Biophysical Society Bulletin | May 2023

Communities

Manuela Zoonens Membership Committee

Manuela Zoonens (photo credit: Éric Bongrand)

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? To be honest, I did not consider volunteering on my own. I was contacted by my colleague, Melanie Cocco , who told me about it and invited me to consider it. It did not take long for me to accept. The idea of participating in such a Society was exciting because it is a great opportunity for the experience it brings. What has been a highlight from your volunteer experience? My enrollment as a volunteer is still fairly new and my expe rience modest. However, the most important aspect I would like to highlight is the willingness of all the committee mem bers to fulfill their role as referees in evaluating projects and awarding travel grants and funding in the fairest and most equitable manner possible.

Do you have advice for others who might be thinking about volunteering? Of course, volunteering is a personal decision, but if I had one piece of advice, I would say that it is a great opportunity to see behind the scenes and how decisions are made or how issues are handled. By participating, you can share your perspec tive and be part of the decisions. It is all very formative for a professional career. When not volunteering for BPS, what do you work on? I spend most of my time working in the lab either on my computer or at the bench, and when I am not at work, I take care of my children and enjoy spending time with my familly during vacations. My last trip abroad from France, where I live, was to Namibia, where I had an amazing adventure. In addition, spending three weeks away from a computer was a real chance to unwind!

Conferences

Submit an Abstract and Share Your Research Abstract Submission Deadline: June 8, 2023 Early Registration Deadline: June 19, 2023

Membrane Fusion and Budding

Estes Park, Colorado | September 24–27, 2023

This meeting will bring together trainees, emerging scientists, and leaders in the fields of mem brane fusion and budding and will cover many subfields of the fusion and budding disciplines, including, but not limited to, fusion and budding at synapses and neuroendocrine cells (exo- and endocytosis), in relation to the function of membrane-bound organelles like mitochondria and extracellular vesicles, and in the context of host/virus interactions, cell-cell fusion, and autophagy.

For more information, visit www.biophysics.org/2023EstesPark

May 2023

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