Biophysical Society Bulletin | May 2018

May 2018

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Inside Biophysicist in Profile

Redesigned BPSWebsite with New Features

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Public Affairs From the Blog USA Science and

BPS is pleased to announce the launch of its redesigned website. Over the past year, the society has been hard at work to make the website more informative, useful, and robust. Website visitors will find the new site to be mobile-responsive and have an easy-to-navigate design. We’ve also improved the structure of the content, so you’ll get more from a quick read. There’s a whole host of big and small impactful changes, all to make your experience of the Society site that much better for you. The website reflects the priorities established in the Society’s recent five-year stra- tegic plan to provide increased resources and means of engagement to members and non-members alike throughout the world. The increased dynamic content features will allow the BPS to better fulfill its mission to lead the development and dissemina- tion of knowledge in biophysics. The BPS website will be updated frequently with blog posts, biophysicist profiles, special announcements, and other vital news. We encourage you to check the website on a regular basis, and spread the word to others. New feature! myBPS – a portal for you to manage all of your BPS account details. myBPS will allow you to manage your account information at your conve- nience and access member-only content. Every website user will be asked to initially create a myBPS account in order to complete any transactions with BPS. Create your myBPS account as soon as possible so you can take full advantage of your member benefits.

Engineering Festival Publications Career Development

Communities Member Corner Important Dates Biophysics Week

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Grants and Opportunities

Upcoming Events

Biophysicist in Profile

Mibel Aguilar Areas of Research biomembrane nanotechnology, peptide-based biomaterials, and drug design

Institution Monash University

At-a-Glance

Mibel Aguilar describes herself as a biophysicist and peptide chemist working across many disci- plines whose research focuses on biomembrane nanotechnology, peptide-based biomaterials, and peptidomimetic drug design. She hopes to establish a focus on the biomembrane as a fully participating interactive partner in cell biology, and to combine her research areas of membrane biophysics with biomaterial design to investigate the cell-material interface in a new way that focuses on biomembrane structure.

Mibel Aguilar

Mibel Aguilar , Professor of Biochemistry and Group Leader at Monash University, was born in Melbourne, Australia, to a British mother and Spanish father who had arrived in Mel- bourne four months before she was born. From her earliest days in school, she enjoyed studying science and also had a passion for languages, which she maintains to this day. After high school, Aguilar enrolled in a bachelor of science program at the University of Melbourne. “I always had a fasci- nation with understanding systems at the molecular level so I structured my third-year subjects to complete a double major in chemistry and biochemistry, selecting all the biologically relevant subjects in chemistry to fulfill the major and also the key subjects in biochemistry,” she explains. She then began a PhD program in chemistry, studying the metabolism and toxicity of paracetamol. “I knew that I wanted to be the one directing my future and in control of my work days and not be someone else’s subordinate. These two ambitions left no doubt as to enrolling in a PhD program and who I would study with,” she says. “When it came to embarking on my research training, I was lucky enough to work with a group headed by Ian Calder in Chemistry who was collaborating with Kathryn Ham in the Pathology Department on the metabolism of paracetamol.” Aguilar joined the group soon after the time when the renal toxicity of Bex, a widely used compound analgesic, had been identified and characterized. “’Safe and gentle to the stomach’ paracetamol had come onto the market after phenacetin, the active ingredient of Bex, was found to cause serious renal problems. However, paracetamol can also, in reasonably low levels, cause severe liver failure. So the group was studying the molecular basis of this toxicity, and my project was to study the mechanism of less toxic analogues of paracetamol,” she explains. “The work was truly interdisciplinary. I synthe- sized a range of metabolites of the drugs, administered them to animals, collected their urine, had the histology analyzed, and also developed novel HPLC techniques to measure the metabolic profile of the drugs. That interdisciplinary approach really equipped me with the language of drug design and analysis and organic chemistry — a space that I am in the middle of to this day.”

After her PhD, Aguilar completed a postdoctoral position at St. Vincent’s Institute for Medical Research, working on devel- oping new methods for protein analysis and purification. “This was the beginning of a very productive time building on my bioanalytical skills in HPLC drug analysis, but applying them to the much more complex world of peptide and proteins. I elected not to go overseas as this position was really the type of position I was interested in — again at the interface between chemistry and biochemistry, this time in the analyt- ical sphere,” she says. “During this time I traveled regularly to international meetings and met all the major players in the field, and so while I was conscious of the fact that I had not taken a position in an overseas lab, I was still able to build up the network of senior contemporaries in the field.” “ There are many factors that impede the increase in numbers of women in science—the combination of child bearing responsibilities and the brutal nature of publish or perish—and there is no real allowance made for any break in productivity. ” In 1986, the research group relocated to Monash University, where their bioanalytical work expanded significantly. “I was awarded a Monash University postdoctoral fellowship and utilized this to develop my ongoing interest in using analyti- cal and biophysical techniques to study biomembranes. This work was initiated by PhD students Henriette Mozsolits and John Lee , and John is currently driving this area in my group today,” she says. “The membrane projects have also given me the opportunity to collaborate with a fantastic group of scien- tists, including David Small , University of Tasmania, on amy- loids; Wally Thomas , University of Queensland, on GPCRs; and

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Biophysicist in Profile

Officers President Angela Gronenborn President-Elect David Piston Past-President Lukas Tamm Secretary Frances Separovic Treasurer Kalina Hristova Council

Frances Separovic , University of Melbourne, on antimicrobial peptides. More recently, my dream of collaborating with peptide scientists in Spain was realized when Enrique Perez-Paya , whom I had known since 1989, contacted me about measuring the membrane-binding of some Bcl-peptides, which has now led us into the world of apoptosis. I have also been very privileged to collaborate with Marcus Swann , one of the developers of dual polarization interferometry, and which has allowed us to study membrane structure changes and trans- formed our membrane research.” Irene Yarovsky , RMIT University, was a PhD stu- dent in Aguilar’s lab from 1991 to 1994, and the two have recently re-started their collabo- rative research. “Mibel was my first colleague and supervisor in Australia. What luck was it!” she shares. “She is my dream colleague: enthusiastic, knowledgeable, hardworking, patient, respectful, and fair.” Separovic agrees: “Mibel is generous with her time and encouragement, keen to help, and possessing a keen intellect; always positive and able to wrap her head around seemingly contradictory data to find a clearer path to understanding.” In 2009, Aguilar was the first woman to be promoted to Professor of Biochemistry at Monash University. “This was the culmination of 15 years work, and it did leave me a little aimless for a few months. However, later that year I also took on the role of Associate Dean of Research Degrees in the Faculty of Medi- cine, Nursing and Health Sciences, in which I had overall responsibility for the management of about 1,100 PhD and masters students,” she shares. “This was a challenging aspect to my everyday life, particularly in balancing the time to also write papers and grants and supervise students, but it was very rewarding to be in this senior leadership role where I participated in significant university policy development and implementation and saw the impact in the transformation of the next generation of research leaders and thinkers.” Looking back, the biggest challenge of her career has been balancing research progress with family. “Family life has its own momen-

Zev Bryant Jane Clarke Linda Columbus Bertrand Garcia-Moreno Teresa Giraldez Ruben Gonzalez, Jr. Arthur Palmer Marina Ramirez-Alvarado Jennifer Ross David Stokes Joanna Swain Pernilla Wittung-Stafeshede Biophysical Journal Jane Dyson Editor-in-Chief Society Office Ro Kampman Executive Officer Newsletter Executive Editor Rosalba Kampman Managing Editor Beth Staehle Contributing Writers and Proofreaders Dorothy Chaconas Laura Phelan

Aguilar with her family.

tum and interweaving the scheduling of 8:00 am lectures with child-care drop-offs was certainly interesting in those early days!” she says. “However, the access and cost of child- care really has not become any easier today — in spite of all the rhetoric around work-life balance and gender equity.” “There are many factors that impede the in- crease in numbers of women in science — the combination of child bearing responsibilities and the brutal nature of publish or perish — and there is no real allowance made for any break in productivity. The international conver- sation about this issue is now moved to plans for action, so one can be somewhat optimistic about the social landscape that surrounds us girls in science,” Aguilar says. On an individ- ual level, work-family balance “is made a lot easier when you have supportive family and work colleagues. I was lucky to obtain a place in one of the university crèches when my son Liam was born, and so was able to go over to breast feed, which did alleviate the separation anxiety and guilt! My husband William has been legendary in his co-parenting of our son: for example, I did school drop-off and he was able to start work extremely early to do school pick-up. The key is to be focused on specific outcomes and be strategic with commitments outside your immediate work environment so you have time for your family and yourself, “she continues.” Try also to keep a balanced per- spective by reading your favorite books and maintaining some degree of physical fitness — or whatever works. You will find your own way to manage all these competing demands.”

Caitlin Simpson Elizabeth Vuong Ellen Weiss Production

Ray Wolfe Catie Curry

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. Canadian GST No. 898477062. Postmaster: Send address changes to Biophysical Society, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 1110, Rockville, MD 20852. Copyright © 2018 by the Biophysical Society. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

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Public Affairs

Biophysical Society Public Affairs Committee Provides Input on NIH Draft Strategic Plan for Data Science The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a draft strategic plan for data science in March and solicited feedback from the community. This plan describes NIH’s overarching goals, strategic objectives, and implementation tactics for promoting the modernization of the NIH-funded biomedical data science ecosystem, and provides a roadmap for a consistent direction and coordination across the NIH Institute and Centers. The Biophysical Society’s Public Affairs Committee provided feedback to the draft, commending NIH for taking this step and for creating the position of Chief Data Strategist to oversee implementation of the plan. The Committee also suggested that NIH work with other agencies and organizations funding research, consider data security, be cognizant of costs, and think about how to evaluate the efforts. The comments are available on the BPS website.

FY 2018 Omnibus Funding Bill Signed into Law by President Trump

President’s Request for FY 2019

Agency

FY 2017 FY 2018 Percent Change

National Institutes of Health National Science Foundation

$34.084 $37.084 $7.472 $7.767 $5.392 $6.260 $5.765 $6.222 $0.690 $0.725 $2.276 $2.343

9% 4%

$35.517 $7.472 $5.392 $5.895 $0.573 $2.269

Department of Energy Office of Science

16%

NASA Science

8% 5% 3%

NIST Science and Tech Labs

Department of Defence Basic Research

On March 23, President Trump signed into law the $1.3 trillion FY18 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1625). The omnibus provides an increase of $80 billion in defense spending and $63 billion for nondefense programs, over FY 2017, as agreed to in the budget deal passed in February. The Biophysical Society released a statement (available on the BPS website) applauding Congress for the increased investment in science research included in the budget.

Robert R. Redfield Named Director of the CDC

The Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has named Robert R. Redfield , MD, as the 18th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Redfield’s research focuses on clinical research and clinical care related to HIV. He was previously at the University of Maryland, Institute of Human Virology. Redfield replaces Brenda Fitzgerald , who resigned in January.

Robert R. Redfield

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Outreach

BPS at the USA Science and Engineering Festival

BPS is pleased to have participated in another successful USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, DC, April 6-8. Over 370,000 people participated the festival, with hundreds coming by the BPS booth to learn about proteins and in par- ticular, kinesin. One of the best parts of the festival is introducing the attendees to our amazing scientists. Thanks to the local biophysicists who volunteered to staff the booth and inspire the next generation! They are Amy Chau , Tien Comlekoglu , Ololade Fatunmbi , Kanchan Gupta , Yasmeen Hussain , Loren LaPointe , Maria Martin , Daniel Marzolf , Hanover Matz , Gilliam Mbambo , Bob Nakamoto , Laura Odongo , Arnold Revzin , Emily Smith , Nicole Swope , Jake Whitley , and Goli Yamini .

From the Blog

biophysics.org/blog

The Science behind the Image Contest Winners: Reshaping Vesicles via Deflation The BPS Art of Science Image Contest took place again this year, during the 62nd Annual Meeting in San Fran- cisco. The image that won third place was submitted by Ziliang Zhao, a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces. Zhao took some time to provide information about the image and the science it rep- resents on the blog: https:/ biophysicalsociety.wordpress. com/2018/03/15/the-science-behind-the-image-con- test-winners-reshaping-vesicles-via-deflation/

π is everywhere! The importance of π in mathematics and mathematical biology In honor of Pi Day on March 14, Robin Thompson, Junior Research Fellow, Christ Church, University of Oxford, wrote about pi’s place of importance in biophysics and mathematical biology. https:/ biophysicalsociety.word- press.com/2018/03/13/%CF%80-is-everywhere-the-im- portance-of-%CF%80-in-mathematics-and-mathemati- cal-biology/

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Publications

Know the Editor Amy Palmer

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Colorado Boulder Editor, Cell Biophysics

Rapid Publication Is Here

Amy Palmer

BPS is Accepting Proposals for Biophysics eBooks Have you thought about writing a book but find the idea daunting? Have you wanted to pick up a succinct well-written book on a biophysics topic but realized it didn’t exist? We want to hear from you. For those inter- ested in writing a book, the BPS-IOP ebooks program offers numerous resources as well as personal help and guidance to assist you. If you are interested in being part of this unique program, please submit your suggestion or a summary of your proposal, detailing the topic, concept, competition, and potential audience to Jessica.Fricchione@iop.org. Be sure to include a current biography and contact details. Want to know more? Visit http:/ ioppublishing.org/bio- physical-society-ebooks/ or, to simply discuss your idea for an ebook, contact Jessica Fricchione at 215/627-0880 or Jessica.Fricchione@iop.org. We understand that time to publication is critical to our authors, and so the Biophysical Journal is now publishing accepted articles ahead of proof. This will significantly reduce the time from acceptance to publication; from receipt of final files to publication will be 2–3 days. A doi will also be issued at that time. Of course we will continue to send out author queries and prepare edited, styled proofs to ensure your article communicates its message clearly and professional- ly. Corrected proofs —when ready —will replace the accepted manuscript online. Fast turnaround time is just another reason to send your best work to Biophysical Journal .

What are you currently working on that excites you? We are currently exploring the hypothesis that zinc ions can serve as a cellular signal, leading to regulation of protein function and hence cellular processes. What is exciting is that this would change the traditional paradigm in cell biology that the ion plays an important structural role, but that it is consti- tutively bound to the thousands of zinc-dependent proteins found in mammalian cells. Instead, we are exploring whether dynamic fluctuations in zinc ions titrate occupancy of zinc-de- pendent proteins, including transcription factors. Indeed, we are discovering that zinc levels in cells are dynamic and these dynamics influence fundamental cellular functions such as transcription and proliferation. What I find rewarding is that it was systematic and quantitative biophysical measure- ments of zinc ions in cells that uncovered the possibility that zinc-binding proteins might not be constitutively saturated with zinc and revealed that zinc dynamics are quite common. This research is an example of how advances in technology enable new kinds of biological measurements, leading to new insights and ultimately new questions about how cells function. What has been your biggest “aha” moment in science? I would say my most impactful “aha moment” was when I first started doing independent research as an undergraduate at Dartmouth College in the lab of Karen Wetterhahn . My “aha moment” was that for the first time I experienced the thrill of discovery, and fully realized the excitement, beauty, creativ- ity, and intellectual challenge of being a scientist. I say this was my most impactful “aha moment” because this is what inspired me to major in chemistry and become a scientist my- self. It also made me realize that the way we teach science is too often uninspiring and disconnected from the actual prac- tice of science. This motivated me to become a professor so that I could not only carry out research and provide the next generation of students the opportunity to experience the thrill of discovery and creation of new scientific knowledge, but also change the way we teach science at the university level so that we can recruit the best minds into the profession.

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Career Development

HowDo I Prepare for an Industry Interview?

have any questions for me?” Make sure you’ve prepared some questions to ask, such as: What did the person who had this position previously do very well? What can I do differently to help you with your overall goals? What goals do you have for this position? Asking questions of the interviewer will show them that you studied and put in the work to understand the company. It will also show them that you are looking ahead to see what you might do to help them. Follow up: After the interview, follow up with the hiring man- ager and thank them for their time. An email or note shows that you are serious about the position and that you will be proactive in the job.

One common misconception that many people make is that getting a job in industry is simply just applying for jobs through job applications online, but this isn’t the case. Most jobs come from employee referrals, networking, and headhunters. Submitting applications online won’t do much — unless you connect and cultivate relationships with those companies, chances of landing that coveted industry interview are slim.

The Interview: What you need to do before, during and after to get a job

As a job seeker looking for jobs in industry, it’s important to understand the difference between industry and academia. Industry jobs don’t necessarily care about the scientist that comes in with the primary focus on getting publications; instead they care about what you can tangibly achieve and what you have achieved. So, what do you need to do to ace that interview? There are three key rules I would suggest for a successful interview. Research the company: Many people do not research the company before they head into their interviews. Understand- ing the company’s mission and the job you are interviewing for can help you convince the hiring manager that you are a perfect fit. Interview the company: Just because you are the one being interviewed doesn’t mean you can’t also interview the com- pany. Typically, this will be when the interviewer asks, “do you

May 23, 2018, 2:00 pm EDT Presenter: Alaina G. Levine

When does the interview begin? Much sooner than you think: it starts from the first point of contact you have with someone from the organization. And when does it end? Only when the offer is extended and accepted. Learn how to convert conversations and networking into interviews and interviews into job offers. Discover what you need to know and do throughout the interview process to demonstrate your value to the institution and land the job.

Register Today at biophysics.org/webinars

Biophysical Society is grateful for its 2018 Industry Partner.

Gold Member

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

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Communities

Exocytosis and Endocytosis

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDP) The Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDP) Subgroup hosted an outstanding and highly attended subgroup symposium at the 2018 Annual Meeting. If you enjoyed the symposium and are not already a subgroup member, we hope you will consid- er joining. The opening keynote presentation was provided by Jane Clarke , who presented on the nature of cooperative folding and binding in the biofilm-promoting protein SasG. Immedi- ately following, Sarah Shammas discussed the thermodynamic and kinetic determinants of function in binding reactions involving a panel of IDPs. These talks led into a presentation on new methods to probe conformational dynamics with sin- gle molecule FRET, provided by Hoi Sung Chung . It is clear that quantitative studies of IDP structure, thermodynamics, and kinetics are now establishing molecular mechanisms for their diverse functional roles in the cell. Our symposium’s second session focused on disorder in multi-protein complexes and sub-cellular phase behavior. Frauke Gräter provided a computational perspective on tran- sient nucleoporin-receptor binding. The nuclear pore is one of many sub-cellular compartments that may feature liquid- liquid phase separation; Hue Sun Chan framed a general the- ory towards the sequence-determinants of phase separation involving IDPs. Our symposium closed with a keynote presen- tation by Peter Wright , who provided a remarkable overview of allosteric regulation between the CREB-binding protein and its extensive set of direct binding partners. Through the generosity of Ya-yue Van and Molecular Kinetics, the IDP subgroup recognized two distinguished postdocs in our field. Alessandro Borgia , from Benjamin Schuler’s laboratory, presented single-molecule fluorescence insights into coupled folding and binding of polyelectrolyte proteins in the absence of ordering. Jeong-Mo Choi , who is a member of Rohit Pap- pu’s laboratory, provided physical insights into the sequence determinants of liquid-liquid phase separation. The IDP subgroup is proud to continue promoting talented postdocs through our symposium and we hope you will consider nomi- nations (or being nominated) for next year’s meeting.

The Exo/Endo Subgroup had a great meeting this past Febru- ary, organized by Dixon Woodbury (BYU). All the speakers gave engaging presentations, and we especially thank Manfred Lindau , Cornell University and Max Planck Institute, who gave the Sir Bernard Katz Award Lecture. The meeting in San Francisco started with two student talks from Tina Han , University of California-San Francisco,and Huan Bao, University of Wisconsin-Madison. These were selected from the several dozen poster submissions from subgroup student members. This was followed by excellent presentations by Tom Kirchhausen , Harvard Medical School; Geert van den Bogaart , Radboud University; Patrik Rorsman , Oxford University; Michael Tamkun , Colorado State University; Katalin Toth , Centre de Recherche Universite Laval Robert-Gif- fard; and, finally, the Katz Award Lecture by Manfred Lindau . Lindau spoke on The Mystery of the Fusion Pore. Lindau was selected for the Katz award for his development of many new biophysical techniques for cell and neurobiolo- gy including the first perforated patch recordings, improved cell-attached patch capacitance measurements, development of patch amper¬ometry, and the first successful fabrication and application of surface-patterned amper¬ometric elec- tro¬chemical detector (ECD) arrays. By successfully combin- ing electrochemical ECD array recordings with total internal reflection fluorescence resonance transfer microscopy, he demonstrated a rapid conformational change in the SNARE protein SNAP25 preceding individual fusion events. The central goal of his current research is to elucidate the mech- anisms of exocytotic fusion and transmitter release using ex- perimental approaches and molecular dynamics simulations. The previous five Katz award winners were Robert Zucker (2017), Sandra Schmid (2016), Ronald Holz (2015), Axel Brunger (2014), and James Rothman (2013). We thank Dixon Woodbury for a great meeting and look for- ward to an exciting meeting next year in Baltimore, Maryland, on Saturday, March 2, 2019. Mark your calendars! — Amy Lee , Exo/Endo Subgroup Chair — Dixon J. Woodbury , Past-chair

Numbers By the

The Biophysical Society reached over 105,000 people through social media during the third Annual Biophysics Week, March 25-29.

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Member Corner

Members in the News

Frances Separovic , University of Melbourne and Society member since 1985, was placed on the Victorian Hon- our Roll of Women in recognition of her role as an inspirational change agent.

Bong Sook Jhun , Rhode Island Hospital and Society member since 2012, received the 2018 New Investigator Award from the American Physiological Society, Cell and Molecular Physiology Section.

Frances Separovic

Bong Sook Jhun

To give the gift of BPS membership, lick here Once the application and payment are processed, a letter will be sent to your recipients, letting them know that they’ve received the membership gift from you.

Important Dates BPS Thematic Meetings May 7, 2018 Abstract Submission: The Heart by Numbers June 4, 2018 Early Registration: The Heart by Numbers 63 rd BPS Annual Meeting March 2–6, 2019, Baltimore, Maryland July 1, 2018 Abstract Submission and Registration Open

Student Spotlight

Dana Nicole (Nikki) Reinemann Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Vanderbilt University

As you move forward in science, what type of research do you see yourself doing? Why? I would like to probe the intersection of biology, physics, and engineering by actively assembling in vitro assays to reconstitute physiologically relevant cytoskeletal environments. Not only will these types of experiments reveal new biophysical insight regarding the synergy between different motors, proteins, and filaments, but also they will be a platform for testing the local effects of cytoskeletal drugs.

Dana Reinemann

Biophysics Week March 25–29, 2019 March 9–13, 2020

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BiophysicsWeek

BiophysicsWeek Kicks off in Baltimore, Maryland On a cold and slushy March day in Baltimore, a group of local high-school students took the day off, not for yet another snow-day cancellation, but to take a field trip to nearby Johns Hopkins University to learn (and do) some biophysics. The event, which was developed with the help and support of the Biophysical Society as a kick-off event for Biophysics Week,

olution structures using pymol, and monitored CRISPR:DNA binding using single-molecule TIRF spectroscopy with T.J. Ha , the winner of this year’s Kinosita award from the Biophysical Society. The day wrapped up with a pizza lunch and a ques- tion-and-answer period with Barrick and Ro Kampman from the Biophysical Society, where students asked questions about different aspects of becoming a scientist, from apply- ing to college to becoming a professor. Many students were also interested to learn about a six-week summer research program run by Hopkins entitled Biophysics for Baltimore Teens (BRBT, http:/sites.krieger.jhu.edu/brbt/). Directed by Junsan Sohn , the BRBT program provides an in-depth expo- sure to laboratory research in biophysics. Hopefully for many of these students, what started as a cold slushy day in March will turn into a summer of biophysics fun, and then a lifetime of research. BPS Student Chapters Join in Celebrating Biophysics Week During Biophysics Week 2018 many of the Society’s student chapters took an active role in working to raise awareness and celebrate the field across their campuses by hosting a variety of events. At Emory University, Kevin Yehl returned to his alma mater to discuss his scientific journey — from his early training in biophysics at Emory, involving DNAzyme-Gold nanoparticle conjugates, leading up to his current work at MIT that is based on engineering bacteriophage structure-function relation- ships. Dozens of people from Emory’s research community attended this seminar to learn about molecular biophysics and celebrate Biophysics Week. Students also got the chance to meet with Yehl informally and discuss the various pros- pects and challenges facing early career academics in the field of biophysics. At the University of Michigan, members and leaders of the student chapter there participated in an outreach program to show young elementary students basic physics demos and get them excited about science, as well as hosting Joseph Puglisi of Stanford University, who spoke on campus and dis- cussed his research with students over lunch. The student chapter at Florida State University the student chapter worked with the Institute of Molecular Biophysics (IMB) to host NIH distinguished investigator Wei Yang , who presented her work on utilizing in crystallo catalysis and X-ray diffraction analysis to visualize DNA synthesis and RNA degradation. After her talk, she was awarded IMB’s Donald

took advantage of an al- ready strong relationship between the science department at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (“Poly,” a science-fo- cused public high school within the Baltimore public schools system) and the biophysics pro- gram at Johns Hopkins University. The goal of the day-long program was to expose city high-school students to biophysics, train them to do cutting-edge lab techniques and experi- ments, kindle enthusiasm

BPS member Juliette Lecomte, center, assists students from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute with an experiment.

for science as both a participatory activity and a great career, and show them a pathway to a life in the biophysical sciences. Accompanied by Poly chemistry teacher Adam Wishart , the 15 juniors arrived at the Hopkins Homewood campus, where they heard a brief introduction from Doug Barrick to proteins and protein technology, and to the use of fluorescent proteins in biophysics, biotechnology, and medicine. After this intro- duction, students got down to business in the Undergraduate

Biophysics Teaching Laboratory, running column chromatogra- phy to purify samples of GFP and m-cherry fusion proteins under the guidance of laboratory director Carolyn Fitch and Bertrand Garcia-Moreno , Department Chair. From there, they proceeded to the Center for Molecular Biophysics where they

Baltimore high school students learn about biophysics at Johns Hopkins University during Biophysics Week.

collected circular dichroism spectra of proteins with different secondary structures, compared their spectra to high-res-

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BiophysicsWeek

L.D. Caspar Award, and students were given the opportunity to spend the rest of the day with her, allowing them to ask about her career and to gain professional advice from a dis- tinguished member of the scientific community. Leaders of the University of Missouri Biophysical Society Stu- dent Chapter spent Biophysics Week 2018 on Capitol Hill. MU Chapter President, Benton Berigan , a second-year PhD student in the lab of Lorin Milescu , attended the National Association for Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS) 2018 Spring Advocacy Summit and Legislative Actions Days. Berigan received two days of advocacy training and spent two days on Capitol Hill with Missouri representatives to discuss expedit- ing F1 visa reauthorization, open-access to federally funded research, and raise concerns about graduate school afford- ability and accessibility. Biophysics Week 2018 has inspired Berigan to continue advocating for graduate and professional students at the campus and federal level. At Clemson University, the BPS Student Chapter hosted a public talk on Using Physics to Understand How Cells Move followed by a planetarium show and lab tours, while the York University student chapter hosted a social event and competition for students which tested their knowledge on biophysics. At Johns Hopkins University, the student chapter held its first annual image contest. Images were displayed at the chapter’s Biophysics Social, and the winning contestants received a 3D printed protein of their choosing. Last, but not least, the Egypt BPS Student Chapter hosted a week-long cel- ebration, which included seminars and the chapter’s opening ceremony at the University of Alexandria.

The Egyptian Student Chapter of BPS, top, celebrates Biophysics Week and, below, a lecture on a brief history of biophysics for undergraduate biology students was held at Sana’a University in Yemen.

Grants & Opportunities

Science and SciLifeLab’s Prize for Young Scientists Recent doctoral graduates in the life sciences may submit a 1,000-word essay based on their thesis work. Four winners — in the categories of Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Environment, Genomics and Pro- teomics, and Translational Medicine —will be selected for this international award. Make sure your recent PhD graduate doesn’t miss out on this opportunity. Deadline: July 15, 2018

Intramural NIGMS Postdoctoral Research Associate (PRAT) Program (Fi2) This program’s overarching goal is to provide high-qual- ity postdoctoral research training in the basic biomedical sciences, in National Institutes of Health intramural research laboratories, to a diverse group of postdoctoral fellows to prepare them for leadership positions in bio- medical careers. The proposed projects should focus on areas such as cell biology, biophysics, genetics, devel- opmental biology, pharmacology, physiology, biological chemistry, computational biology, technology develop- ment and bioinformatics. Deadline: October 3, 2018 Website: https:/grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/ PAR-16-130.html

Website: http:/www.sciencemag.org/prizes/ science-scilifelab-prize-young-scientists?et_ rid=60657441&et_cid=1937248

May 2018

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T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E B I O P H Y S I C A L S O C I E T Y

Biophysical Society

5515 Security Lane, Suite 1110 Rockville, Maryland 20852

May 2018

T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E B I O P H Y S I C A L S O C I E T Y

Upcoming Events

June June 11–15

July July 2–4 Membrane Workshop: Mem- branes Beyond

August August 6–9

September September 4–6 Nucleic Acids, Immunity, and Genome Defense Brno, Czech Republic http:/www.nucleic-acids-im-

9th Workshop on Neutron Scat- tering Applications in Structural Biology Oak Ridge, TN https:/ conference.sns.gov/ event/99 June 17–22 Molecular Biophysics of Mem- branes Olean, NY http:/www.faseb.org/src/mi- cro/Site/Biophy/Home.aspx

1st Annual North American Mass Spectrometry Summer School Madison, WI https:/ uwmadison.eventsair. com/massspectrometry/reg/ Site/Register August 13–14 NYU – Nature Conference on Chemical Biology New York, NY https:/www.nature. com/natureconferences/ nyuncb2018/index.html

Hamilton, ON, Canada https:/ bit.ly/2Hlld2J July 26–28

munity.ceitec.eu/ September 23–28

EMBO Workshop on in Situ Methods in Cell Biology and Cellular Biophysics Berlin, Germany http:/meetings.embo.org/ event/18-insitu-methods

Small GTPases in Membrane Processes: Trafficking, Auto- phagy, and Disease http:/www.faseb.org/src/ micro/Site/GTPas/Home. aspx

Please visit www.biophysics.org for a complete list of upcoming events.