Biophysical Society Bulletin | October 2019

October 2019

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Ten Outstanding Biophysicists Receive BPS Honors The Biophysical Society is pleased to recognize the following 2020 award recipients. These members will be honored at the 64th Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, in February.

Gunnar von Heijne

Akihiro Kusumi

Clifford P. Brangwynne

Valeria Vásquez

DanM. Herschlag

Alexandra C. Newton

G. Marius Clore

Jean Chin

Yale E. Goldman

Elliot L. Elson

Gunnar von Heijne , Stockholm University, Sweden, will receive the Anatrace Membrane Protein Award for his profound contributions in creating important theoretical and experimental tools toward advancing our understanding of both principles and mechanisms of membrane protein biosynthesis. Akihiro Kusumi , Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, will receive the Avanti Award in Lipids for his seminal contribu- tions in elucidating the mechanisms of plasma membrane organi- zation and function through the development of unique method- ologies of single-molecule observation and manipulation in living cells. Clifford P. Brangwynne , Princeton University, USA, will receive the Michael and Kate Bárány Award for Young Investigators for his beautiful applications of the principles of soft matter physics to- ward elucidating the basis and consequences of intracellular phase separation, and using this information to understand and manipu- late living biological cells and tissues.

Valeria Vásquez , University of Tennessee Health Science Center, USA, will receive the Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award for her pio- neering work toward understanding how the functions of sensory ion channels are modulated by bioactive lipids and natural toxins. Dan M. Herschlag , Stanford University, USA, will receive the Found- ers Award for his fundamental contributions to RNA folding and enzymology. Alexandra C. Newton , University of California, San Diego, USA, will receive the BPS Award in the Biophysics of Health and Disease for her paradigm shifting discoveries that revealed how disease mutations that inhibit Protein Kinase C (PKC) activity cause cancer while those that activate PKC are drivers of neurodegenerative diseases.

Inside President’s Message Biophysicist in Profile

G. Marius Clore , NIDDK, NIH, USA, will receive the Innovation Award for his seminal contributions to the development of NMR for determining three-dimensional structures of macromolecules in solution, and his work on the development of paramagnetic and relaxation-based NMR experiments to characterize rare, transient, and hereto- fore invisible states of macromolecules. Jean Chin , NIGMS, NIH, USA, will receive the Rosalba Kampman Distinguished Service Award for her tireless service to the bio- physical community as a ProgramOfficer at the National Institute of General Med- ical Sciences, where she was a source of encouragement to numerous members of this Society, an advocate of groundbreaking research, and a model for what it means to be a scientist and a public servant.

Yale E. Goldman , University of Pennsyl- vania, USA, will receive the Kazuhiko Kinosita Award in Single-Molecule Biophysics for his pioneering work in measuring and understanding orienta- tions, rotations, and dynamics of motor proteins by developing and using sin- gle-molecule imaging approaches. Elliot L. Elson , Washington University in St. Louis, USA, will receive the Ignacio Tinoco Award for his leadership in devel- oping new approaches and analyses for the study of biopolymers, and establish- ing a cooperative and generous environ- ment that has promoted the success of others.

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Public Affairs

Career Development

Member Corner & Important Dates

Student Spotlight

Grants and Opportunities

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Annual Meeting

Subgroups

In Memoriam

Upcoming Events

President’s Message

Lead Your Society The results from our Biophysical Society (BPS) member survey indicated that we need to be more transparent in our operations and decision making. Many members commented that the Society appears to be run by a select group of “insiders.” These survey results and comments certainly got the attention of Council, which is the

institutions. We are hopeful that this number will continue to increase, and applications for new Chapters are accepted each year. The main avenues for more extensive interactions are through the Society’s Committees, which are filled with members who have a strong desire and commitment to strengthen the bio- physics community. Committees plan and execute program- ming for the Annual Meeting and Biophysics Week and some also run other activities during the year. Most Committees recruit new members every year, and are especially trying to attract international and early career members and working to achieve diversity. One of the core elements of our strategic plan is Sharing Knowledge in and about Biophysics , which is led by the Ed- ucation Committee. This Committee creates and provides resources to educate members and the general public about biophysics, and facilitates the Undergraduate Poster Award Competition at the Annual Meeting. They also coordinate judges for local science fairs, and they are always looking for volunteer judges. The Membership Committee develops plans to attract and retain members. They host events to give members an opportunity to interact with Society leadership, and sponsor mini-grants for networking events all around the world. Our Public Affairs Committee supports public outreach and education, and guides Society responses, as appropri- ate, to matters of public policy that impact on biophysics and biophysicists. This Committee has traditionally focused on US federal funding, but is now reaching out much more interna- tionally, and is looking for more input from other countries. Our new Ambassador Program is one way we are engaging biophysics leaders across the globe in their local Public Affairs (https:/www.biophysics.org/outreach/ambassador-program/). The Society also has three Committees focused on devel- oping and running programs tailored to meet the needs of our diverse membership: the Early Careers Committee, the Committee for Inclusion and Diversity (CID), and the Commit- tee for Professional Opportunities for Women (CPOW). These Committees work together on activities throughout the year, and each maintains its focus to ensure we are serving all of our members. As the name suggests, the Early Careers Com- mittee works to guide and promote the involvement of early career (graduate student, postdoctoral, or newly independent scientist) members in the Society. CID focuses on foster- ing a community for and enhancing the visibility and career opportunities of underrepresented biophysicists. CPOW leads a number of important programs designed to promote the advancement and retention of women in biophysics, foster professional communities among women, and improve the climate for women in biophysics. The amount of work done

David. W. Piston

elected body charged with stewardship of the Society. The message that those of us in leadership would like to send is quite the opposite! We are always looking for new people, both newer and long-standing members, to help lead the Society. Towards this goal, I will describe briefly some import- ant opportunities where members can get involved and make a big impact in helping lead the Society. A great way to start working in the Society is through the Subgroups. Currently, there are 15 different Subgroups that give members the opportunity to meet and interact in smaller groups within focused research areas. The Subgroups hold scientific symposia and business meetings on the first Saturday of the Annual Meeting. The Subgroup leaders are listed on the Society website and are happy to help you get involved. I know from experience that Subgroups are often looking for help in judging the Student Research Achievement Awards (SRAA) Poster Competition, which is an important part of the Society’s commitment to the next generation of biophysicists. Membership in one Subgroup is included in BPS dues, and many of the current Council members began their Society leadership through the Subgroups. Beyond the Subgroups, the Annual Meeting offers numerous ways to get involved. Every year, the Program Committee sends out a call to members for symposia and workshop sug- gestions, and generally about a quarter of the symposia come from member suggestions. We also try to maintain an active social media presence during the Annual Meeting, so we are always looking for members to blog, tweet, and post to Ins- tagram. The official BPS Blog has been a great way for new members to get involved and known. I have met many of our members, especially students, through Twitter and Instagram over the last couple of years. The Society has launched new opportunities for student involvement and leadership through Student Chapters around the world. This program aims to encourage student interest in biophysics and promote biophysics as a discipline. Over the last few years, students have come together to start nearly 30 Chapters, some within a single institution, and others as regional Chapters that include multiple, neighboring

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President’s Message

Officers President

David W. Piston President-Elect Catherine Royer Past-President Angela Gronenborn Secretary Erin Sheets Treasurer Kalina Hristova Council Zev Bryant Linda Columbus Michelle A. Digman Marta Filizola Teresa Giraldez Ruben Gonzalez, Jr. Joseph A. Mindell Anna Moroni Marina Ramirez-Alvarado Jennifer Ross David Stokes Pernilla Wittung-Stafeshede Biophysical Journal Jane Dyson Editor-in-Chief The Biophysicist Sam Safran Editor-in-Chief

by these Committees is significant, and the success of their programs is crucial for the con- tinued growth and health of biophysics and our Society. Over the last year, I have heard many great ideas from members, and would love to help see them come to fruition. From my perspec- tive, we can never have too many good ideas or too many effective programs, and the key to effectiveness is the work that people are willing to put into that idea. The Society is in

a strong position to empower our members to lead their new ideas through any of the routes I have described. To get involved or learn more about these opportunities, visit https:/www. biophysics.org/get-involved. We are currently accepting applications for Committee member- ship, and you can complete this form at https:/ www.surveymonkey.com/r/volunteers20. I invite every one of you to take advantage of these opportunities to help lead your Society. — David W. Piston

Fall 2019 Call for Networking Events Are you looking to connect with local biophysicists? Do you have an idea for a networking event and want to host one in your area? BPS can help! Since 2011, BPS has provided mini- grants to support networking events for local communities of biophysicists to come together. Past events have included career panels, casual coffee meet-ups, trivia nights, as well as programs of short talks and posters from different institutions in one geographical area that may not otherwise interact. If you’re bringing biophysicists together, the format is up to you! All current Society members are eligible to apply. Please note that your event must meet the following requirements: • The event should be no longer than one day; • It should be a stand-alone event (not part of a larger conference); • The event should promote interaction between different institutions and/or communities in a geographical area not served by the BPS Annual Meeting; • There should be an emphasis on promotion of biophysics; • The event must take place in an area not currently well served by other opportunities for networking among biophysicists; • A meeting size of approximately 25 to a maximum of 150 attendees is best; • It must be advertised prominently as a BPS-sponsored event; and • If there is a speaker list, it should include graduate students and postdocs. BPS will be accepting networking event proposals for events occurring anytime in 2020. The networking event submission site will be open September 13–October 30, 2019. Awarded applicants will be notified before the end of December. If selected, you will receive up to $500 through the Membership Committee’s mini-grant program to host the event. For more information about the proposal requirements, and to view past and upcoming networking events, please visit https:/www.biophysics.org/ networking-events.

Society Office Jennifer Pesanelli Executive Officer Newsletter Executive Editor Jennifer Pesanelli Managing Editor Beth Staehle

Production Catie Curry Ray Wolfe

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 © 2019 by the Biophysical Society. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Second Green Mountain Biophysical Symposium October 14, 2019 Burlington, VT, USA

Youth Workshop of Biophysics December 7, 2019 Beijing, China

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Biophysicist in Profile

Trushar Patel Areas of Research

Institution University of Lethbridge

Biomolecular interactions, host-viral com- munication, medicinal biophysics, integrated approach

At-a-Glance

Trushar Patel is the Tier II Canada Research Chair in RNA & Protein Biophysics at the University of Lethbridge. Like many scientists, he has moved across the world in pursuit of education and discovery, from his hometown of Derol, in Gujarat, India, to Alberta, Canada. His research focus is to understand the structural features and functional significance of viral nucleic acids, with the long-term goal of advancing treatment options for viral infections.

Trushar Patel

Trushar Patel was born and raised in a small village in India— Derol, in the state of Gujarat. His father was an accountant for the government of Gujarat and his mother was a primary school teacher. She wanted him to follow in her footsteps and be a teacher, an idea he was not too keen about. “Ironically, I teach at the university now and she is pretty happy about it,” he shares. As a child, he was interested in either becoming a lawyer or a scientist and as he reached high school, he became particu- larly interested in studying biology and physics. In his home- town, he was only able to attend school through grade 10, so at the age of fifteen, he moved to a boarding school in the nearby city of Vadodara to complete his high school educa- tion. Following high school, he moved again to Vidhyanagar, where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biotechnology at Sardar Patel University. Patel wanted to diversify his skillset, so he sought out a PhD program in biophysics. “The concept of applying physical methods to unravel biological processes and study biomol- ecules was very tempting. I applied for a PhD program in Dr. Stephen Harding’s laboratory at the University of Notting- ham in the United Kingdom, where I learned applications of light scattering and analytical ultracentrifuge to investigate therapeutic polysaccharides,” he says. Once he completed his PhD, he joined a structural biology group led by Joerg Stetefeld at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. He spent about five years in the lab as a postdoctoral fellow. “During my tenure there, I received two postdoctoral fellowships: Manitoba Institute of Child Health and Canadian Institutes for Health Research, each for two years,” he shares. “As a postdoctoral fellow, I began my career studying human extra- cellular matrix proteins using X-ray crystallography and light scattering. In 2008, Dr. Sean McKenna’s group, who mainly works on RNA molecules, joined the University of Manitoba. I got excited about his research activities, especially working with RNA (as I already had experience working with polysac- charides and proteins) and started communications with him.

As a result, we used biophysical tools to study West Nile and Adenovirus viral RNAs.” Following his postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Manitoba, Patel successfully applied for the Marie Skłodows- ka-Curie fellowship from the European Union to integrate his structural biophysics background with cell biology & mass spectrometry and joined Neil Hotchin’s group at the University of Birmingham, UK. For a few months after his postdoctoral studies ended, he could not begin a permanent position at the University of Lethbridge due to financial restructuring in the Province of Alberta. “Subsequently, I received a term position for 16 months, followed by another term position for 3 years, and finally a tenure-track contract as a Canada Research Chair in RNA & Protein Biophysics in November 2017,” he explains. “I was lucky enough to jump from one contract to another with- out completing the entire tenure of these contracts.” One of the major challenges of his career thus far was not having enough funding support as a PhD student, “like many other trainees across the world,” he says. “I recall working in a superstore during evenings and on weekends to make ends meet (and save a bit for tuition fees). However, this was not as difficult as not having a job at all, after a productive post- doctoral tenure, due to financial challenges and restructuring encountered by a particular funding agency. The interesting thing about time is that it never stays the same forever: both a good time and a bad time have an expiry date!” With consistent effort on his part to secure a faculty position, plus support from the University of Lethbridge administrative and research faculties and his family, he was eventually able to secure a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) position, as well as research funding from federal and provincial agencies. “The main objective of our laboratory is to understand the structural features and functional significance of viral nucle- ic acids. We mainly focus on flaviviruses and have recently

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Biophysicist in Profile

expanded to Hepatitis B/C/D viruses as well,” he explains. “Infection with pathogenic viruses dates back centuries and has increased significantly. Viruses are unique in that they can rapidly develop mechanisms to overcome the host defense mechanisms. We lack effective treatment options for many viral infections, due to our lack of understating about how vi- ral components recruit host machinery. Therefore, our labora- tory mainly focuses on deciphering the communication events between human proteins and viral nucleic acids. We apply a variety of biophysical and cell biology tools to gain detailed in- sights into the molecular mechanisms by which viruses hijack host components and use them for their benefit.”

Patel wtih his sons.

gardening—weather permitting! I also enjoy watching movies and getting together with friends and colleagues.” As he moves forward in his career, Patel hopes to successfully apply biophysical and other tools to study host-viral com- munication events, and eventually to other health-related research areas. “In terms of career, I have a long way to go, as I only started my current job a few years ago,” he says. “However, I cannot rule out the possibility of holding a senior research chair such as the Tier I Canada Research Chair and/ or an administrative position in higher education academic institutions.” To biophysicists just starting out in their careers, Patel advis- es: “Be nice to others and treat them the way you want to be treated. Always be keen to learn new tools and apply them to interesting problems. Be productive and use every opportu- nity to network. Be proactive and begin with the end in mind. Develop time and project management skills and prioritize tasks. Remember that we always encounter challenges and we must keep trying to realize our goals.” Renew Your BPS Dues Online You can now renewBPSmembership for 2020. Don’t wait, renew today to keep your member benefits. biophysics.org/ RENEW

Patel and his lab in April 2019.

As leader of a relatively new group, Patel’s biggest challeng- es are securing research funding and trainees. To overcome these obstacles, he seeks out collaborations with researchers across Canada and in the United Kingdom. He also knows the importance of visibility in establishing a new lab, so his group often applies for collaborative grant projects, reaches out to other groups for help, attends conferences to give presenta- tions, and organizes conferences. “Being a Biophysical Society member and attending Annual Meetings has always been very useful in terms of learning new tools, networking, estab- lishing collaborations, etc.,” he says. “I was delighted to be a part of the Early Careers Committee of the Biophysical Society and co-organize a panel discussion for early career research- ers during the 2019 Annual Meeting. Our team (including Borries Demeler ) has also established the first-ever Biophys- ical Society Student Chapter in Western Canada, with strong ties to the University of Montana, USA.” Getting involved in these activities has provided Patel and his trainees with further opportunities for networking and knowledge-transfer with scientists they might not encounter otherwise. Though he has been very busy, he is also working to achieve work-life balance. “Recently, I have started taking Sundays off,” he says. “I spend most of the time with my wife and two sons either playing games, watching singing shows, or

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Public Affairs

Applications Are Open for the Biophysical Society 2020–2021 Congressional Fellowship Interested in using your science skills to inform science policy? Does spending a year working on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, helping develop policy sound exciting? The Biophysical Society’s Congressional Fellowship program is your opportunity to participate directly in the process of law-making that impacts how research is funded and regulated. This year-long opportu- nity provides fellows a chance to use their science knowledge to inform the public policy process. Fellows will gain firsthand knowledge and experience on how Congress works, and participate in the esteemed AAAS Science and Technology Fellows program that provides ongoing training and networking opportunities during the fellowship year and beyond. Visit the website for more details about the program or contact Leann Fox at lfox@biophysics.org or (240) 290-5606. The application deadline is December 20, 2019.

Around theWorld In Advance of Brexit, UK Announces Fast-Track Visa to Recruit Scientists New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is making moves to attract top scientists to live and work in the United Kingdom (UK) following its departure from the European Union (EU) by announcing new fast-track visas. Immigration is a major concern for the scientific community post-Brexit, leaving sci- entists and technicians from EU countries worrying they will no longer get automatic rights to live and work in the UK and will need to navigate Britain’s current visa process, which is slow and expensive. While Johnson announced the fast-track visa in early August, few details about the process have been revealed. The official statement from the prime minister’s office mentions that several strategies are open for negotiation with the nation’s leading research centers, including increasing the number of UK research institutes and universities that could endorse candidates for visas, removing the need to have employment before arriving, and getting rid of the cap on the number of Tier 1 “Exceptional Talent Visas,” opening the door for more scientists.

Academia to FBI onMonitoring Chinese Scientists: “Tread Carefully” In August, 22 higher education associations and rights groups released a statement in response to a reported push by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Institutes of Health, and other government officials to monitor certain Chinese scholars working at US universities. While the statement goes on to acknowledge that the concern about Chinese espionage likely has some validity, it believes that calls to monitor individuals solely based on their country of origin violate norms of due process and should raise alarms in a democracy. The groups express concern that the govern- ment’s approach could “cast suspicion on potentially hundreds of thousands of students and scholars,” noting that as of last year there were about 340,000 Chinese students attending US schools. If the FBI’s inquiries are “not conducted with care,” the groups fear ongoing research by these students and other scholars could be hurt and international researchers could be discouraged from coming to the country. The sentiments echo those of the Chinese-American scientists who published a letter in Science in March arguing that racial profiling by the government stands to cause more damage to US science than any lost data or intellectual property.

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Public Affairs

Despite the visa announcement, scientists are still concerned that Brexit will make it hard for UK scientists to collabo- rate with EU researchers and that it will cut them off from EU funding. Brexit may also block the growth of research and development funding. To deal with the issue, the prime minister announced the UK government will provide funding for researchers who applied for EU funding before Brexit “to ensure no-one is disadvantaged,” according to the statement from his office. The plans for visas and funding are being put in place as the UK government tries to broker a deal to leave the EU smooth- ly. If no deal is reached, the UK is slated to leave the EU on October 31. Brazil’s Funding Crisis A major budget crisis at Brazil’s leading science funding agency could disrupt the lives of thousands of students and early career scientists. In September, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in Brasília could run out of money to fund the grants and scholarships it provides to more than 80,000 Brazilians.

On August 15, the agency took to Twitter to announce the suspension of financial support for its recipients—a measure that many had feared since the government decided to slash CNPq’s scholarship budget by 21 percent, from 998 million reais ($249 million) in 2018 to 785 million reais ($196 million) this year. So far, however, CNPq has not clarified how many people will be affected, or how long the suspension of pay- ments would last. The budget issues at CNPq are only the lat- est in a long series of cuts to Brazil’s federal science budget. CNPq’s administration had warned this year’s budget would not be enough. To make it through 2019, the agency request- ed an additional 330 million reais, which Congress approved in June. But the Ministry of Economy hasn’t authorized the allocation of those funds as of yet and does not have a dead- line for doing so. The troubles have alarmed Brazil’s scientific community. CNPq’s crisis could have a wider effect on the scientific community as well. Regardless of whether or not a scientist’s salary is coming from CNPq, the students and postdocs who work with them will be without funding.

BPS Announces Inagural Ambassadors At BPS, we’ve made it our strategic goal to foster a global community and share knowledge in and about biophysics. The Ambassador Program supports these goals directly by creating a global network of BPS mem- bers that will serve as local Society resources in their specific countries or regions to promote the field and foster conversations around biophysics. Ambassadors will play a key role in providing the Society with relevant local content to share with members and will serve as the go-to contact in their country and region. Through this program, the Society hopes to grow the global biophysics network by educating and inspiring others to pursue careers in biophysics and further develop its advocacy efforts around the world.

Ambassador Program

Our very first team of BPS Ambassadors are: John Baenziger , Canada, University of Ottawa Olwyn Byron , United Kingdom, University of Glasgow Nuno Santos , Portugal, Universidade de Lisboa Samrat Mukhopadhyay , India, Indian Institute of Science Education The program received several excellent and qualified applications and we want to thank everyone who applied. Please look for more information on each of our Ambassadors in the coming newsletter.

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Career Development

Beyond the Me TooMovement: Science in Progress For those who may not be familiar with the origin of the Me Too movement, it was founded in 2006 by Tarana Burke specifically to help female survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault. People started sharing their experienc- es of sexual harassment and assault on social media using the hashtag (OWDW), Society for Women Engineers (SWE), and Kovalev- kaia Fund. The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) has a group for women in science and engineering (WiSE). Several Universities and Colleges have jumped on the Me Too move- ment and offer women support groups on their campuses. The Biophysical Society has made gender diversity a con- sistent goal over the last several years, particularly through Annual Meeting and Thematic Meeting speakers, Committee appointments, and Society leadership positions. Evidence of #metoo in order to draw attention to the prevalence of the issue. Fast

progress is marked by the fact that there has been a fe- male president of the Society every other year since 2012, and there will be two women in a row in the coming years. In addition, the number of women on Council has equaled or exceeded the number of men for many years. The Edi- tor-in-Chief of Biophysical Journal is a woman and half of the Associate Editors are women. In the spirit of the Me Too Movement, all BPS Annual Meeting attendees are encouraged to attend a plenary symposium on February 16 in San Diego on sexual harassment. This symposium will include findings from the 2018 National Academies consensus report Sexu- al Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine . It will also include discussion about how BPS and its members can act to confront and eliminate sexual harassment, bias, and other behaviors that are inconsistent with a fully inclusive society. Within the Biophysical Society Subgroups, the Mechanobiol- ogy Subgroup is taking the first step towards equal gender representation. A recent change in their bylaws establishes that nominees for Chair and Secretary-Treasurer cannot be of the same gender as their immediate predecessor. Let us continue to add to this list and provide more support not only for women, but all genders, minorities, and individu- als from underrepresented communities to thrive and make important contributions to science.

forward more than a decade and this movement has rocked some of the most powerful men in entertainment and politics (Chicago Tribune, 2018). Less mainstream attention has been given to how the Me Too movement has affected the scientific community and with good reason. In an ironic twist to the fast pace of scientific discovery and innovation, the Me Too movement has been slow to gain a presence and seem- ingly met with some resistance. The determination and perseverance to lead such a movement to make a change came at a personal cost to Burke. However, Burke stood up and placed this pervasive problem under the microscope. While it took her leadership to focus on the problem, she didn’t do it alone. The Me Too movement continues to grow through the efforts and support of a community of females. There is an opportunity within the scientific community at this juncture to look toward this movement for guidance. Why are women in science not speaking out, leading the charge, and creating a more supportive community? Many established female scientists may be viewing the Me Too movement as not applicable in the world of science because of its close-knit community with its limited number of tenured faculty positions and promotions. Another reason may be the male cohort of scientists who review and decide the fate of publications and grants. Instead of holding these factors as steadfast obstacles within the scientific population, this could be a prime opportunity to make progress. Scientists and students can take their inventive approaches at the bench to the boardroom and generate new systems breaking barri- ers and moving beyond the existing establishment. A student led effort appears to be afoot among scientists in academia with all genders coming together in support of equality and a more inclusive scientific community. As of August 2019, Wikipedia’s list of organizations for women in science includes seven general STEM based groups: American Association of University Women (AAUW), As- sociation for Women in Science (AWIS), European Platform of Women Scientists (EPWS), Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), Organization for Women in the Developing World

Green Cards for Scientific Researchers: How to Win Your EB-1A/NIW Case

November 12, 2:00 pm Eastern Presented by Brian Getson , Esq.

Register Today at biophysics.org/webinars

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Member Corner

On The Move Clarice D. Aiello has moved from her postdoc position at Stanford University to lead the Quantum Biology Tech Lab at UCLA. Josh Wand will move from the University of Pennsylvania to become head of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Have you changed positions recently or know of a BPS member who has? Send news of your move to ccurry@biophysics.org.

Student Spotlight Jan Huertas

Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine Department of Physics As you move forward in science, what type of research do you see yourself doing? Why? In the future, I see myself still working to understand how chromatin gets packed in the nucleus. I find it amazing how so much genetic information is stored in such a small space, and I believe we still have a long way towards understanding all the players in this process (chromatin remodellers, histones and their mod- ifications, transcription factors and all the transcription machinery...). I’m currently looking at transcription factor nucleosome interactions at the atomic level, but I would like to work on it on larger scales, and figure out ways of bridging every scale of simulation and experiments.

Jan Huertas

Members in the News

Gregory Caputo , Rowan University, and Society member since 1999 was named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society.

Gregory Caputo

Grants & Opportunities Kavli Prize This prize is awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters for outstanding scientific achievements in Astrophysics, Nanoscience, and Neuroscience.

Alan T. Waterman Award This award recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by the National Science Foundation. A candidate must be a US citizen or permanent resident. He or she must be 40 years of age or younger, OR not more than 10 years beyond receipt of their PhD degree. Deadline: October 21, 2019 Website: https:/www.nsf.gov/od/waterman/water- man.jsp

Deadline: December 1, 2019 Website: http:/ kavliprize.org/

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Annual Meeting

STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES Calling all students! What is in store for you at the BPS 2020 Annual Meeting? There are several sessions planned throughout the meeting to provide undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to network with faculty members and other students from around the world and to explore a variety of career paths after graduation. Saturday, February 15

Thank you to our sponsors: Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Bruker Corporation Carl Zeiss Microscopy LLC Chroma Technology Dynamic Biosensors GmbH ELEMENTS SRL HORIBA Scientific Leica Microsystems LUMICKS

Sunday, February 16 Exploring Careers in Biophysics Day 11:15 am –3:00 pm Calling San Diego area high school and college students! Have you ever consid- ered a career in biophysics, but don’t know what options are out there? This event is geared toward high school and undergrad- uate students who are interested in the field, or would just like some additional information on career options for aspiring biophysicists. Students will learn about the coursework required for becoming a biophysicist, as well as the importance of the position. Students will also receive in- formation and advice on how to maximize their experience at the Annual Meeting. Local undergraduate students, and their PI’s, residing within a 50-mile radius of San Diego, who are not presenting an abstract or listed on an abstract being presented at this meeting, may register for this event and gain FREE access to all Annual Meeting sessions on Sunday, February 16, 2020. Pre-registration is required at https:/www. surveymonkey.com/r/SDMPVGS There will be no onsite registration.

Undergraduate Mixer and Poster Award Competition 3:00 pm –5:00 pm

Mad City Labs Mizar Imaging Molecular Devices

Put your presentation and communica- tions skills to practice! If you’re an under- graduate student, plan on attending the Undergraduate Mixer and Poster Award Competition! This is an exciting opportunity for you to showcase your scientific project, interact with your fellow students, and learn more about the field of biophysics. Having the chance to present in a welcom- ing environment also takes away the stress of a more formal setting, and helps to per- fect your craft. The top three contestants will receive $100. For more information, please visit the Annual Meeting Profes- sional Development & Networking page at https:/www.biophysics.org/2020meeting/ program/professional-development- networking

Nanion Technologies Olympus America Inc Photonics Media Physics Today Sophion Bioscience A/S

Sutter Instrument Wyatt Technology

The Biophysical Society Annual Meeting allows students and post- docs to present their work in a very large setting; several of my graduate students gave their first talks at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting. This is a terrific opportunity for young people.

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ARE YOU AWARE

Student members can take advantage of reduced meeting registration and membership rates. Have your students submit an abstract and join the Biophysical Society today!

—Angela M. Gronenborn Univeristy of Pittsburgh

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Undergraduate Student Pizza “Breakfast” 11:30 am –1:00 pm

Undergraduate Student Lounge Looking for a quiet space to study or work on assignments for your courses? Or want to meet other undergraduate attendees? Be sure to swing by the Undergraduate Student Lounge, a room specifically reserved for undergraduate students to do class- work and make connections. The lounge is open throughout the meeting and Wi-Fi is available. Student Housing Deadline: December 6 Affordable student housing is available for undergraduate and graduate student meeting attendees who are current Society members. To secure student housing, visit the Annual Meeting website at https:/www.biophysics.org/2020meeting/ hotel-travel/student-housing. Student Volunteers The Biophysical Society invites undergraduate and graduate students to volunteer time at the Annual Meeting in exchange for complimentary meeting registration. Volunteers must be Society members with registration fully paid, and must be willing to volunteer six hours during the meeting. To apply, please send an email to meetings@biophysics.org by December 19, 2019, with the following information: full name, cell phone number, and complete list of dates/times available. Those selected will have their registration refunded after the meeting. Call for Future of Biophysics Symposium Speakers Do you know a young researcher doing cutting-edge research at the interface of the physical and life sciences? The Biophysical Society is seeking suggestions fromyou for speak- ers to be featured int the special Future of Biophysics Burroughs Wellcome Fund Symposium in San Diego. If you have a colleaguewhomay be suitable for a nomination, visit https:/www.surveymonkey.com/r/YFSZ5VB and complete the required information fields by October 23, 2019.

If pizza, biophysics, and a Q&A session sounds appealing, then consider attending the Undergraduate Student Pizza “Break- fast” session! This event gives students a valuable networking and social opportunity to meet other students, interact with BPS Committee members, and scientists at all career levels to discuss academic goals and questions, and to develop a biophys- ics career path. Space for this event is limited to the first 100 attendees. Education & Career Opportunities Fair 1:00 pm –3:00 pm Student attendees are invited to meet with representatives from educational institutions as well as industry and government agencies. Find out about open postdoc positions and laborato- ries seeking graduate students at universities with leading pro- grams in biophysics. Stop by the fair to learn about the variety of opportunities available and talk one-on-one with representa- If you’re a graduate student, you’ll want to attend the Graduate Student Breakfast! Meet with other attendees to talk about issues that arise in their current career stage. This session is limited to the first 100 attendees. Annual Meeting of the Student Chapters 11:00 am –12:30 pm BPS Student Chapter members and students interested in joining a Chapter are highly encouraged to attend the Student Chapter Meeting! There will be opportunities to engage with other students and Chapter leaders from all over the world. This is also the first time that Student Chapter officers and represen- tatives have the opportunity to steer the session towards any topic of discussion they so choose. Leadership development is an integral part of the Student Chapter program, and this is the session to attend if you are looking to contribute to that discus- sion or learn more about what Student Chapters are all about. Interested in forming a new Student Chapter? Applications are open September 16 to November 15. For more details, visit the BPS website at https:/www.biophysics.org/membership- communities/communities/student-chapters/organizing-a- student-chapter or contact Joon Kwak at jkwak@biophysics.org for more details. tives from participating institutions. Monday, February 17 Graduate Student Breakfast 7:30 am –8:30 AM

biophysics.org/ 2020meeting

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Subgroups Bioenergetics, Mitochondria and MetabolismSubgroup Young Bioenergeticist Award: Nominations accepted until December 20, 2019 Once again the Subgroup is accepting nominations for the Young Bioenergeticist Award. Members of the Subgroup can nominate postdocs who are at the beginning of their career and have an excellent track record of publication in the field of bioenergetics and mitochondria research. The nomination package should include the nomination letter, the candidate’s CV, a list of publications, a letter of motivation from the candidate, and at least two letters of recommendation. The candidate must also submit an abstract for the 2020 Bio- physical Society Annual Meeting. The winner will be asked to present their work at the annual Subgroup Symposium (see below). In addition to the invited presentation, this year the award winner will also receive a monetary prize as well as an award certificate. Subgroup Symposium 2020, San Diego The next Bioenergetics, Mitochondria and Metabolism Sym- posium will be held from 8:25 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday February 15, 2020, at the San Diego Convention Center. This year’s symposium is entitled “Ion Channels in Bioenergetics” and is organized by Evgeny Pavlov and Brian O’Rourke . Presenters will be: Diego de Stefani , University of Padua, Italy ATP-sensitive Channels in the Mitochondrial Membrane Harpreet Singh , Ohio State University, USA Mitochondrial Chloride Intracellular Channels in Cardioprotection Shey-Shing Sheu , Thomas Jefferson University, USA Distinctive Characteristics and Functions of Multiple Ca2+ Channels in Cardiac Mitochondria Steven J. Sollott , National Institute on Aging, NIH, USA K+- and H+-fluxes Drive ATP Synthesis in Mammalian ATP Synthase

Finally, the winner of the Young Bioenergeticist Award will present their work. Business Meeting Don’t forget to join our subgroup business meeting at 12 pm , Saturday, February 15, 2020. Social Dinner In keeping with tradition, the Subgroup will have its dinner following the other Subgroups’ afternoon sessions. The time and place will be announced on the BPS social media and during our morning symposium on Saturday. — Karin Busch , Co-Chair (and on behalf of Co-Chair Tatiana Rostovtseva ) Channels, Receptors and Transporters Subgroup Symposium The Channels, Receptors and Transporters (formerly Mem- brane Biophysics) Subgroup is excited to announce the fol- lowing biophysicists will present at the Subgroup symposium Sudra Chakrapani , Case Western Reserve University, USA Richard Hite , Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA Vera Moiseenkova-Bell , University of Pennsylvania, USA Eduardo Perozo , University of Chicago, USA Irina Serysheva , University of Texas Health Science Center, USA Giorgios Skiniotis , Stanford University, USA Kenneth S. Cole Award The Channels, Receptors and Transporters Subgroup is solicit- ing nominations for the 2020 Kenneth S. Cole Award. This is an annual award given to one or more investigators in the field of membrane biophysics, in recognition of their research achievements as well as their potential for future contribu- tions. Any member of the Subgroup may be a nominator. An investigator who has made a substantial contribution to the understanding of membrane biophysics is eligible for the award. The nomination package must include the nominee’s curriculum vitae as well as a brief statement summarizing the nominee’s qualifications, contributions, and potential for future achievements. One or more letters of support may also be enclosed, which need not be from members of the Subgroup. in San Diego, California, on February 15, 2020: Radu Ariescu , MRC, Cambridge University, UK

Nelli Mnatsakanyan , Yale School of Medicine, USA Structural and Pharmacological Characterization of Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore: A Megachannel Formed by F1FO-ATP Synthase Jason Karch , Baylor College of Medicine, USA Genetic Inhibition of the Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore

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The deadline for Cole Award nominations is Friday, October 25, 2019. Nominations should be sent to Matt Trudeau , Sub- group Secretary-Treasurer, at mtrudeau@som.umaryland.edu by 11:59 pm EST. The Cole award will be presented following the Subgroup symposium at the Cole Award dinner. The dinner features a talk by the Cole awardee and takes place from 6 pm to 9 pm on Saturday, February 15, 2020, at the Water Grill in San Diego, CA. Please access the webpage below to join or renew your membership in the Subgroup and to register for the 2020 Cole Award Dinner. https:/www.biophysics.org/store/products/product- details?ProductName=2020-channels-receptors- transporters-subgroup The award recipient will be selected by the Awards Com- mittee. The Awards Committee is established annually and consists of the Chair, the Chair-elect, the past-Chair and two Subgroup members who are not Subgroup officers, and who will be appointed by the Chair for a one-year term. — Matt Trudeau, Secretary-Treasurer Membrane Transport Subgroup The Membrane Transport Subgroup will hold our symposium on the afternoon of February 15, 2020, in San Diego, Califor- nia. We are excited to introduce our speakers: Osamu Nureki , University of Tokyo, Japan Grace Brannigan , Rutgers University, USA Randy Stockbridge , University of Michigan, USA Jose Faraldo-Gomez , National Institutes of Health, USA Katherine Henzler-Wildman , University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA Students and postdocs take note: two of you will be selected to speak based on abstracts submitted to the BPS Annual Meeting. Continuing our tradition of using the BPS Bulletin as a platform to highlight works by our Subgroup members, we include here notes about recent publications by Steve Long’s group at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Institute (Fig. 1) and Simon Scheur- ing’s group at Weill Cornell Medical School (Fig. 2). “Bestrophin (BEST1-4) Ligand-gated Chloride (Cl-) Chan- nels are Activated by Calcium (Ca2+).” Miller *, Vaisey * and Long (eLife 2019; *equal contribution) presented a series of high-resolution cryo-EM structures of BEST1 that repre- sent the principal gating states of the channel. Unlike other channels, opening of the pore is due to the repositioning of

tethered pore-lining helices within a surrounding protein shell that dramatically widens a neck of the pore. The opening transition is akin to local protein refolding and involves a concertina of amino acid rearrangements. They discovered the neck functions as both the activation and the inactivation gate and defines a new molecular paradigm for gating among ligand-gated ion channels.

Figure 1. Structures of BEST1 from the Long lab in the closed and open conformations, showing the neck regions. Amino acids forming the gate (red) undergo substantial reposition- ings that widen the neck and are accommodated by associat- ed changes in other amino acids throughout the channel (e.g., green). Piezo channels are mechanosensitive, nonselective cation channels that detect force in eukaryotic cells. The transduc- tion of mechanical stimuli is important in many different physiological processes, including touch sensation. Scheuring and co-workers used high-speed atomic force microscopy during a force-sweep cycle to measure the in-plane expan- sion of Piezo1 as a function of applied force. They found that mechanical force induces conformational changes in Piezo1 that could explain gating in response to mechanical perturba- tions (Nature, 2019).

Figure 2. High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) kymograph during a force-sweep cycle of the in-plane ex- pansion of Piezo1 as a function of applied force (top). Pro- posed model of Piezo1 flattening into the membrane plane In response to a mechanical stimulus as the gating mechanism (bottom). — Susan Rempe , Chair; Ming Zhou , Vice Chair; Lucie Delemotte , Secretary–Treasurer

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