Biophysical Society Bulletin | November 2024

President’s Message

Get Involved with BPS It makes me happy to hear from many of you that you consider the

Outreach and networks. Many of us find purpose and sat isfaction by volunteering to improve our neighborhoods and local communities. And perhaps this is where we can be most effective in inspiring the next generation of biophysicists and in supporting STEM education. Whether you choose to vol unteer as a judge at a science fair, to visit a K–12 classroom with a neighbor or your child or grandchild, to be a mentor, or to sponsor a BPS Student Chapter, the Find a Biophysicist (FaB) Network (www.biophysics.org/find-a-biophysicist) can connect you with opportunities in your local community. By joining the Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI) Network (www.biophysics.org/pui-network), you can connect with fellow biophysicists dedicated to undergraduate educa tion across the globe. And by joining a BPS Subgroup (www. biophysics.org/subgroups), you can explore a specialized area of biophysics of your choice. Also, mark your calendars for the 10th annual Biophysics Week (www.biophysics.org/biophysics-week#/), March 24–28, 2025, where you can host an Affiliate Event such as a seminar, a journal club, a book discussion, a beer hour, or a cooking class! The event type is all up to you! Register your event with BPS and become part of the worldwide celebration and a powerful global community! Nominate a biophysicist for recognition. Every year, from January 1 to May 1, BPS accepts nominations for its pres tigious awards (www.biophysics.org/awards-funding/soci ety-awards) in 16 categories. From the Outstanding Doctoral Research in Biophysics Award, which is reserved for newly minted PhDs, to the Founders and Fellow of the Biophysical Society Awards, which recognize sustained contributions and achievement, BPS seeks to honor and celebrate excellence in biophysics! You too can define excellence by assembling a nomination package or by writing a persuasive letter on behalf of a deserving colleague. In addition, BPS accepts self-nominations for the majority of its awards! I wrote in more detail about my experience reviewing nominations on the Awards and Fellows Committees (see October 2024 issue of BPS Bulletin ). I believe that our awardees, through their accomplishments and prominence, speak volumes to the BPS brand as the trusted leader in quantitative life sciences. We can each do more to ensure that all deserving accomplish ments are acknowledged, recognized, and celebrated. I hope you will consider submitting a nomination in the next cycle. Propose a BPS Thematic Meeting. Since 2010, BPS has sponsored small, one-off, member-organized meetings, focused on a specific topic. The Society provides complete meeting management (in advance and on site), and partial financial underwriting. All proposals are reviewed by the

Biophysical Society to be more than an association of like-mind ed members. For me, too, it is a community where initial interac tions often develop into support ive, nurturing, enriching, life-long connections. Such connections glue us together into an “organ ism” that is more powerful than

Gabriela K. Popescu

any of its parts. We each contribute to that power through the time and effort we commit to common activities. And, conversely, the connections we develop during such common activities leave each of us more powerful: more knowledge able, more experienced, with a broader perspective, and with a larger network. This is why in this column, I want to highlight the many opportunities available to our members to engage rewardingly with BPS, regardless of our career level, time zone of residence, or personal resources. Most of us have initially joined BPS as trainees or junior scientists, attracted by its mission to “promote dissemination of knowledge in biophysics.” We became members of BPS to attend the Annual Meeting where we can interact with other biophysicists or to publish our results in its journals. However, we stayed, and renewed our membership year after year, be cause we felt inspired and supported by the connections we developed with other members. The exchange of information facilitated by our initial interactions grew into connections im bued with feelings of fellowship and friendship. I believe that for junior and seasoned members alike, engaging with the Society can be a source of inspiration, of renewed purpose, and of energy. So, what does it mean to engage with BPS, and how can you go about it? As I have addressed in previous columns, renewing your membership, attending BPS-sponsored meetings, and pub lishing in the BPS family of journals remain powerful ways to engage with the Society. These venues allow you to both contribute to the BPS community and benefit from it. Howev er, as a BPS member you can engage with the Society year round. To select those activities where your time investment is returned with the most satisfaction, start by consulting the “Get Involved” page on the BPS website (www.biophysics.org/ get-involved), peruse the monthly BPS Bulletin (www.biophys ics.org/bps-bulletin), follow BPS on social media, or contact us directly (popescu@buffalo.edu or society@biophysics. org). We are happy to hear from you! And I feel certain that whether you choose to participate in a one-off event, perhaps online from the comfort of your own office, or if you commit to taking on years-long commitments to help govern the Society, you will find something that meets your needs.

November 2024

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