Biophysical Society Bulletin | July-August 2024

Council Update

Officers President Gabriela K. Popescu President-Elect Lynmarie K. Thompson Past-President Taekjip Ha Secretary Teresa Giraldez Treasurer Samantha Harris Council Patricia Bassereau Margaret Cheung Martin Gruebele Taviare Hawkins Anne Kenworthy Syma Khalid Emmanuel Margeat Anita Niedziela-Majka Elizabeth Rhoades Tamar Schlick 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

remedies were discussed, including more committee engagement in the nominations process and encouraging Subgroups to submit nominations. Finance. A critical responsibility of Council is to ensure that the Society operates lawfully and is financially healthy. Harris Povich , BPS Director of Finance & Operations, worked with Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, an independent audit firm, on an annual audit of BPS’s finances. The 2023 audit was clean with no material weak nesses found. Both the draft audit and the financial state ments were discussed and approved by the Finance Committee chaired by BPS Treasurer Samantha Harris prior to the Spring Council Meeting. The report was presented to Council for further discussion and given final approval. New appointments. It is customary that at Spring Meeting Council discusses nominations for open seats on committees and committee leadership. As has been the case over several past years, Council stressed the importance of transparency in the nomination process as well as inclusivity and representation across the

broad diversity of expertise, career level, geog raphy, gender, ethnicity, and life experience of our members, and approved committee rosters and new committee chair appointments. Self-evaluation. Reflecting on the effectiveness of the meeting, a commonly held sentiment was that while we all recognize the value of continuing to hold the Spring Meeting in person, a one-day meeting might not justify its carbon footprint in air travel. We will consider options in more depth at Fall Council, which has been held online since 2020. After concluding the Spring Council Meeting, it is my strongly held opinion that BPS is a highly functional organization, which continues to learn from its own practice and from gover nance experts on how to best adapt to a social, economic, and political environment that is rapidly changing. It is a privilege for me to be part of this vibrant community that supports science and scientists, as stated in our strategic plan, “to seek knowledge, improve the human condition, and preserve the planet for future generations.” — Gabriela K. Popescu , President

Society Office Jennifer Pesanelli Executive Officer Newsletter

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