Biophysical Society Bulletin | June 2021

Public Affairs

Public Affairs Committee Brings NIH and NSF Grant Experts to BiophysicsWeek For this year’s Biophysics Week, the Public Affairs Committee hosted two panels of experts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to discuss grant funding for biophysics. NIH panelists included the expertise of Ruth Grossman and Michele McGuirl of the National Institutes of General Medical Scienc- es and Eleazar Cohen of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. If you missed the livestream, a replay can be viewed at www.biophysics.org/video-library/expert-insight-into-crafting-nih-grants-nih. NSF brought in experts Engin Serpersu , Marcia Newcomer , and Jaroslaw Majewski of the Division of Molecular & Cellular Bioscienc- es. A replay of that event can be found at www.biophysics.org/video-library/inside-perspectives-and-opportunities-nsf-grants.

NIH Lifts Restrictions on Fetal Tissue Research In mid-April, the Biden Administration reversed the ban on human fetal tissue research that had been in place within the National Institutes of Health. The change in policy also eliminates the review board that had torpedoed funding applications from external scientists seeking to use the tissue in their research. The previous policy, announced in June 2019 during then-President Donald Trump ’s administration, created new hurdles for funding applicants, including review by a new ethics board. That panel was dominated by scientists and ethicists who oppose abortion, and in August 2020, it reject- ed all but 1 of 14 applications that scientific reviewers had already deemed worthy of funding. Under the policy change released last week, the board will not convene again and intramural NIH research involving fetal tissue can resume, an agency spokesperson confirmed. The longstanding requirement for obtaining informed consent from the tissue donor remains in place.

BPS Announces Max Olender as the 2021–2022 Congressional Fellow

This year, the Biophysical Society received more Congressional Fellowship applications than in any prior year. The Public Affairs Committee responsible for reviewing the applications and interviewing candidates, had a wide array of outstanding scientists to choose from. Ulti- mately, a decision had to be made and the

Max Olender

selection committee was unanimous in selecting Max Olender as the next BPS Congressional Fellow. Since receiving his PhD in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Olender has worked as a postdoctoral re- searcher at the Harvard-MIT Biomedical Engineering Center, Edelman Lab. “I’m excited both to learn about how ideas and knowledge are transformed into functional policy and to contribute scientif- ic perspective and technical expertise to that process,” said Olender. “It’s absolutely critical for the scientific community, including the Biophysical Society, to continuously engage with Congress to ensure policymakers and elected decision-makers

June 2021

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