Biophysical Society Bulletin | March 2019

Communities

Committee for Inclusion and Diversity The BPS Bulletin is running a series highlighting the Society’s committees to help members learn more about them and

the kinds of things committee members do on behalf of BPS. The Committee for Inclusion and Diversity (CID) is dedicated to broadening participation, enhancing visibility, and promot- ing career opportunities for historically underrepresented groups in biophysics. The committee aims to foster a community inclusive to all biophysicists at the BPS Annual Meeting and performs out- reach to a diversity of student populations who may someday be inspired to pursue biophysics careers. The committee’s activities play an integral role in recruiting and retaining a diverse biophysics community. At the BPS Annual Meeting, the committee is involved with the Travel Awards Reception and rotating workshop topics relevant to inclusive STEM educational and professional cul- tures. This year, the committee is leading an Annual Meeting session on implicit bias — our unconscious stereotypes and attribution of traits to individuals from certain groups that can affect our ability to equitably hire and collaborate with others. This session will help scientists recognize and reflect on their unrealized biases and become better allies. In outreach to future biophysicists, the committee represents BPS at major student conferences focused on convening historically underrepresented groups in science. These events include the Society Advancing Chicanos/Hispanics & Native American in Science (SACNAS) annual meeting, the Annu- al Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS), and the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) annual meeting. CID puts on a biophysics sym- posium at the SACNAS annual meeting, and participates in and sponsors the undergraduate research poster sessions at several conferences. The committee also seeks to enhance the visibility of our di- verse BPS community through contributions to the Biophys- icist in Profile series, intentionally highlighting biophysicists of varied backgrounds. This year, the committee is making

a recognized effort to include biophysicists from countries other than the United States and LGBTQ+ biophysicists in this series. This provides important context for members on the diversity of our community, and may offer role models for early career scientists from historically marginalized groups. The committee is made up of volunteer members who serve staggered three-year terms, renewable once. The current chair is Marina Ramirez-Alvarado of the Mayo Clinic. The committee meets in person at the BPS Annual Meeting and via conference call in late summer each year to plan activities and evaluate their success.

The Biophysical Society is grateful to its 2018 Industry Partners.

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Numbers By the Since the BPS webinar program started in 2015, 1,491 people have registered for the webinars.

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

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