Biophysical Society Bulletin | October 2025

Communities

Lonnie P. Wollmuth Committee for Inclusion and Diversity (CID)

Lonnie P. Wollmuth

reminds me of the breadth and dynamic nature of biophysics. Sometimes we forget that there is lots of exciting science in biophysics outside our favorite topic. Do you have advice for others who might be thinking about volunteering? I highly recommend volunteering. It really is an opportunity to give back to the Society, and you get to expand the circle of people you meet and realize all the things BPS has going on to support diverse scientists and topics. When not volunteering for BPS, what do you work on? Science is my favorite hobby—I am a bit of a nerd. But I do have interests outside of the lab. I love to build things and bought a 175-year-old red oak tree, had it cut up into various boards, and have been doing lots of woodworking and proj ects. My wife Marilynn and I also love to travel to experience diverse landscapes, cultures, and of course food. In fact, right now I am writing my responses to these questions while on a ship in the Alaskan intercoastal waterways! can thrive, senior members readily volunteer their time and expertise, and collaborations and friendships grow naturally. This award is one way we can recognize those who embody these values and whose work, in the lab and in the commu nity, strengthens us all. More details, including eligibility and required nomination materials, are available on the BPS Sub group awards webpage: www.biophysics.org/awards-fund ing/subgroup-awards. Please send nominations to me, Markus Deserno , at deserno@andrew.cmu.edu by October 17, 2025. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to get in touch! — Markus Deserno , Chair Cryo-EM The Cryo-EM Subgroup Symposium will take place on Satur day, February 21, 2026, as part of the 70th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society in San Francisco, CA. We are excited to announce our invited speakers: Philipp Erdmann (Human Technopole), Juliette Fedry (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Bi ology), Anthony Fitzpatrick (Columbia University), Ulrich Lorenz

Is this your first volunteer position for BPS? If not, what other positions have you held? Yes, this is my first time volunteering for BPS. Why do you volunteer? A part of my lab studies the biophysics of ion channels and hence fits into the umbrella of BPS. However, other parts of my lab do not follow a biophysical theme. Still, BPS has always been my favorite organization and meeting. I volunteer because I want to give back to the Society for all it has done for me, my lab, and my colleagues. I also see a lot of people who I respect at BPS contribute their time to the Annual Meeting and the Society. It felt important that I did the same. What has been a highlight from your volunteer experience? Meeting and interacting with people who are outside my wheelhouse. I have greatly enjoyed working with the oth er committee members and hearing about their efforts to strengthen the Society. The volunteer experience also As chair of the Membrane Structure & Function (MSAF) sub group, I invite you to nominate one of our many outstanding members for the 2026 Thomas E. Thompson Award—the highest honor our Subgroup can bestow. This award cele brates both excellence in membrane structure and function research and the legacy of T. E. Thompson (1926–2021), a pioneer in our field, former Biophysical Society president, and long-time editor-in-chief of Biophysical Journal . The recipient will deliver the award lecture at the conclusion of our Sub group Saturday Symposium and receive a $1,000 prize. In keeping with the new rubric adopted by our Subgroup, both scientific achievements and contributions to building and sus taining our community are central to the selection process. MSAF has been my professional home for many years—not only because of the exciting science we share, but because of the people who make this a place where junior scientists Subgroups Membrane Structure & Function

October 2025

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