Biophysical Society Bulletin | July/August 2023

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I currently work in the office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) as a member of the Oversight and Investigations team. We specialize in investigating both government agen cies and private industries to expose fraud, waste, and abuse and use our findings to push for policy reforms to protect the public. As such, I’ve been able to work across a broad range of policy areas including healthcare, energy and environment, and banking and finance. My day-to-day responsibilities involve balancing my time between tasks such as drafting letters, writing memos on legislative recommendations, fact-checking speeches, and preparing hearing questions for the Senator. We also dedicate time to engage with constituents on behalf of the Senator to hear about pressing local issues and concerns. Often, each day turns out to be a whirlwind of activity, and even eight months in, I’m still constantly finding myself out of my com fort zone and learning new skills and materials.

Working in a political setting has been a completely new experience for me. One of the biggest differences I’ve no ticed has been transitioning from spending years studying the same narrow subfield to juggling between completely different subject areas every day. However, I’ve found myself relying on many of the skills I learned as a scientist in this new environment—researching, collaborating, being comfortable with learning new concepts, and readjusting strategies when something doesn’t work out as planned and trying again. Overall, it’s been an incredibly exciting and rewarding experi ence that has made a huge impact on both my professional and personal interests, and I’m excited to continue learning more in the months ahead.

Luyi Cheng BPS Congressional Fellow 2022–2023

Applications Are Open for the Biophysical Society 2024–2025 Congressional Fellowship Interested in using your science skills to inform science policy? Does spending a year working on Capitol Hill in Wash ington, DC helping to develop policy sound exciting? The Biophysical Society’s Congressional Fellowship Program is your opportunity to participate directly in the process of lawmaking that impacts how research is funded and reg ulated. This year-long opportunity provides fellows a chance to utilize their science knowledge to inform the public policy process. Fellows will gain firsthand knowledge and experience on how Congress works and will participate in the esteemed American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Fellows program that provides ongoing training and networking opportunities during the fellowship year and beyond. Visit https:/www. biophysics.org/policy-advocacy/congressional-fellowship for more details about the program or contact Leann Fox at fellows@biophysics.org or (240) 290-5606. The application deadline is December 8, 2023 . Societies like BPS have supported scientists like us to find an opportunity to work in Congress, but there are many ways scien tists and biophysicists can get involved in the policy-making process without leaving the lab. For example, funding for scientific research and development is intrinsically connected to the legislative process. Get in touch with your Senators and Represen tatives and share how funding opportunities have supported your research, contribute your knowledge to “one-pagers” related to current policy issues, and advocate for data-driven decision making. Scientists need to advocate on behalf of science and ensure our voices are heard! Take action at https:/www.biophysics.org/policy-advocacy/take-action or reach out to Leann Fox , Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs, at lfox@biophysics.org to get involved.

Numbers By the

Over the past five years, the Biophysical Society has distributed more than $435,000 to members to support travel to the Annual Meeting.

July/August 2023

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