Biophysical Society Bulletin | June 2023

June 2023

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY

2023 BPS Elections Now Open Voting Is Open June 1 through August 1 The Biophysical Society is pleased to announce the 2023 slate of candidates for President-Elect and Council. The two candidates for President-Elect are Lynmarie Thompson of the University of Massachusetts and Gregory Voth of The University of Chicago. The President-Elect

will serve a one-year term, beginning February 2024, followed by a year as President, starting February 2025, and one subsequent year as Past-President, beginning February 2026. This year’s slate includes 10 candidates for Council, shown below. The four members who are elected will each serve a three-year term beginning February 13, 2024. Full biographical information and candidate statements are available at www.biophysics.org/elections. All Society members, including students, with 2023 dues paid by May 30, 2023, are eligible to vote. Eligible members may vote electronically through August 1, 2023, by means of the secure site at www.biophysics.org/elections. The Society is indebted to the Nominating Committee for developing the slate of candidates. The committee members were Kandice Tanner (Chair), Henry Colecraft , Susan Marqusee , Anna Moroni , Dennis Discher , and Frances Separovic . Lynmarie Thompson Gregory Voth

President’s Message Biophysicist in Profile Inside

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Public Affairs Publications Communities

Clemens Anklin

Taviare Hawkins

Anne Kenworthy

Ilya Levental

Filippo Mancia

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Career Development

Member Corner In Memoriam Important Dates

Samrat Mukhopadhyay Anita Niedziela-Majka Tamar Schlick

Jamie Vandenberg Lynn Zechiedrich

Stay Connected with BPS

www.biophysics.org/election

President’s Message

Who Gets to Present at the BPS Annual Meeting?

Our 2023 Annual Meeting in San Diego gathered over 4,500 biophys icists, about the same size as the pre-pandemic meeting in the same city three years earlier. Highlights included the President’s Sympo sium on Black in Biophysics, which will continue next year, and the BPS Lecture by Ardem Patapoutian , a

representation, we have a two-year rule for symposia, work shops, and Subgroup symposia: an invited speaker in one of the previous two meetings cannot be invited. How about platform presentations (15 minutes per speaker) and poster presentations? Shortly after the early October abstract submission deadline, Council members and other So ciety leaders receive the abstracts relevant to their expertise and choose the platform speakers: eight speakers per two hour session. We need to assign two co-chairs per session, so if you indicate your willingness to chair a session, you will have a greater chance of being selected! Posters are grouped according to the subject category chosen by the member. Finally, late abstracts submitted by early January are pre sented as posters, distributed equally over four days of the meeting. So, what are we doing differently this time? Here are the three changes that will be implemented for the next BPS meeting, all designed to increase member participation. 1. Symposium speakers invited from abstracts: We will choose more than 20 invited symposium speakers from the abstracts, adding a fifth speaker to each symposium. Reg ular members and Early Career members (but not students or postdocs) will have the option of choosing “Symp Select” during abstract submission. Each speaker will have less time than before—invited speakers will have 25 minutes each and the speaker selected from the abstracts will have 20 minutes. But as we learned through the splendid lectures in the Black in Biophysics symposium, where introductory remarks by Bil Clemens and closing remarks by Theanne Griffith meant that each talk had to be 25 minutes long instead of the traditional 30 minutes, our members perform better under time con straints. If your abstract is not chosen for a Symposium talk, it will be automatically considered for a platform presenta tion. Oh, and your abstract does not have to be related to any specific symposium topic. We just want to hear a good story from you!

Taekjip Ha

Lebanese immigrant who shared the 2021 Nobel prize for his discoveries concerning our tactile sensing, a quintessentially biophysical process. The next Annual Meeting in Philadel phia will feature Carolyn Bertozzi , a 2022 Nobel laureate, as the 2024 BPS Lecturer. Extending an invitation for the BPS Lecture is a privilege of a BPS President and so is naming the Program Chairs who select the topics for the symposia and workshops and invited speakers therein. Our next Program Chairs, one based in the United States ( Elizabeth Villa , Univer sity of California, San Diego) and the other in Europe ( Ibrahim Cissé , Max-Planck Institute of Immunobiology & Epigenetics), have put together an exciting and forward-looking program for the 2024 BPS meeting in collaboration with the Program Committee. In this column, I wanted to explain how the Soci ety decides who gets to present at BPS Annual Meetings and to announce three changes we are making to increase the number of presentation opportunities for our members. Believe it or not, the Program Committee starts its work 18 months in advance. They propose a lineup of invited speakers grouped into symposia (more than 20 of them, focusing on biological systems) and workshops (approximately 4 of them, focusing on technologies), many based on member sugges tions provided through an online portal. The BPS Council then provides feedback and approves a suitably revised program one year before the actual meeting. A parallel process or ganizes the Subgroup Saturday symposia, where Subgroup chairs invite their own speakers, typically seven to eight months before the meeting. To ascertain broad Advance Your Career Visit the BPS Career Center to search for open positions, upload your resume to allow employers to find you, and find resources and materials to help you with career development! www.biophysics-jobs.careerwebsite.com/

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President’s Message

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

2. You can do both a talk and a poster: Pre viously, you could present your work in only one format, a platform talk or a poster. Some prefer the poster format, as it allows in-depth discussion with colleagues for an extended pe riod, and those abstracts were not considered for a platform presentation. Now, you will be able to indicate your preference to also present a poster even when your abstract is chosen for a talk. We believe this change will improve the scientific content for both platform and poster sessions. 3. Five-minute flash talks: We will replace one of the eight talks in a platform session with three flash talks by students or postdocs, each five minutes long. We were inspired by Subgroup symposia, which experimented with flash talks and convinced us that a couple of

major messages can be well delivered “in a flash,” albeit more declaration than explana tion. These flash talks will be scheduled in the final slot so that interested audience members will have the opportunity to meet the speakers and ask questions afterwards. We will require flash talk speakers to also present their work in the poster format. We are excited about these changes to our meeting program which we believe will sig nificantly increase the number of presentation opportunities for you and improve the overall scientific content. Please feel free to reach out to me by email with any questions, sugges tions, or concerns (tjha@jhu.edu). — Taekjip Ha , President

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

Call for Thematic Meetings Take advantage of a unique opportunity to organize a meeting on a topic you care about while receiving administrative support from the Society. Three to four Thematic Meetings will be selected on focused topics that have not been recently presented. The Society underwrites each meeting up to $10,000 and provides complete meeting management, including all web and onsite components. What makes these meetings unique from other small meetings is that they bring together researchers from disparate disciplines to work on a common problem, which is what biophysicists do. Thematic Meetings have taken place throughout the world, reaching communities that often cannot attend the Society’s Annual Meeting. Criteria for BPS Thematic Meetings are: • Organizers must be Society members; • Topics must be timely, not recently addressed, and should foster interdisciplinary and international research; • Each must be a standalone meeting, not a satellite meeting that already meets periodically; • Speakers must present new and exciting research; • The proposed list of speakers must represent the geographic, gender, and ethnic diversity of Society membership; and • International sites are recommended. Only complete proposals submitted through the online submission site (www.surveymonkey.com/r/Z3JKFQ2) will be considered by the Thematic Meetings Committee. Previous and upcoming Thematic Meetings can be viewed at www.biophysics.org/thematic-meetings. Submission deadline for proposals is Monday, July 28, 2023.

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 © 2023 by the Biophysical Society. Darren Early Laura Phelan

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

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Biophysicist in Profile

Sharyn A. Endow Areas of Research Molecular motor proteins and mechanobiology

Institution Duke University

At-a-Glance

Sharyn A. Endow , Full Professor of Cell Biology at Duke University, grew up in rural Oregon. “The nearest town was three miles from my home and had a population at the time of only around 300 people. My parents owned an orchard and raised apples, pears, and cherries. My parents’ land was near Mt. Hood and on a hill that overlooked the Hood River Valley—the views were spectacular,” she shares. “As a child, my siblings and I went on long walks along the irrigation waterways on my par ents’ property and played in the wooded areas, picking wild berries and hazelnuts. It was an idyllic childhood and far removed from the real world—in retrospect, it is amazing that I ended up doing scientific research in biophysics.”

Sharyn A. Endow

In high school, Sharyn A. Endow had a wonderful teacher who inspired her love of science. “Mr. Bill Griffith taught almost all my high school science courses. He taught Chemistry, Phys ics, and Science Seminar, in which a small group of students, including myself, learned semi-quantitative microanalysis as seniors in high school. We also did independent projects in Science Seminar. My projects included growing crystals from the chemicals in the supply room and culturing chick embry os in the laboratory,” she explains. “I submitted a project for the Westinghouse Science Talent Search and I was thrilled to be among the national semi-finalists and one of the Oregon state awardees my senior year.” Endow graduated as valedictorian from Wy’East High School in Hood River Valley, and then attended Stanford Universi ty for her undergraduate studies, majoring in biology. “The courses at Stanford were exceptionally well taught. I espe cially remember the course in evolutionary biology which was taught by Peter Raven and Paul Ehrlich , and a few other pro fessors, and the co-evolution of plants and pollinators, as well as the impact of population growth on the world,” she says. “As a senior, I took the biochemistry course that was given by the Biochemistry Department for the medical students. The faculty included Paul Berg , Arthur Kornberg , Dave Hogness , and other notable faculty from the Biochemistry Department in the Stanford University Medical School. The lectures were stories of discovery and insight into the impact of biochemis try in understanding the basis of human diseases. I still have my lecture notes from the course.” After completing her bachelor’s degree, she attended Yale University for graduate studies, earning a Master of Philoso phy and then a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology. She recalls, “I was a thesis student of Joe Gall , who is a cell biologist and worked on problems that many of us as students thought were taken directly from E. B. Wilson ’s The Cell . Joe applied mo lecular biology methods to classical problems in cell biology and discovered ribosomal gene amplification in oocytes of

amphibia and other organisms, as well as the molecular basis of other classical cell biological observations.” Upon leaving Yale, Endow undertook a position as a postdoc toral fellow at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in the lab of Rich Roberts , where she learned molecular biology for just over a year. Her second postdoc was at the now-defunct MRC Mammalian Genome Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland under Peter M. B. Walker , where she worked in the laboratory of Ed Southern for two and a half years. “These were both forma tive experiences and extremely exciting for different reasons. CSHL was exciting because of both the cutting-edge science and the famous (and infamous) scientists who came to the Laboratory to attend the summer and fall CSHL meetings. A few of the scientists from the former Carnegie Institution of Genetics were still there, including Barbara McClintock and Alfred Hershey , both of whom I was awed to see, not to men tion to meet,” she says. “The MRC Genome Unit was exciting, again because of the science, and also because living in the UK and doing science there was so different from the USA. While I was in Edinburgh, I started working on the ribosomal genes (rDNA) of Drosophila and changes in rDNA copy num ber in polytene cells and during magnification, a genetically induced increase in rDNA gene number.” Endow’s next move was to begin a faculty position at Duke University, where she continued work on the mechanism of rDNA copy number regulation and then entered the field of motor proteins through molecular work in cloning a gene in Drosophila that affects rDNA number when mutated. “This gene turned out to encode kinesin-14 Ncd, which is an un usual kinesin microtubule motor protein in that it moves on microtubules in the opposite direction as kinesin-1, the first discovered member of the kinesin family. Cloning the gene took around five years, because this was before the genome sequencing projects. We first made a transposable ele ment-induced ncd mutant and then cloned the gene locus by chromosome walking from a previously cloned DNA fragment.

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Biophysicist in Profile

After cloning and sequencing the ncd gene, I collaborated with a colleague, Steve Henikoff , to discover the identity of the protein. Steve, at the time, had been obtaining new DNA database releases as they came out to search for homolo gous DNA sequences, as this was not only before the genome sequencing projects, but also before the establishment and widespread accessibility of the current DNA databases. Steve found the homology of the Ncd protein to the microtubule motor protein kinesin-1, which had just been deposited into the DNA database. This was exciting because we knew that Ncd had a role in division and mitosis workers at the time were searching for the anaphase A motor—Ncd did not turn out to be the long-sought anaphase A motor (we and others are still looking!!), but the findings that we made with collab orators since discovering that Ncd is a kinesin motor protein have been highly informative about the role of motor proteins in division,” Endow explains. “One collaborator, Ted Salmon at nearby [University of North Carolina], Chapel Hill, was highly important in establishing that Ncd was a microtubule motor protein that moved to microtubule minus ends, in contrast to kinesin-1, which is a plus-end-directed microtubule motor protein. These find ings were reported at a Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, which led to my meeting other workers in the motors field. My laboratory then became involved in further studies using biophysical methods with collaborators that include Keiko Hirose , Hideo Higuchi , and Hee-Won Park . An especially reward ing aspect of working in the motors field, given my Japanese ancestry, has been meeting the leading motors biophysicists from Japan.” Endow is currently a Full Professor of Cell Biology at Duke University. “Our present work is to uncover the kinesin motor mechanism of function using mutants and structural studies. We are currently collaborating with Ryo Nitta-san and Tsuy oshi Imasaki-san at Kobe University on structural studies of a kinesin-14 mutant by cryo-EM,” she reports. “Another project in which we are very involved is to adapt a kinesin-14 motor into a tension sensor to measure loads across the motor in the spindle—this is being done in collaboration with Dr. Brent Hoffman at Duke University.” In addition to her research, Endow has contributed to the field through outreach, including working on many projects during

her time as a member of the BPS Education Committee. “I have been very fortunate to have the Biophysical Society as a collaborator in STEM outreach that I use as ‘Broader Impacts’ for [a National Science Foundation] Grant Award. This came about through my membership on the BPS Education Com mittee and attendance at an Annual Meeting where I noticed the small wooden microscopes that were being distributed by Echo Labs as a vendor giveaway. I took one home and thought they would be ideal for STEM outreach in light microscopy, so I emailed the company and asked if they would make a gift to the Biophysical Society of the wooden microscope kits that the Education Committee could use for outreach.” She adds, “Together with Chroma Technology Corp., Echo Labs made a gift of 500 kits to the Society in 2016 that the BPS and So ciety members have been using for outreach in the USA and around the globe since then. The wooden microscopes can be assembled in 15–20 minutes from the kits, and young people of all ages become enthralled in building the microscopes and using them. The small microscopes have only a single lens that is not corrected for chromatic aberration, but they pro duce amazing images using a cell phone camera to illuminate and magnify the specimens.” Endow shares that her experience as a member of the Bio physical Society has been special due to the connections with scientists in her field, often fostered by Subgroup member ship, and because of the personal connections made with the Society’s small staff: “I recall arriving at a meeting in Singa pore and being greeted by a hug from Ro Kampman , then Ex ecutive Officer of BPS. Imagine traveling halfway around the world and being warmly greeted by the Biophysical Society Executive Officer in a foreign country! Attending the Annual Meeting and seeing the Society staff is like being welcomed as friends by the staff. I regard the Society as fortunate in having staff that help make the office run so smoothly (at least from the perspective of a BPS Member!). The Biophys ical Society is also fortunate in having as Executive Officer Jennifer Pesanelli , who effectively guides the Society in its new ventures. An example of a new venture that has had a large positive impact is the President’s Black in Biophysics Sym posium at the recent Annual Meeting. The newly launched Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Society mem bers also promises to have a large positive impact.”

Numbers By the

The Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI) Network is currently composed of 786 BPS members.

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BPS Announces Joseph Long as 2023–2024 Congressional Fellow

The Public Affairs Committee (PAC) is pleased to announce the new BPS Congressional Fellow for 2023–2024, Joseph Long . Since receiving his PhD in biomedical engineering from Cornell University, Long has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell. “I am excited to serve as the Biophysical Society Congressional Fellow and utilize my scientific expertise in the realm of policy making and see how scientific knowledge and thinking can be effectively integrated into policy decisions,” said Long. “I believe it is critical for the scientific community to translate scientific research into tangible positive outcomes for communities, which requires engagement with and comprehension of policymaking.” Long will spend a year working in a congressional office on legislative and policy areas requiring scientific input. He will also participate in the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS’s) Science and Technology Fellowship Pro gram, which includes an orientation on congressional and executive branch operations and a year-long seminar series on is sues related to science policy. Read more about the Congressional Fellowship at https:/www.biophysics.org/policy-advocacy/ congressional-fellowship.

U.S. House of Representatives Launches Investigation into NIH House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee announced that they are launching an investigation to scruti nize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for spending $1 billion over the past five years on public relations con tracts. These funds included $300 million in public service announcements and advertising as part of a COVID-19 public health campaign during the pandemic. Lawmakers didn’t appear to flag any specific allegations of wrongdoing but are looking to determine how the NIH contracts public relations firms and whether it is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. Congress and the White House Continue Stalemate on Debt Ceiling Negotiations With the House of Representatives’ passage of the “Limt, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (HR 2811),” which raises the U.S. debt

ceiling and enacts spending cuts for fiscal year 2024 of $130 billion that bring overall spending back to 2022 levels, the country is facing a political deadlock with the United States’ financial stability on the line. The government is facing a possible default on more than $31 trillion in debt once it hits what is known as the “X Date,” the date by which all possible options for resolving outstanding debt have been exhausted. While the actual date by which the debt ceiling will be reached is drawing closer, it is a constantly changing scenario. As recently as May 15, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin has esti mated the “X Date” to be as soon as June 1, though the actual date could fall any time between early June and early August. There are two legislative approaches when it comes to lifting the debt limit. Congress can lift it by a dollar amount or by a certain date. The Republican-backed “Limit, Save, Grow Act” would increase the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion, enough to avert a payment default until March 31, 2024. However, it would place a cap on non-defense discretionary funding (which includes National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation funding) and freeze budget increases at

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1% growth for the next decade. While House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has claimed the measure would provide more than $4.5 trillion in savings to taxpayers, estimates from BPS coalition partners predict that the proposed reductions to dis cretionary spending could translate to a 22% cut to non-de fense research spending. This would result in a reduction in grants awarded and researchers funded by federal agencies. For example, the National Science Foundation estimates that the cuts would result in approximately 2,200 fewer awards and more than 31,000 fewer researchers. Around the World Mexico Passes Controversial Science Reform Bill Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ’s effort to reshape research funding and governance was enacted following a brief debate that included no opposing lawmak ers present. This follows years of debate over the proposal between the administration, which claims the changes are needed to streamline policy and bolster support of basic and applied research, and the scientific community, which believes it gives too much power to the central funding agency, the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT). The administration agreed to address some concerns raised by researchers in a subsequent draft, but the new law still contains many of the controversial provisions; including the elimination of a semi-independent panel that helps the

government set research priorities and includes a relatively wide range of representatives from the public and private sectors. The Mexican Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medi cine have expressed concern that the law could restrict “free dom of research” by giving the new agency greater control and that if favors public universities. The law also abandons a yet unreached goal, backed in previous legislation, of spend ing 1% of Mexico’s gross domestic product on research. The new law is likely to face court challenges due to the nature of its passage. Scientists in India Protest Removal of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution from Textbooks Scientists in India have written an open letter in protest of a decision to remove Darwin’s theory of evolution from text books. The letter, organized by non-profit organization The Breakthrough Science Society, was launched on April 20 and currently has more than 4,000 signatures. The nonprofit began the effort after learning that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an autonomous government organization that sets curricula and publishes textbooks for India’s 256 million primary and secondary stu dents, had made the move as part of a “content rationaliza tion” process. Discussion of Darwinian evolution was original ly deleted from textbooks during the COVID-19 pandemic and was explained as being part of an effort to streamline online classes. NCERT officials have declined to comment about making the removal permanent.

Call for BPS Ambassador Applications Are you an advocate for biophysics education and knowledge sharing? Have you considered applying for the BPS Ambassador Program to put those skills into action? Currently, BPS works with 12 Ambassadors—4-member cohorts serving 3-year terms, representing bio physics in Argentina, Australia, China, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Turkey. The Ambassador Program is a global network of BPS members who serve as local Society resources in their home countries or regions to promote the field and foster conversations around biophysics. As a BPS Ambassador, you will play a key role in connecting the Society and its membership with relevant local content, serve as BPS point-of-contact, and help lead discussions on issues of importance to science around the globe. Through this program, the Society hopes to grow the biophysics network by educating and inspiring others to pursue careers in biophysics and to further develop its advocacy efforts around the world. To learn more about the program, eligibility, and benefits, visit www.biophysics.org/outreach/ambassador-program. Empowering Biophysics Globally Ambassador Program

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Publications

Know the Editor Guy Genin

Washington University in St. Louis Editor, Cell Biophysics Biophysical Journal

Guy Genin

What are you currently working on that excites you? What an exciting time this is for the whole field of mech anobiology! The basic principles of mechanotransduction, mechanoresponsiveness, and mechanical memory are coming together to the point where their clinical application is possible, with many groups and even start-ups now applying these basic principles to patient care. The field has long been able to perform stress analysis on tissues, but now many cell types can be included in these analyses, as well as the way they evolve themselves and their local microenviron ments. Fibroblasts respond very differently to different types of stress fields, and my collaborators and I are working to harness these responses for improved healing after rotator cuff repair and dermal grafting. Details are hopefully coming soon—keep your eyes on the pages of Biophysical Journal ! How do you stay on top of all the latest developments in your field? How times have changed! Does anyone else remember all the way back to the era of lounging with the paper edition of Biophysical Journal ? Now, by the time that the paper versions come out—and even the tweets for that matter—the news is old. For the latest breakthroughs, I look through preprint servers, join working group meetings of the National Science Foundation’s Science and Technology Center for Engineering Mechanobiology (all are invited!), and take notes at the Bio physical Society Annual Meeting. Through all these changes to publishing, I find the perspective pieces in Biophysical Jour nal to be increasingly valuable. All the new facts I need are on preprint servers, and all the new disinformation I need is on Twitter, but for new perspectives, I turn to “New and Nota ble” articles and Reviews in Biophysical Journal to learn about emerging ideas.

Editor’s Pick Biophysical Reports

Super-resolution reconstruction in ultrahigh-field MRI Macy Payne, Ivina Mali, Thomas Mueller, Mary Cain, Ronen Segev, Stefan H. Bossmann “Ultrahigh-resolution magnetic resonance imaging is critical for increasing the understanding of a variety of biological sys tems. It is a noninvasive strategy that can be repeated to fol low the progression of diseases, monitor growth over broad time frames, and extract a variety of quantitative parameters to monitor tissue structure, organization, and health. Unfor tunately, ultrahigh-resolution imaging comes with increased time costs and low signal/noise and contrast/noise ratios and is often limited by the overall instrument strength available. Super-resolution reconstruction is a rapidly growing area that allows for ultrahigh-resolution imaging at clinical strengths, increasing image clarity in the process. In this article, the authors assess the validity of the results gained from the application of super-resolution reconstruction and illustrate the benefits and limitations across various samples.”

Version of Record Published March 29, 2023 DOI: https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.bpr.2023.100107

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Communities

No Tolerance for Harassment

with regret and apology. While we have limited ability to ad dress actions outside of BPS events, our policies do support our ability to bar someone from meetings, remove them from membership, and revoke awards if there is an official finding against them by a third party. One report of harassment during a poster presentation occurred during our virtual meeting in 2021 when a member was Zoom-bombed with racial slurs and horrible remarks at an open Zoom presentation. Unfortunately, we were unable to identify the harasser, but all BPS virtual events now require registration and access is restricted to minimize opportunities for any similar occurrences. The other two reports of harass ment during posters were addressed swiftly per our investi gative procedures and disciplinary action was rendered. The experience from these events also informed adjustments to our processes and highlighted the need for additional com munication about our Code of Conduct at our events. While we’ve had more than 9,600 poster presentations in the last four years, three reports of harassment during those presentations are three too many. As a global, professional organization, BPS is committed to equal opportunity and respectful treatment for all, regardless of national or ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or religious belief, gender, gender identity or expression, race, color, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other reason. BPS thrives from the diversity of our members, and we aspire to create an inclusive and equitable community in which members collaborate and cooperate. Moreover, we aim to support the education and development of future generations of biophysicists, and we take seriously our responsibility of creating a safe environment, especially for individuals who are particularly vulnerable due to a minority status or a power differential. We want 100% of our poster presenters, speakers, meeting attendees, members—anyone who engages with our com munity—to have a safe, welcoming experience. We will con tinue to promote and enforce our policies and expectations as well as refine our programs in support of harassment-free experiences. We welcome your feedback and suggestions regarding our efforts and encourage you to help us make BPS, and the bio physics community at large, a place where everyone demon strates respect for each other and holds ourselves and each other accountable for respectful and courteous conduct.

In response to the 2018 National Academies report “Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,” we con vened a task force and updated BPS’s Code of Conduct policy (https:/www.biophysics.org/code-of-conduct). The Code be gins with our commitment “to providing an environment that encourages the free expression and exchange of scientific ideas” with the aim of promoting “an environment that is free of inappropriate behavior and harassment by or toward all attendees and participants of Society events.” The Code was implemented prior to the 2020 BPS Annual Meeting along with a mechanism for reporting violations of the policy. To further communicate loudly and clearly that BPS does not tolerate harassment of any kind and that we will take an active role in helping to end harassment, we held President’s Symposia “Scientific Societies and Grassroots Movements: What We All Can Do to Combat Sexual Harassment” and “Building a Welcoming & Inclusive Research Community” during our Annual Meetings in 2020 and 2021 and held relat ed webinars. In 2021, another task force created the BPS Eth ics Guidelines (https:/www.biophysics.org/about-bps/gov ernance/ethics-guidelines) and the BPS Awards and Fellows Revocation Policy (https:/www.biophysics.org/about-bps/ governance/awards-and-fellows-revocation-policy). Both further reinforce our anti-harassment stance and outline ex pectations for behavior and ramifications for non-compliance. Individuals running for BPS Council or selected to receive BPS Society Awards must attest to statements of adherence to these policies. So codes, policies, and programming supporting anti-ha rassment are important, but are we walking the talk at BPS when issues arise? Yes, we are. We are adhering firmly to the policies we’ve set and addressing all reports of harassment we receive with expediency. Since the Code of Conduct was revised four Annual Meetings ago, we’ve received two reports of offensive remarks made during talks, three reports of ha rassment of poster presenters, and three reports of harass ment occurring outside of BPS events. The individuals who made offensive remarks during BPS meeting talks were attended to immediately and responded

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Communities

Anne E. Carlson Committee for Professional Opportunities for Women (CPOW)

Anne E. Carlson

Is this your first volunteer position for BPS? If not, what other positions have you held? Yes, this is my first volunteer position for BPS! Why do you volunteer? I chose to volunteer because I wanted to give back to this wonderful community of biophysicists who have been a major source of inspiration and support throughout my career. I am also a firm believer in making science open and available to everyone, regardless of their background, in order to foster growth and innovation within the field. What has been a highlight from your volunteer experience? A highlight of my experience so far has been when I participated in reviewing travel grants for the latest BPS meeting. I was truly inspired by the exceptional trainees in our field who are working hard to advance biophysics through their groundbreaking research.

Do you have advice for others who might be thinking about volunteering? Volunteer! Giving back to our community is rewarding and a wonderful way to interact with other scientists. When not volunteering for BPS, what do you work on? When not volunteering, I’m spending time with my family, which includes my husband and two children. Recently we all started rock climbing, which has brought us even closer together, as we frequent the gym several times a week. Profiles in Biophysics No two biophysicists have the same story. Read about the many paths that led each of them to become a biophysicist. www.biophysics.org/profiles-in-biophysics

Gratitude for Our Volunteers The Society would like to express our gratitude for the outgoing committee members listed below for their time, participation, and expertise. These volunteers have made a tremendous impact and difference within the Biophysical Society and the bio physics community. Thank you again—your efforts are truly appreciated! Committee for Inclusion and Diversity (CID) Luyi Cheng

Early Careers Committee Maryam Al-Khannaq Manuela Ayee-Leong Senjuti Banerjee Anthony Cammarato Ashley De Lio Swati Dey Priscilla L. Yang Education Committee Dirar M. Homouz Allen C. Price

Fellows Committee Michael Brown Membership Committee Viksita Vijayvergiya Public Affairs Committee Emmanuel Margeat Bridget Milorey Max Olender Arnold Revzin Harmen Steele Publications Committee Linda M. Columbus Kambiz M. Hamadani Christopher M. Yip

Samuel S. Cho Daryl K. Eggers Kim N. Ha Committee on Professional Opportunities for Women (CPOW) Otonye Braide-Moncoeur Silvia Cavagnero Emily Mace

Jacob O’Connor Andreea Trache

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Communities

Spotlight on Subgroup Awards Did you know that in addition to Society Awards, there are 15 awards sponsored by our Subgroups? Student Bioenergeticist Award , given to an outstanding master’s or graduate student working in the bioenergetics field. Young Bioenergeticist Award , given to an outstanding post doc or young principal investigator working in the bioenerget ics field. Gregorio Weber Award for Excellence in Fluorescence The ory and Applications , honoring distinguished investigators who have made significant and original contributions to the advancement and applications of fluorescence techniques. Young Fluorescence Investigator Award , given to an out standing researcher at the beginning of their career for significant advancements and/or contributions in or using fluorescence methodologies. Biopolymers in Vivo Young Faculty Award , intended to boost the visibility of an emerging faculty member whose research and recent achievements focus on cutting-edge investiga tions of biomolecular processes in living organisms. Kenneth S. Cole Award , given to one or more investigators in the field of membrane biophysics in recognition of their research achievements as well as their potential for future contributions. Intrinsically Disordered Protein Postdoctoral Award , which honors an outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow for their research accomplishments during their career.

Mechanobiology Early Career Award , recognizing a young principal investigator who has made outstanding contribu tions to the way we understand how mechanics shape molec ular and cellular processes. Sir Bernard Katz Award for Excellence in Research on Exo cytosis and Endocytosis , bestowed on an investigator who has made a substantial contribution to our understanding of exocytosis and endocytosis. Thomas E. Thompson Award , recognizing an outstanding contribution in the field of membrane structure and function. Motility & Cytoskeleton Early Career Award , which recog nizes significant contributions to the field of motility and cytoskeletal research and boosts the visibility of early career investigators. Physical Cell Biology Early Career Award , given to an out standing postdoctoral researcher or young principal inves tigator working to understand the functioning of biological systems from a physical perspective, from single molecules in individual cells to whole living organisms. Physical Cell Biology Student Award , recognizing a mas ter’s or PhD student who has just made their first significant research contribution to understanding how cells work from a biophysical perspective. Theory & Computation Award for Early Career Scientists , recognizing an outstanding scientist in the first five years of their first independent appointment, in the field of theory and computation in biophysics. Theory & Computation Award for Mid-Career Scientists , recognizing an outstanding scientist in the first 15 years of their first independent appointment, in the field of theory and computation in biophysics. To learn more about each award and to apply, visit https:/ biophysics.org/awards-funding/subgroup-awards. Call for Papers

Special Issue: Bioelectricity and Molecular Signaling: Dedicated to Rick Aldrich

Editors:

Baron Chanda and Marcel P. Goldschen-Ohm

Deadline for submission: August 31, 2023

For more information, visit www.biophysj.org.

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C a Ar enenruDael vMe el oept imn ge n t

BPS Light Microscopy Outreach The Biophysical Society continues to support enhancing K-12 science education with the goals of increasing scientific awareness by the general public and attracting young people to STEM fields. Light microscopy outreach has been an ac tivity of the Society for several years using the small wooden microscope gifts given by Echo Laboratories and Chroma Technology Corp. in 2016. These microscopes have been used by Society members to conduct light microscopy outreach sessions in schools in the United States and around the globe, including in Bangalore and Delhi, India. Recently, Society member Sharyn Endow and members of her laboratory, together with her department’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, led a light microscopy session at Lowe’s Grove Middle School, a Title 1 STEM Magnet School in Durham, NC in which the majority of students are from low-income families and >90% are from groups that are un der-represented in STEM. They used the small wooden micro scope kits and the Biophysical Society Light Microscopy guide. The session was held in the After School Encore Program on March 8, 2023, with 15–18 students in attendance.

The students looked at different specimens (leaves, pep percorns, fabric, histology slides, Lincoln pennies, etc.). The images were striking with the use of cell phone cameras and lights to illuminate and magnify the specimens. Several students even asked to take their scopes home with them to look at other specimens and show their parents. The principal, vice principal, teachers, and others who came to observe the class were very impressed with how the session went, as the students were clearly very interested in assembling the scopes and using them. Other BPS members have also conducted outreach using the small wooden microscopes, including Yuly Sanchez of the Na tional University of Colombia, who held a session in Tumaco, Columbia, and Andreea Trache of Texas A&M University, who used the wooden microscopes in her Saturday Morning Bio physics Program for middle school and high school girls. Using the microscopes to demonstrate principles of light mi croscopy to young people and introduce students to biophys ical concepts has enabled BPS to reach many young people and to help enhance science education around the world, especially in less advantaged areas.

The Biophysical Society is grateful to its Industry Partners.

For Industry Partner Membership information, contact alevine@biophysics.org. SILVER GOLD

PLATINUM

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C a Ar enenruDael vMe el oept imn ge n t

Young Scientists Receive Biophysics Award at Science Fairs

The Biophysics Award, sponsored by the Biophysical Society’s Education Committee, is presented to high school students at re gional and state science fairs across the United States. The winners are chosen by local judges and BPS volunteers who take on the challenge of selecting the best biophysics-related project. Each student winner is given a $100 award and recognition by BPS for their outstanding achievement. In 2023, BPS was proud to present The Biophysics Award at the following fairs: • Anne Arundel County Regional Science and Engineering Fair • BCC/Rensselaer Region III Science and Engineering Fair

• Montgomery County Science Research Competition • Northeastern Indiana Tri-State Regional Science Fair • Northwest Science Expo • Prince George’s Area Science Fair • Prince William-Manassas Regional Science and Engineering Fair • Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair • San Luis Valley Regional Science Fair • Terra North Jersey STEM Fair

• Colorado Science and Engineering Fair • Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair • Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair • Georgia Science and Engineering Fair • Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair • Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair

The Society could not give these awards and encourage young scientists without the help of members who volunteer to judge. We are so grateful to the judges who give back to their local communities to share their passion for biophysics. For many students, presenting at a science fair might be their first time giving a science talk outside of an in-school presentation and it might be their first step towards a scientific career. Many shared their gratitude for the award and their pleasure at being able to present to real scientists in the field. Finding a Job in a Difficult Economy for Graduates and Postdocs

3. Use novel job-listing avenues. The use of social net working websites has spurred novel ways to advertise jobs. With sites such as LinkedIn, you can now tailor your search to match your skill set. Future PI Slack is another powerful resource encompassing lengthy lists of academic jobs and discussion boards. I can confidently recommend both. 4. Preparing for the interview. Depending on the type of job you are applying for, the interview format can vary greatly. I’ve done both in-person and virtual interviews, and the format, duration, and style have been very diverse. You should be pre pared to negotiate your salary in some interviews, and others will have a human resources representative present. Inter views can also include a problem-solving session in which you need to give a proposed solution to a problem the employer is looking to solve. It helps to research the institution careful ly before the interview and read any instructions that were given to you in advance. For academic jobs, a “chalk talk” is common, as are one- to two-day-long interview sessions. Be prepared, get some good rest beforehand, and if you are fly ing in from far away, arrive a day early to recover from jet lag. I wish you all the best in your job hunting and trust that you will find a position that fits your skills and experience! — Molly Cule

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the so-called “Great Resignation” led to big changes in the job market. Now, grad uate students and postdoctoral fellows are waking up to a reality in which a looming recession seeks to affect their job-hunting prospects. It appears that 2023 is a challenging time to be in the job market, so let me outline some useful tips for getting started.

1. Utilize your network. My best experiences of finding a job involved poorly advertised positions that I learned about from my network. I even landed one position when an unsuccess ful inquiry to a professor about one job led to him telling me about a colleague of his who was looking for someone with my skill set. 2. Industry jobs require a different application strategy. From the format of the cover letter to the emphasis on skills over publications, it pays to tailor your application to the type of job to which you are applying. There are even differences between the expected formats when applying in the Ameri cas, Europe, or Asia.

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Member Corner

Members in the News

Linda Columbus , University of Virginia and member since 1997, received a 2023 Cottrell STAR Award. Yubin Zhou , Texas A&M University and member since 2007, was named an AIMBE Fellow.

Linda Columbus

Yubin Zhou

Grants & Opportunities Prevent Cancer Foundation Grants and Fellowships The Prevent Cancer Foundation supports research that demonstrates potential for impact on cancer prevention and early detection through its grant and fellowship programs. Who can apply: Applicants need not be a U.S. citizen; however, research must be conducted primarily in the United States. Deadline: July 11, 2023 Website: https:/ www.preventcancer.org/research/ grants-fellowships/

The Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists This prize recognizes excellence amongst young research ers from around the world with the vision to recognize that global economic health is dependent upon a vibrant research community. This cycle’s categories are: Cell and Molecular Biology; Genomics, Proteomics, and Systems Biology Approaches; Ecology and Environment; and Mo lecular Medicine. Who can apply: Applicants must have received their doc toral degree in the previous two years. Deadline: July 15, 2023 Website: https:/scienceprize.scilifelab.se/about-young scientist-prize/

Student Spotlight

John Vant School of Molecular Sciences Arizona State University What skill have you learned in your studies that you find useful in other aspects of your life? One skill that I have learned in my study of biophysics is how to analyze complex data sets using various statis tical and computational tools. This skill has helped me in other aspects of my life, such as managing my personal finances, planning my travel itinerary, and making informed decisions based on evidence.

John Vant

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