Biophysical Society Bulletin | October 2024

In Memoriam

Roger Cooke

Roger Cooke (1940–2024), a biophysi cist and professor at the University of California, San Francisco, passed away on August 1, 2024. Roger was one of the leading members of the Biophys ical Society for half a century, using spectroscopic probes to solve some of the most important problems in the fundamental molecular mechanisms of motor proteins in both muscle and non-muscle cells.

covery) with other scientists who were innovators in spectro scopic probes or the expression and manipulation of specific proteins and animal models. Among his many important discoveries in the myosin-actin system in muscle are 1) the super-relaxed state (SRX) of muscle, 2) molecular mechanisms of fatigue, 3) the regulation of SRX and fatigue by myosin phosphorylation, and 4) the mechanism of force generation in muscle, in which myosin rotates on actin by rotation within the myosin head. Roger also made major contributions to the mechanisms of other motors proteins, most notably kinesin-tubulin. As in the myosin-actin field, his discoveries in this field on structural dynamics, protein interactions, and kinetics have established a new framework for understanding cellular movement, ac celerating progress in biomedical research. Roger was an active member of the Biophysical Society. He was elected as a Fellow of the Biophysical Society in 2022, recognizing his lifetime of contributions. He also played a major role in organizing the Annual Meeting in 1988. Roger was multitalented and fearless in so many ways, especially on the water, where he excelled at swimming and sailing. He entertained his friends and collaborators in sailing all over San Francisco Bay. But perhaps his greatest talent was as a friend. His friends all miss him. monolayers. In 1980, he moved to Technical University Munich, Germany, where he led the advent of biophysics: from stud ies of molecular motions in lipid membranes, to mechanical properties of red blood cells, reconstituted lipid vesicles, and actin networks. In his studies, he applied experimental meth ods developed in other areas of physics, such as neutron-spin echo spectroscopy, neutron reflectometry, and light scattering, to cells or their model systems. He established a series of mea surement techniques, such as magnetic tweezers microrheolo gy and quantitative interference contrast microscopy, which are used widely by the field. Moreover, the precision of his novel experimental techniques contributed to the entry of modern polymer physics into biology. Erich received numerous prestigious awards during his long and illustrious career. He received the Wolfgang Ostwald Award of the German Colloidal Society in 2001 and the Stern-Gerlach Medal in 2005, the highest award for experimental physics given by the German Physical Society. Erich saw teaching as his calling and was beloved among his many students from his classroom and the lab. Aside from his scientific pursuits, he liked to travel the world, hike in Schwartzwald, and read mystery novels.

Roger Cooke

Roger was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, raised in Kentucky, and educated in physics at MIT (BS) and the University of Illinois (PhD). He did a brief postdoc at the University of California, San Francisco and joined its faculty in 1971, where he was a world leader in muscle biophysics for more than 50 years. Roger was one of the most innovative molecular biophysi cists, challenging and revising conventional models for force generation and movement by direct and precise measure ment of protein structural changes. He was a creative and innovate engineer, employing an approach he referred to as “barnyard engineering” to devise new instruments and approaches, to solve previously intractable problems. He was also a superb collaborator, solving a wide range of important problems by connecting (and sharing his infectious joy of dis

Erich Sackmann

Erich Sackmann (1934–2024), Emer itus of Excellence in the Department of Physics at the Technical University Munich in Germany, passed away on May 29, 2024. Erich was a long-time member of the Biophysical Society and president of the German Biophysical Society from 1974 to 1980. Erich was a pioneer of German biolog ical physics, inspiring generations of students and researchers worldwide.

Erich Sackmann

His research focused on the mechanics and thermodynamics of the living cell, ranging from the physics of cell membranes, cell adhesion, and the cytoskeleton to the physics of biological polymers and their molecular assemblies. He is renowned for developing a number of model systems, such as polymer-sup ported lipid bilayers or synthetic vesicles functionalized with ligands and cytoskeletal elements, which enabled studies of cell adhesion, cell recognition, and cell migration. Erich started his research group in 1974 at the University of Ulm, Germany, where he studied the phase behavior of lipid

October 2024

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