Biophysical Society Bulletin | September 2018

Society News

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Changes have been many and have impacted Society leaders and students alike. The Society leadership bodies were reor- ganized into the current Council structure to more efficiently and effectively conduct business and the Society has its first strategic plan. To reflect the growth and changes within biophysics, the number of subgroups has grown from 7 to 15. In addition, student chapters are forming and the now 15 committees are stronger than ever. In fact, one of the most significant challenges Kampman faced when she came to the Society was financial. Society Presi- dent Angela Gronenborn says of that time “The Society was in crisis. The finances were not looking good and we could have easily gone bankrupt. The Journal had been losing money, the culture among the membership was one of complacency and Annual Meeting attendance was fairly stagnant. Fortunate- ly, between 1998 and 2008, Ro was instrumental in turning things around. By 2008, net assets had grown to $4.2 million by judiciously placing 50 percent of net profits into reserves each year.” Those reserves can be used to support programs and good works by the Society. In addition, says Gronenborn, “the Society entered into a partnership with Cell Press to publish Biophysical Journal , a partnership that has been an important source of operating revenue for the Society. Out- reach programs, a public policy program that advocates for increased scientific funding, as well as a summer course for underrepresented students were initiated.” The meetings program now includes Thematic Meetings around the globe and recurring meetings are on the horizon. In 1998 the Society newsletter was published once a year; it is now published 11 times annually. The Society has a new eBooks program and is starting a new education-focused journal.

There are many other examples of how programs developed and grew under Kampman’s tutelage: The Fellows program, the new and improved web and social media presence, the growth in travel and other awards, the Congressional Fel- lowship, and others too numerous to list here. To support this programmatic growth of the Society, the staff has grown from 7 to 18 during Kampman’s administration. Ed Egelman has worked with Kampman over the years in many leadership roles. “Although we have thousands of wonderful members, for me, Ro has been the Biophysical Society. It has been the greatest honor and pleasure to have worked closely with Ro while I was on Council, as Editor of Biophysical Journal , as Chair of the Public Affairs Committee, as the organizer of two Thematic Meetings, and as President of the Society. In every one of these areas, whether it involved organizing a meeting in Singapore or running BJ , I always believed that Ro knew more than I did and that I could count on her for advice and guidance. We have tried to think of why the Society has flourished in so many ways over the past 20 years, and have discussed the centrality of biophysics to many areas of biomedical research, the increasing importance of biophysical techniques in many areas of cell and molec- ular, etc., but perhaps the main reason has simply been the enormous role that Ro has played during this time in quietly guiding the Society. We will sorely miss her!” “Ro leaves the Society in excellent shape,” noted Gronenborn, “and we are extremely grateful for what she has achieved. We embrace the notion that we have to continuously evolve — change is good — and we are confident that we will find a strong, visionary, and dynamic new executive officer to help the Society to move boldly into the future. We wish Ro the best of luck in all her future endeavors.” Renew Your BPS Dues Online Members can now renew their membership for 2019. Don’t wait: renew today to keep your member benefits. www.biophysics.org/ RENEW

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