscle Regulation 6D Smooth Muscle Mechanics, Structure & Regulation 6E Actin Structure, Dynamics & Associated Proteins 6F Microtubules, Structure, Dynamics & Associated Proteins 6G Kinesins, Dyneins & Other Microtubule-based Motors 6H Myosins 6I Cytoskeletal Assemblies & Dynamics 6J Cell Mechanics, Mechanosensing & Motility 6K Cytoskeletal-based Intracellular Transport 6L Bacterial Mechanics, Cytoskeleton & Motility Bioenergetics 7A Membrane Pumps, Transporters & Exchangers 7B Energy Transducing Membrane Protein Complexes 7C Electron & Proton Transfer 7D Light Energy Harvesting, Trapping & Transfer 7E Mitochondria in Cell Life & Death Systems Biology 8A Genetic Regulatory Systems 8B Cellular Signaling & Metabolic Networks 8C Systems Biology & Disease 8D Emerging Techniques & Synthetic Biology Biophysics Of Neuroscience 9A Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 9B Systems Neuroscience 9C Computational Neuroscience 9D Neuroscience: Experimental Approaches & Tools 9E Sensory Neuroscience New Developments In Biophysical Techniques 10A EPR and NMR: Spectroscopy & Imaging 10B Electron Microscopy 10C Diffraction & Scattering Techniques 10D Molecular Dynamics 10E Computational Methods & Bioinformatics 10F Optical Microscopy & Superresolution Imaging

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