Biophysical Society Bulletin | November 2024

Communities

Subgroups Biopolymers in vivo

Cryo-EM This year, the Cryo-EM Subgroup is pleased to announce the establishment of a new prize, the Almeida Award, which will recognize a mid-/senior-level woman who has made outstanding contributions to the field of cryo-EM during her independent career. June Almeida was the virologist who first identified the human coronavirus, so named for the “corona” appearance of the virus particles when viewed using electron microscopy. It is in the spirit of Almeida’s innovative research that this award is named. The awardee, in addition to re ceiving an honorarium, will present their research at the BPS Cryo-EM Subgroup Symposium. The deadline for nominations for the Almeida Award is November 15, and details of the award and the application process can be found at www.bio physics.org/Awards-Funding/Subgroup-Awards. Nomination packets should be sent to bps.cryo.em.subgroup@gmail.com. Also, we will have a Subgroup happy hour at 33 Taps bar in downtown Los Angeles on the evening of Subgroup Satur day (6:30–8:30 PM), which will be open to all Annual Meet ing attendees. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at the registration portal (www.biophysics.org/store/products/ product-details?ProductName=2025-cryo-em-dinner-only). Tickets include one drink, finger food, and the opportunity to socialize with your fellow Subgroup members and speakers The Mechanobiology Subgroup is pleased to call for nomina tions for its 2025 Early Career Award. This early investigator award will recognize someone whose work has led to major advances in our understanding at the molecular, cellular, and/or organismal levels, in how mechanical forces influence cell behavior. The criteria for eligibility are detailed at www. biophysics.org/awards-funding/subgroup-awards. The nom ination deadline is December 1, 2024. The award recipient will be granted an honorarium and will give a 25-minute talk at the Mechanobiology Subgroup Symposium. The Mechano biology Subgroup Committee is looking forward to receiving nominations with a CV and research statement at Mechano biologyBPS@gmail.com. Do not hesitate to spread the word to talented young mechanobiologists! — Amit Pathak , Chair — Ovijit Chaudhuri , Chair-Elect — Nils Gauthier , Secretary-Treasurer from the symposium! — Clarke Oliver , Chair Mechanobiology

Now is the time to submit nomination packages for the Biopolymers in vivo (BIV) Young Investigator Award! The selected winner will present a featured talk at the 2025 BPS Annual Meeting in Los Angeles on February 15 and will receive a commemorative plaque along with a $500 prize. Candidates for the award must be members of the BIV sub group, tenure-track faculty at the assistant professor level or equivalent, and in pursuit of cutting-edge research related to biomolecular processes in living organisms. Applicants should provide the following documents before the December 15 deadline: 1) a cover letter that includes a summary of past accomplishments, 2) a one-page statement regarding current research aims and future vision, 3) a two-page curriculum vitae, and 4) a publication list that indicates the contribution of the applicant to each work. In addition, two letters of rec ommendation should be sent directly from the recommend ers. Unsuccessful nominations may roll over to the following year if the applicant is still eligible. Further application details may be found on the Subgroup Awards page at https:/www. biophysics.org/Awards-Funding/Subgroup-Awards. — Daryl Eggers , Chair-Elect Membrane Fusion, Fission, and Traffic The Membrane Fusion, Fission, and Traffic (MFFT) Subgroup is pleased to announce that the 2025 Sir Bernard Katz Award recipient is Ling-Gang Wu of the US National Institutes of Health. Wu is a senior investigator at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke who has made many transformative contributions to our understanding of endo cytosis and exocytosis in living excitable cells over the past 30 years using a variety of cutting-edge microscopy approaches. The Subgroup Awards Committee received three separate nominations for Wu for this award, signed by a total of eight prominent Subgroup members. One letter summarizes Wu’s recent impacts on the field: “Over the past 10 years, he has developed new imaging methods that revealed the dynam ics of the fusion pore at scales that could not previously be probed. These studies directly showed that the fusion pore in endocrine cells evolves in time in several possible ways, but almost never the way it was classically imagined…His work has fundamentally changed the way we think about the fusion pore.” Wu will present the Katz Award lecture at the MFFT Subgroup Symposium on Saturday morning, February 15, 2025. — Jefferson (Jeff) Knight , Chair

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