Biophysical Society Bulletin | May 2019

BiophysicsWeek

Biophysics Week is a global celebration for the interdisciplinary field of biophysics. During Biophysics Week, events were held all over the world with a goal to share what biophysics is all about. Below are some event highlights from BPS Student Chapters and Affiliate Event organizers. Plan your participation for next year’s Fifth Annual Biophysics Week, March 23–27, 2020!

BPS Student Chapter Events Arizona Student Chapter

University of Michigan Student Chapter Biophysics Week was a great experience for the University of Michigan. The University of Michigan BPS Student Chap- ter held three events, two of which focused on introducing schoolchildren, in both elementary and middle school, to the physical sciences and higher education respectively. One of the chapter board members, in conjunction with another student-led organization, organized an event called March to Campus, where middle school students were given a tour of our campus and had a panel of current undergraduate stu- dents talk about their paths to studying at a university. They also partnered with a local event known as Kids Fair to put on basic physics demonstrations for elementary students. This event was great for the chapter. Not only did the kids have a lot of fun, but so did the chapter! It is always fun to help encourage and teach the next generation of scientists. The third event was a social event where the chapter partnered with the Student Astronomical Society and other physical science students to make biophysics a more prominent group on campus. As biophysics is a fairly small department here at Michigan, it was really enjoyable to see the other physics students and to meet with them in a small, informal gathering and talk about biophysics with them to possibly garner more interest for the field. Overall, Biophysics Week was a fantastic time for our chapter! Everyone at Michigan is already looking forward to next year!

The BPS Arizona Student Chapter participated in BioPhest 2019 at the Arizona State University (ASU) Tempe campus. The event was hosted by the Center for Biological Physics as a part of Biophysics Week. This annual event allows scientists from Arizona with an interest in biological physics to meet for a day of short talks and posters. Presentations from graduate students and postdocs are particularly welcomed, and also from researchers from biology and bioengineering whose interests overlap with biological physics. BioPhest is alternat- ingly organized and held at ASU and University of Arizona. The day started with the talk by M. Thomas Record, Jr. from University of Wisconsin-Madison, who the Arizona Student Chapter invited to give the keynote presentation: “E. coli as a Chemical and Osmotic System: Large Changes in Cytoplasmic Salt Ion, Solute and Biopolymer Concentrations in Response to Osmotic Stress.” This was followed by selected talks from researchers at both ASU and the University of Arizona. There was also a poster session where more than 40 partic- ipants shared their research. We were particularly excited to have a poster by high school students from the Biophysics Club of Arizona College Preparatory-Erie who are collabo- rating with the local BPS Student Chapter in creating book chapters for high school students in different biophysics-related concepts. The day concluded with

announcing the winners of the poster session. The whole day was filled with lively discus- sions, which we hope will lead to meaningful collaborations and exciting research in the future.

May 2019

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