Biophysical Society Bulletin | September 2020

September 2020

T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E B I O P H Y S I C A L S O C I E T Y

2020 Election Results The Biophysical Society members elected Gail A. Robertson , University of Wisconsin - Madison, to the office of President-Elect in this year’s elections. She will assume that office during the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in February 2021. She will begin her term as President in February 2022. Samantha Harris , University of Arizona, was elected as BPS Treasurer. She will take over fiduciary respon- sibilities on July 1, 2021, and will serve a four-year term. Members elected to Council are Henry Colecraft , Columbia University; Kumiko Hayashi , Tohoku University; Susan Marqusee , University of California, Berkeley; and Kandice Tanner , National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. Each will serve a three-year term, beginning in February 2021. The Society is indebted to all the excellent candidates who agreed to run for these positions. Thank you to all members who participated in the election by voting.

Gail A. Robertson

Samantha Harris

Henry Colecraft

Kumiko Hayashi

Susan Marqusee

Kandice Tanner

Eva Nogales Named 2021 BPS Lecturer

Inside

Eva Nogales , University of California, Berkeley, HHMI, has been selected as the 2021 BPS Lecturer for the Biophys- ical Society 65th Annual Meeting.  Nogales is a pioneer in using electron microscopy for the structural and function- al characterization of macromolecular complexes. She used electron crystallography to obtain the first structure

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President’s Message Biophysicist in Profile

Public Affairs Annual Meeting

Eva Nogales

of tubulin and identify the binding site of the important anti-cancer drug Taxol, and cryo-electron microscopy to describe the structure of the whole microtubule in partnership with many associated proteins. Her studies have also uncovered the molecular principles behind the assembly of the human transcription pre-ini- tiation complex at core DNA promoters, and the action of the epigenetic gene silencing complex PRC2. Her work has uncovered aspects of cellular function that are relevant to the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Her lecture, “Visualiz- ing Structure, Dynamics and Interactions of Complex Macromolecular Assemblies,” will be presented on Friday, February 26, 2021.

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Publications

Career Development Member Corner Communities Upcoming Events

President’s Message

Support Biophysics! Submit an Abstract for the 2021 Virtual BPS Annual Meeting

A fewweeks ago, the leadership of the Biophysical Society had to make the tough decision to hold our 2021 meeting online. No one made the decision gladly, but it was already clear that large gatherings with 4,000–5,000 attendees such as the BPS Annual Meeting, would not be

And don’t forget to visit the all-day exhibits of our great vendors! There will be online instrumentation demos, question-and-answer sessions, and more. One aspect of the virtual meeting that we carefully considered was access. BPS is an international society, and all sessions will be recorded so that any attendee anywhere in the world can watch the talks of most interest to themwhenever it is conve- nient. Moreover, chat rooms and messaging will be available to ask questions to the speakers off-line. Likewise, poster sessions will be live, but posters will be available for viewing at any time. Finally, since not every event could be accommodated during Annual Meeting week, we’ll be offering additional programming throughout the year. Workshops are very popular with BPS members, tinkerers all, and will be held online during Biophysics Week in March. They will be open to BPS members and will be recorded so they can be viewed at any time in the future as well. Additional career panels and virtual programming from several of our Committees will also be organized throughout the year for BPS members. Along these lines, look for the upcoming fall BPS Symposium on the Biophysics of SARS-CoV-2. Like all organizations, BPS is managing numerous effects of the pandemic, including shifting the Annual Meeting from Boston to a virtual platform. It is more important than ever that we all stay connected, and it is all the more important this year that each of you renew your membership in the Society and attend the Annual Meeting . We have reduced meeting registration fees for BPS members substantially and suggest that PIs, consider “bringing” your entire group to the meeting since there will be no travel, housing, or meal costs to cover! This is a good opportunity for many more of our international members to attend, as it is not always easy or financially possible, even in normal times, to travel so far for a few days. These have been trying times for all of us. Beating this pandem- ic will require that nations all over the world support and listen to scientists. I am convinced that BPS and members of our profession will come through this stronger and more innovative than ever. The 2021 Annual Meeting programwill inspire all of us to do great biophysics until we can meet again in person in San Francisco in 2022. In the meantime, I hope to “see” you all online at the 2021 Annual Meeting. — Catherine A. Royer . President

Catherine A. Royer

possible by early next year. We made this difficult choice with the health of the all attendees in mind. The early decision allows us plenty of time to organize the most exciting, participatory, and enjoyable virtual meeting possible. We are identifying the online vendors who best meet our needs and discussions about the meeting program have involved the Program Committee, BPS Council, and the Subgroups. Given the size and complexity of the BPS Annual Meeting, it was not conceivable to simply move the entire meeting online. In building the virtual program, our goals were to highlight the newest, most exciting biophys- ics, ensure participation of student and early career members, provide means for person-to-person interactions, serve the BPS communities that make up our Subgroups, and include career building and networking opportunities. Below is an outline of how the meeting will be organized. First, the meeting will be held Monday through Friday, February 22–26, 2021 (rather than beginning on Saturday and ending Wednesday). We will kick it off with Subgroup Monday, featur- ing 16 concurrent Subgroup sessions. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm EST , three symposia featuring new, exciting biophysics will kick off each days’ events. These are the Future of Biophysics Symposium, the New and Notable Symposium, and the Biophysical Journal Symposium, a new event featuring talks by the authors of recent exciting papers in Biophysical Journal . In parallel with these symposia, scientific platform sessions will be held and will feature one keynote speaker and four shorter talks chosen from submitted abstracts by the Program Committee. On Friday, the President’s Symposium on Minority Participation in Biophysics and the BPS Lecture by Eva Nogales, will headline events for the final day of the meeting. Tuesday through Friday afternoons will feature a combination of scientific sessions and networking events as well as poster sessions. Networking sessions will include Bio- physics Careers in Industry, a panel about funding opportunities and strategies, a Meet the Editors session to promote interac- tions with the editorial leadership of the Society, and a Public Affairs session.

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Renew Your Membership

Officers President Catherine A. Royer President-Elect Frances Separovic Past-President David W. Piston Secretary Erin Sheets Treasurer Kalina Hristova Council Linda Columbus Michelle A. Digman

Renew Your 2021Membership Take advantage of membership benefits that allow you to:

Engage with BPS Subgroups – Membership in one Subgroup is included with your BPS membership. BPS has 16 unique Subgroups, which are topic-specific communities within the Society that is key in fostering connections and exchanging professional and scientific knowledge within a shared interest group. Connect with peers and experts – Find biophysicists throughout the world through the BPS Online Membership Directory, FaB (Find a Biophysicist) Network, and networking events. Make your voice count support the field of biophysics – Join thousands of biophysi- cists across the globe speaking in one strong voice advocating for funding basic science in general and for biophysics specifically Keep up with the latest research – Members receive free digital access to the Biophysical Journal , the premier journal of quantitative biology. Publish your data – Publish in the Biophysical Journal and The Biophysicist at discounted member rates. Keep informed –The BPS Bulletin delivers valuable information about Society pro- grams, member highlights, career information, awards, grant opportunities, and more. Attend conferences – Members receive reduced registration rates to Society meetings and the opportunity to submit an abstract for the upcoming 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting. Use the Society Job Board – As a member you have access to the job board to find qualified candidates for an open position, post your resume if seeking a job, view the latest open positions, and connect with expert career coaches and resume writers who can offer valuable insight and ideas as you navigate the job search process. Apply for awards and grants – BPS members have opportunities to apply for virtual travel awards, bridging funds, networking events grants, and many other benefits!

Erin C. Dueber Marta Filizola Gilad Haran

Francesca Marassi Joseph A. Mindell Carolyn A. Moores

Anna Moroni Jennifer Ross David Stokes Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede Biophysical Journal Jane Dyson Editor-in-Chief The Biophysicist Sam Safran Editor-in-Chief

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

Production Catie Curry Ray Wolfe Proofreader/Copy Editor Laura Phelan 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. Cana- dian GST No. 898477062. Postmaster: Send address changes to Biophysical Society, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 1110, Rockville, MD 20852. Copyright © 2020 by the Biophysical Society. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Visit biophysics.org to renew your 2021membership.

Be Involved. The Biophysical Society provides many opportunities for members to get involved and give back to the biophysics community.

To learn more about the different opportunities, visit www.biophysics.org/get-involved.

Gain Leadership Experience. Make a Difference. Expand Your Network.

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Biophysicist in Profile

Syma Khalid Areas of Research Molecular-level modeling and simulation of bacterial cell envelopes

Institution University of Southampton

At-a-Glance

Syma Khalid , professor of computational biophysics at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom, found her place in biophysics as a graduate student, and has enjoyed the fast pace of the field ever since. She shares, “Technological and methodological advancements that we have seen, for example, the resolution revolution in structural biology and the system sizes and times- cales now accessible to molecular dynamics simulations, are keeping us all on our toes.”

Syma Khalid

Syma Khalid grew up in Wolverhampton, in the Midlands region of England. Her parents are first-generation immigrants to England from Pakistan. When she was growing up, her father worked as a bus driver and her mother worked on-and-off as a seamstress. Khalid wanted to be a writer or footballer [soccer player] when she grew up, but ended up as the first person in her family to attend university. She graduated from the University of Warwick with her bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2000, then stayed at the university to pursue her PhD in the lab of P. Mark Rodger . “My scientific interests were always at the interfaces of the ‘core’ sciences, although of course I didn’t know that’s what it was at the time,” she shares. “I was award- ed a PhD opportunity at the University of Warwick to undertake a project in any area of computational chemistry—a project on DNA major groove binders really appealed. After that it was always going to be computational biophysics for me.” In 2003, she joined the group of Mark Sansom in the Depart- ment of Biochemistry at the University of Oxford as a post- doctoral fellow. She studied molecular simulations of bacte- rial membrane proteins. “This is where my love of bacterial systems started and that has been the foundation of my own group,” she says. She cites Sansom as being an inspirational mentor and a good friend. Following this postdoc position, she started an independent fellowship at the School of Chemistry, University of Southamp- ton, which then led to an associate professor position in the same department. Since 2016 she has been a full professor of computational biophysics at Southampton, her research focusing on modeling and simulations of biological systems. “The main theme to the research in my group is the use of computational techniques to explore the structure-function re- lationships of a range of biological molecules and systems. We are interested in a wide range of biological molecules including membrane proteins and peptides, DNA, lipids, and carbohy- drates,” Khalid says. “A key aspect of our work is developing new models of bacterial membranes which incorporate their

inherent complexity allowing us to bridge some of the divide that currently exists between model systems and real biology.” The most difficult challenge thus far in her career was a period without funding, shortly after her first grant finished. “The imposter syndrome grew particularly strong during this time and became an almost constant companion— still pops up to say ‘hi’ once in a while,” she shares. “My colleagues at South- ampton, collaborators, and mentors provided a great support network during this time. It took a bit longer to accept the help of friends and family, as I kept thinking, ‘They don’t really un- derstand’ and ‘Obviously they will say nice things.’ After a while I realized that this is a ridiculous standpoint, and that they are there and are supportive is enough. That realization has since made coping with the inevitable downs of academia easier.” Sarah Rouse , Imperial College London, was a PhD student in Sansom’s lab when Khalid joined as a postdoc. “We are cur- rently working together on a project with Oxford Nanopores Technologies Ltd. who use membrane proteins as molecular machines for DNA sequencing,” she says. “Syma is extreme- ly supportive and is one of the people who makes you want to stay in academic research. [Also memorable is] her daily changing hair color.” The two have continued to collaborate now that each is an independent researcher. “We worked on a joint project recently with Carol Robinson ’s group in Oxford, where we used molecular simulations to help inform a new technique they are pioneering using native mass spectrometry of mem- brane vesicles,” Rouse adds. Robinson, Doctor Lee’s Professor of Chemistry at the Univer- sity of Oxford, has been a mentor to Khalid. She shares, “We have worked together on a number of projects trying to under- stand the relationship between membrane proteins and their lipid surroundings. Syma relishes working on new ideas and her enthusiasm is infectious. I know that when I have a new project, or need a new approach, I will enjoy working with her. She is happy to bat ideas back and forth until we find accepable solutions.”

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Biophysicist in Profile

When she is not working, Khalid builds with Legos (“Don’t laugh at me,” she jokes), reads English and some Urdu literature, appreciates art, plays video games, and “avoids gardening,” she says. She enjoys watching football, naming Liverpool Football Club manager Jürgen Klopp as a non-scientist she admires. Going forward, she hopes “to advance knowledge of bacterial cell envelopes both from a fundamental biology perspective but also in terms of how we may be able to breach the defenses of these pests for therapeutic purposes,” she explains. “I hope I can contribute highly trained, motivated, and kind people who emerge frommy laboratory to the workforce of the United Kingdom and more widely.” To those just starting out in their careers, she offers this piece of advice: “Be ambitious, apply for lots of grants (the more tickets you have…), and build up a set of collaborators with whom you enjoy working. If work stops being fun, stop and take stock.” Profiles in Biophysics No two biophysicists have the same story. Read about the many paths that led each of them to become a biophysicist. www.biophysics.org/profiles-in-biophysics

Nils Anton Berglund , Aarhus University and a former PhD student in Khalid’s lab, has also been impressed with her enthusiasm and drive, both of which have been a benefit to her trainees in more ways than one. “In academia there is a tendency that projects are abandoned when they are halfway done just because of lack of enthusiasm and perhaps chang- es in priority. I think Syma was always very good at pushing projects to the finish line. She knew when to press ‘go’ on a project to make sure it didn’t fizzle out,” he shares. “I think it’s a skill that is evidenced in her publication record and crucially, in the publication records of the students and postdocs who have passed through her group.” Khalid with current and previous group members at the 2019 BPS Annual Meeting in Baltimore

Call for Papers

Special Issue: Biophysicists Address Covid-19 Challenges

Editors:

Tamar Schlick, New York University, USA Eric J. Sundberg, Emory University, USA Susan J. Schroeder, University of Oklahoma, USA M. Madan Babu, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, USA

With the rapid rate of Covid-19 infections and deaths, treatments and cures are urgently needed beyond handwashing, social dis- tancing, masks, isolation, and quarantines. The treatments and vaccines rely on fundamental understanding of the complex viral ap- paratus, from the protein exterior to the RNA viral genome. Better mathematical analysis to understand the spread of infections and howmany factors influence such disease spread are also needed. Biophysicists have been at the forefront of these multidisciplinary efforts, with research on the basic biophysical elements of the viral machinery, drug and vaccine design, infection analysis, and more. Submit papers by: September 15, 2020 or December 15, 2020

To submit, visit biophysj.msubmit.net

September 2020

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Public Affairs

MakePolicyWork for Science: Apply for the2021–2022BPSCongressional Fellowship  The BPS Congressional Fellowship is an opportunity to embed science into the daily work of House and Senate offices. Members of Congress rely on their staff to bring expertise and knowledge to all aspects of the work they are tasked with. Working in public policy may not be the obvious next step to a career focused on scientific research, but it can be invaluable, not only to policy, but also to how you approach your research and funding in the future. This year-long fellowship provides a unique opportunity to work with a member of Congress or committee and bring first-hand knowledge of science and scientific research to the public policy process. BPS is now accepting applications for its Congressional Fellow for the 2021–2022 fellowship year. The BPS Congressional Fellowship is part of the esteemed AAAS Science and Technology Fellows program and is open to regular and early career members who are either US citizens or hold a visa allowing them the right to work in the United States. Visit the BPS website for more details about the program or contact Leann Fox at fellowship@biophysics.org or (240) 290-5606. The application deadline is December 18, 2020.

Fiscal Year 2021 Appropriations On July 31, the House of Representatives voted 217–197 in favor of the six-bill fiscal year (FY)2021 spending package that includes the Labor-HHS, Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy-Water, Financial Services, and Transportation-HUD appropriations bills. The House made significant increases in rec- ommended appropriations for federal research funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Energy. Approved funding for FY2021 is $ 46,959,000,000 for NIH; $5,275,000,000 above FY2020 and $8,587,509,000 above the budget request. Approved funding is $40,865,178,000 for the Department of Energy, $2,278,862,000 above FY2020 and $5,136,109,000 above the budget request. The Senate began work on the six-bill minibus when they returned toWashington, DC, after Labor Day. Senators Introduce RISE Act for Research Relief Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Gary Peters (D-MI) on July 23 introduced the Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act (S. 4286), the com- panion to HR 7308 introduced on June 24. The RISE Act authoriz- es approximately $26 billion in supplemental funding for federal research agencies, including NIH, to ameliorate the tremendous

disruption to federally funded research fromCOVID-19. The bill also provides for temporary regulatory relief due to the pandemic. The funds are directed at federal scientific agencies with at least $50million in basic and applied research obligations in FY2020. Some of the specific agencies funded by the RISE Act include: • $3,000,000,000 for the Office of Science, Department of Energy • $350,000,000 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • $10,000,000,000 for the National Institutes of Health • $2,000,000,000 for National Aeronautics and Space Admin- istration • $3,000,000,000 for the National Science Foundation • $200,000,000 for the Environmental Protection Agency. The appropriated funds may be used to: • provide supplemental funding to extend the duration of a grant to a research institution or national laboratory that was awarded prior to the enactment of this bill, or to expand the purposes of such a grant as specified;

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Public Affairs

Senate Introduces the Preparing for the Next Pandemic Act HELP Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) has introduced legisla- tion, the Preparing for the Next Pandemic Act (S 4231), autho- rizing $15 billion over 10 years to bring manufacturing for tests, treatments, and vaccines for new viruses into the United States, create state-based stockpiles of medical supplies, and reform the Strategic National Stockpile to allow for coordination with the private sector. S. 4231 would provide new, sustained funding—$5 billion over 10 years—tomaintain sufficient onshore manufacturing for tests, treatments, and vaccines so that when a new virus emerges, the United States has a facility ready tomanufacture those products as quickly as possible. The legislation would also provide $10 billion over 10 years so that states can create and maintain their own stockpiles of supplies such as masks and ventilators with help from the federal government. The legislation would improve the federal Strategic National Stockpile, by allow- ing the federal government to work with companies tomaintain additional supplies andmanufacturing capacity so we are better prepared for the next pandemic. The introduction of this legislation follows recommendations released by Senator Alexander in early June that focus on addressing future pandemics based on lessons learned from COVID-19 and the past 20 years of pandemic planning. Around theWorld British Government Publishes Research and Development Roadmap  Following Brexit, the United Kingdom knew it needed to revisit how it approached investment in scientific research and develop- ment. In July, the UK Research and Development Roadmap was published, outlining a long-termplan to support an economic recovery founded on research and innovation through 2027. The roadmap reinforces the government’s commitment to increasing UK investment in research and development (R&D) to 2.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027. This builds on the announcement inMarch by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak of a substantial increase in public funding for R&D to £22 billion per year by 2024-2025. It sets out—and invites a nationwide conversation on—how this investment can best support the government’s efforts to address global challenges, from tackling climate change and developing newmedicines to improving public services and increasing economic productivity and prosperity.

• provide supplemental funding through existing competitively awarded cooperative agreements and contracts to cover the increased costs of construction of scientific facilities and equipment that have been delayed because of COVID-19; and • award grants and cooperative agreements to institutions of higher education to conduct research on the behavioral, social, or economic effects of COVID-19 and the responses to the disease or on the effectiveness of such responses. COVID-19 Emergency Funding – Senate HEALS Act In late July, the Senate Republicans began releasing their Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act as a series of bills. As part of this package, Senate Appropri- ations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) introduced an emergency funding bill, S. 4320. Some highlights of the package include: • $3.4 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion, specifically: • $1.5 billion for grants or cooperative agreements with states and local health officials to carry out prepared- ness and response activities • $500million to prepare for and distribute seasonal influenza vaccines • $200million for global disease detection and emergency response • $200million for public health data modernization. • $15.5 billion for NIH that includes $10 billion to offset re- ductions in laboratory productivity; $1.3 billion for additional research; $1.2 billion to accelerate research and development of therapeutics and vaccines; and $240million for supple- ments for existing research training; and specific funding for several institutes and centers. • $29 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services for vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. • $16 billion for testing, contact tracing, surveillance, and mitigation. Negotiations began immediately between Democrats and Republicans in both chambers and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin andWhite House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows .

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Annual Meeting

BPS2021 Goes Virtual We are excited this year to bring the biophysics community the opportunity to meet online! The BPS Virtual Annual Meeting will allow attendees, even those who would not have had the opportunity to attend in-person, to experience the Annual Meeting in a safe environment, without the necessity of travel. We expect this significant and ground- breaking five-day virtual meeting to bring together BPS members and attract thousands of leading scientists from around the world. Submit your abstract and don’t miss out on all the benefits of sharing your research, such as: • Professional Development. Enhance your CV as a presenting author. • Publication Credit.  Publish your accepted abstract in a supplement to the  Biophysical Journal. • A Visible Platform. Submit your abstract by the October 1 to be considered for an oral presentation and to present your research to the BPS community. • Constructive Feedback.   Get insightful reactions to the ideas and approaches in your research methods from colleagues. • Strategic Connections.   Increase your visibility and leadership potential by engaging with other leading experts from around the globe. The BPS Program Committee reviews each submitted abstract.  The high scientific quality of each abstract is what makes the BPS Annual Meeting the leading international forum for interdisciplinary research. Submit your abstract by October 1, 2020, to engage with this vital biophysics community.

Thank you to our sponsors: Bruker Corporation Dynamic Biosensors GmbH Elements SRL Leica Microsystems Mad City Labs Molecular Devices Nanion Technologies NanoSurface Biomedical Sophion Bioscience A/S

Abstract Submission and RegistrationNow Open Remember, to submit an abstract or register for the Annual Meeting you must have a myBPS Account. biophysics.org/2021meeting

I find the Annual Meeting especially valuable because the scope of presentations and posters is so broad and the quality of the science is always exceptional. I especially like the mix of presentations from early career scientists, including trainees, and more senior scientists. — Seth Weinberg , Ohio State University

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Annual Meeting

Present Your Research Submitting an abstract to the BPS Virtual Annual Meeting not only benefits you but your lab, your institution, and the biophysics community. Reach scientists from all around the globe by presenting your research as one of over 500 poster presentations daily or submit an abstract to be considered for one of the many oral presentation slots in platform sessions. Browse the abstract categories and techniques and select which best fits within your area of research. Abstract Categories The Society organizes platform and poster sessions based on scientific areas. The abstract topic categories are reviewed annually and modified as needed to reflect new and evolving areas in biophysics. The abstract categories for the 2021 Annual Meeting are listed below: Proteins

Cell Physiology & Biophysics 4A Membrane Receptors & Signal Transduction 4B Mechanosensation 4C Exocytosis & Endocytosis 4D CalciumSignaling 4E Intracellular CalciumChannels & CalciumSparks &Waves 4F Excitation-Contraction Coupling 4G Cardiac, Smooth & Skeletal Muscle Electrophysiology 4H Muscle Regulation 4I Intracellular Transport Channels 5F Ion Channel Regulatory Mechanisms 5G Ion Channels, Pharmacology & Disease 5H Other Channels Cytoskeleton, Motility &Motors 6A Skeletal Muscle Mechanics, Structure & Regulation 6B Cardiac Muscle Mechanics & Structure 6C Cardiac Muscle Regulation 6D SmoothMuscle Mechanics, Structure & Regulation 6E Actin Structure, Dynamics & Associated Proteins 6F Microtubules, Structure, Dynamics & Associated Proteins 6G Kinesins, Dyneins & Other Microtubule-basedMotors 6H Myosins 6I Cytoskeletal Assemblies & Dynamics 6J Cell Mechanics, Mechanosensing &Motility 7A Membrane Pumps, Transporters & Exchangers 7B Energy Transducing Membrane Protein Complexes 7C Electron & Proton Transfer 7D Light Energy Harvesting, Trapping & Transfer 7E Mitochondria in Cell Life & Death Systems Biology 8A Genetic Regulatory Systems 8B Cellular Signaling &Metabolic Networks 8C Systems Biology & Disease 8D Emerging Techniques & Synthetic Biology 6K Cytoskeletal-based Intracellular Transport 6L Bacterial Mechanics, Cytoskeleton &Motility Bioenergetics 5A Voltage-gated Na Channels 5B Voltage-gated Ca Channels 5C Voltage-gated K Channels 5D TRP Channels 5E Ligand-gated Channels

1A Protein Structure & Conformation 1B Protein Structure Prediction & Design 1C Protein Stability, Folding & Chaperones 1D Protein-Small Molecule Interactions 1E Protein Assemblies

1F Protein Dynamics & Allostery 1G Membrane Protein Structures 1H Membrane Protein Dynamics 1I Membrane Protein Folding 1J

Enzyme Function, Cofactors & Post-translational Modifications 1K Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDP) & Aggregates Nucleic Acids 2A DNA Replication, Recombination & Repair 2B Transcription

2C Ribosomes & Translation 2D DNA Structure & Dynamics 2E RNA Structure & Dynamics 2F Protein-Nucleic Acid Interactions

2G Chromatin & the Nucleoid Lipid Bilayers &Membranes 3A Membrane Physical Chemistry 3B Membrane Dynamics 3C Membrane Active Peptides & Toxins 3D Membrane Fusion &Non-bilayer Structures 3E Membrane Structure 3F Protein-Lipid Interactions: Channels 3G Protein-Lipid Interactions: Structures 3H General Protein-Lipid Interactions

biophysics.org/ 2021meeting

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Annual Meeting

Virtual Travel Awards BPS is providing “Travel” Awards to the Society’s 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting for members who are students, postdoctoral researchers, and scientists of all career levels to recognize excellence in biophysics and promote greater participation from around the world. Awards will be sufficient to cover the cost of meeting registration. To ensure that award recipients reflect the diversity of the Society’s membership, judging is conducted by members of the Committee for Inclusion and Diversity (CID), the Commit- tee for Professional Opportunities for Women (CPOW), the Education Committee, and the Membership Committee. Those from communities underrepresented in science are encouraged to apply. Applicants must submit their abstract by the October 1 deadline and apply for Travel Awards by October 5, 2020. Student Research Achievement Awards The Student Research Achievement Award (SRAA) competi- tion provides graduate students the opportunity to present their poster to senior researchers in their field. If you are a faculty member, please encourage your students to register for the competition once they have submitted an abstract.   The 2021 SRAA Poster Competition will take place virtually. In order to participate, students must submit their abstract by the October 5 deadline and apply for the SRAA Competition by November 16, 2020.   For more information and to apply online, visit www.biophys- ics.org/2021meeting/awards-competitions/poster-competi- tions. If you have additional questions, email sraa@biophys- ics.org.   Undergraduate Poster Award Competition The Undergraduate Poster Award Competition will be held virtually this year. The competition provides participating un- dergraduate students the opportunity to polish their presen- tation skills and be recognized for high-quality undergraduate research. Students are judged on the quality and scientific merit of their research, knowledge of the research problem, contribution to the project, and overall presentation of the poster. Judges look for students to present a clearly stated question, hypothesis, results, and conclusions. For more information and to apply online, visit www.biophys- ics.org/2021meeting/awards-competitions/poster-competi- tions. Application deadline: November 16, 2020.

Biophysics of Neuroscience 9A Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 9B Systems Neuroscience 9C Computational Neuroscience 9D Neuroscience: Experimental Approaches & Tools 9E Sensory Neuroscience NewDevelopments In Biophysical Techniques 10A EPR and NMR: Spectroscopy & Imaging 10B ElectronMicroscopy 10C Diffraction & Scattering Techniques 10D Molecular Dynamics 10E Computational Methods & Bioinformatics 10F Optical Microscopy & Superresolution Imaging 10G Single-Molecule Spectroscopy 10H Optical Spectroscopy: CD, UV-VIS, Vibrational, Fluorescence 10I Force Spectroscopy & Scanning Probe Microscopy Bioengineering And Biomaterials 11A Bioengineering To allow those registered for the meeting to search abstracts based on specific techniques in addition to areas of research, during abstract submission you will be asked to select the technique used in your research from among the list of broad topics. The technique categories for the 2021 Annual Meet- ing are listed here. • Analytical Ultracentrifugation • Atomic Force Spectroscopy • Bioinformatics • Calorimetry • Cell/Tissue Imaging & Mechanics • Computational Chemistry • Electron Microscopy & Superresolution • Electrophysiology • Fluorescence • Light Microscopy & Superresolution Imaging • Mass Spectrometry • Microfluidics & Microfabrication • Molecular Modeling • Molecular Dynamics Simulations • Nanotechnology • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance/EPR Spectroscopy • Optical Spectroscopy (CD & UV-VIS) • Single-Molecule Methods • Vibrational Spectroscopy (Infrared & Raman) • X-Ray & Neutron Scattering & Diffraction • X-Ray Crystallography • None/Other 11B Biosensors 11C Biosurfaces 11D Micro- and Nanotechnology 11E Biomaterials Biophysics Education 12A Biophysics Education Techniques:

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Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting

Biophysics at the Dawn of Exascale Computers

Hamburg, Germany | May 24–28, 2021

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Rommie Amaro , University of California, USA Christophe Chipot , CNRS, France Rosana Collepardo , Cavendish Laboratory, United Kingdom Petra Fromme , Arizona State University, USA Raimund Fromme , Arizona State University, USA Daisuke Kihara , Purdue University, USA Arwen Pearson , University of Hamburg, Germany Alberto Perez , University of Florida, USA Abhishek Singharoy , Arizona State University, USA Gregory Voth , University of Chicago, USA SPEAKERS Ivet Bahar , University of Pittsburg, USA Oliver Beckstein , Arizona State University, USA Charles L. Brooks III , University of Michigan, USA Michael Brown , University of Arizona, USA Henry Chapman , DESY, Germany Elisa Fadda , Maynooth University, Ireland Monika Fuxreiter , University of Debrecen, Hungary Helmut Grubmüller , Max Planck Institute, Germany JC Gumbart , Georgia Tech, USA Gerhard Hummer , Max Planck Institute, Germany Syma Khalid , University of Southampton, United Kingdom Zaida Luthey-Schulten , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA AdrianMulholland , University of Bristol, United Kingdom Frank Noé , Universität Berlin, Germany Ruth Nussinov , National Cancer Institute, USA José Onuchic , Rice University, USA Modesto Orozco , IRB-Barcelona, Spain Abbas Ourmarzd , University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA Banu Ozkan , Arizona State University, USA Sarah Rauscher , University of Toronto, Canada Nathalie Reuter , University of Bergen, Norway Karissa Sanbonmatsu , Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA Tamar Schlick , NewYork University, USA Chaok Seok , Seoul National University, South Korea Holger Stark , Max Planck Institute, Germany Yuji Sugita , Riken, Japan Emad Tajkhorshid , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA Florence Tama , Nagoya University, Japan RebeccaWade , Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Germany Daniel Zuckerman , Oregon Health and Science University, USA

Molecular biophysics over the next decade will be dominated by three technolo- gies — electron microscopy and tomography, X-ray lasers, and machine learning. Taking us a step closer towards capturing bimolecular assemblies in action, these technologies together with molecular simulations are delivering not only static structures, but movies of cellular functions. One common denominator to this remarkable progress is the advent of graphics processor unit (GPU)-intensive compute resources over the past decade. Already leveraging parallel capabilities, areas of diffraction data and single-particle image processing, hybrid modeling, molecular dynamics and free-energy simulations, and drug design and discovery are frontrunners in leveraging the prowess of exascale computing. Fortuitously overlapping with the inception of the exascale era, this meeting will prepare the biophysics community to start advancing the development and implementation of computational algorithms towards the best use of the exascale computing resources. The meeting brings together experimentalists and theoreticians working in the broad areas of protein folding and assembly, dissection of allosteric pathways, macromolecular interactions and bottom-up structure of cells wherein the large-scale computing is expected to bring forth major discoveries. Molecular and cellular biologists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians, and computer scientists will find a common platform to share their innovations and future needs with experts, so as a community we move forward to best adapt ourselves with these world-class resources.

Abstract Submission Deadline: January 22, 2021

Early Registration Deadline: February 8, 2021

For more information, visit www.biophysics.org/2021Hamburg

Publications

The Biophysicist : New Issue Available Now! The Biophysicist is the newBPS journal that highlights biophysics education and its scholarship and development. All articles in this open access publication are freely available online. Newly released Issue 2 includes articles on biophysics in isolation, virus particle mechanics, machine learning, andmore. Because people never stop learning, the journal delivers evidence-based ped- agogical practice in a way that is accessible to individuals at all levels: K-12 and public outreach, undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students and trainees, active researchers, and scholars of biophysics teaching and learning. View online at www.thebiophysicist.org. BPS-IOP eBooks Series Welcomes New Editor, Launches Online Bookstore We are happy to announce some important changes for our eBook program—a partnership between the Biophysical Society and IOP Publishing. First, we are excited to welcome Michael Slaughter as our new Senior Commissioning Editor. Michael’s background includes a wealth of experience in bioengineering, medical physics, and biophysics. He has previously commissioned books for publishers CRC Press and Taylor & Francis. Although employed by IOP Publishing, which is based in Bristol, United Kingdom, Michael is based in California. We look forward to the new titles Michael will bring to our growing program. IOP has launched their new bookstore (https:/store.ioppublishing. org/). There you can purchase print and digital copies of our books directly from the website for the first time—plus all Biophysical Society members will receive a 30 percent discount on not just the BPS Series, but all IOP Publishing titles (use code BPS30 at checkout). There are hundreds of titles available in IOP’s growing collection across the physical sciences. Explore the site to see the huge selection of current and soon-to-be-published titles! Upcoming additions to the BPS Series include: An Introduction to Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy, Modeling and Simu- lating Cardiac Electrical Activity, Solid-State NMR: Applications in Biomembrane Structure, and CalciumSignals: FromSingle Molecules to Physiology. Books are available inmultiple formats, including HTML, PDF, EPUB 3, andMOBI for Kindle so that books will be available to read on different devices and with options for multimedia andmathML. Print on demand is also available.

Know the Editor Ahmet Yildiz

University of California, Berkeley Editor, Molecular Machines, Motors, and Nanoscale Biophysics Biophysical Journal

Ahmet Yildiz

What are you currently working on? We are interested in understanding how molecular motors transport intracellular cargos and power cell motility. We are currently focused on the cytoplasmic dynein motor, which drives nearly all motility and forces generation functions towards the minus-ends of microtubules. Over the past two decades, we studied how dynein “walks” along microtubules, and generates forces. More recently, our interest has shifted towards understanding how accessory factors play a role in recruiting and activating dynein at the right location and time. To achieve this goal, we attempt to reconstitute dynein-driv- en transport in vitro and then study how cofactors and other regulatory components affect dynein motility using sin- gle-molecule and cryo-electron imaging. Our long-term goal is to understand molecular rules that control the recruitment and motility of dynein and its opponent kinesin to achieve bidirectional transport of cellular cargos. What has been your most exciting discovery as a biophysicist? I developed a microscopy method that localizes single fluo- rophores with nanometer precision and used this method to show how myosin, kinesin, and dynein motors take steps and move processively along the cytoskeleton. Building a Library for Biophysics We are currently commissioning future titles for the BPS series of biophysics ebooks. If you have an idea for a book, we would like to explore it with you! To get things started, submit a sum- mary of the topic, concept, and potential audience, to michael. slaughter@ioppublishing.org. Please be sure to include current contact information. Full proposals are reviewed by a specially selected editorial advisory board, comprising BPS members who are experts from the biophysics community and represent a wide spec- trum of research areas.

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Career Development

How toWrite an Abstract Abstracts are important parts of science, because they represent a

1. Background and introduction. Set the stage for the work. 2. Hypothesis. Provide context about what is known or not known; convey what is missing and how this new study helps bridge the knowledge gap. 3. Methods. Describe experimental methods that were used, and types of data that were acquired and analyzed. 4. Results. Explain what your data showed (not what your data didn’t show)! And bring this back to frame the novel impact of the findings and how this helps fill the knowl- edge gap that you outlined when setting up the study. 5. Conclusions. Summarize in one sentence the important contributions of your study and potentially forecast future directions or open questions that may have come to light from your new data. A more detailed summary of the components of an abstract, including many examples from different disciplines that are written at the undergraduate level are available from the ABRCMS (Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Mi- nority Students) website: https:/www.abrcms.org/index.php/ present-at-abrcms/components-of-a-competitive-abstract Remember that writing well isn’t easy, and the process of writing a high-quality abstract takes practice. The more you read abstracts in scientific papers and write, review, and revise your own abstracts and those of your lab mates, the easier it will be to recognize and understand the typical con- tent of an abstract. — Molly Cule

snapshot or summary of the take home messages and novel impacts of a study. Before we get into abstract content, we need to highlight the importance of titles. Titles describe the focus of the work, and the best titles are specif- ic and descriptive. Think of a library search (or web search): What is the first

thing you read in response to your search terms? The title! A well-constructed title may be more important than the abstract because the title invites a scientist to take the next step and review your well-formulated abstract. An abstract informs the reader, helping them decide whether or not they take the next step to read your paper; or better yet, come talk to you at your poster at a scientific conference. Titles and abstracts are also important because this is typ- ically the first material read when you submit your paper to a journal or for presentation at a scientific conference. Upon initial review, journal editors or conference organizers will make a decision whether to send along your paper for review or whether to program your poster or talk at the scientific meeting. These decisions impact the outcomes and oppor- tunities by which all your hard work, data collection, scientific analysis, and knowledge generation are ultimately shared with the rest of the world. Everyone writes their abstract differently, but there are gen- eral guidelines and details that every abstract should include. Scientists become accustomed to look for these details as they review a paper. Abstracts represent one or two sentenc- es from each section of the paper, such as:

The Biophysical Society is grateful to its Industry Partners.

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Career Development

Reflections on Navigating the Remote Research Environment during a Pandemic

Back when the pandemic began, which now seems like a lifetime ago, many of us scrambled to move our teaching and research programs to work remotely. Remember when there were a slew of articles on how we should be digging out the unfinished projects and how our productivity would sky rocket because we were not going to be hindered by the burdens of commuting or ever leaving the house? We all quickly learned that social isolation and the need for face-to-face interaction was real, Zoom fatigue was indeed quite fatiguing, and the walks across campus were much needed breaks to refresh us during our day. Nearly five months into this new routine, I offer some personal reflections, with input from my group, on how we are doing and how we have adapted along the way. The first few weeks were insane for me because, just like that, I had to move two of my Spring courses to remote teaching. Figuring out the logistics of how to remotely teach two mathematics-heavy courses resulted in the collection and management of all manner of technical information (see example at https:/docs.google.com/document/d/1hRB- cWu9Y2oL1PBy49iO_t3HEdIBCxhbfTopLnZpV5H8/edit). Then came the challenges of figuring out how to hold exams in a remote format when the class was spread across multiple time zones and how to be fair and equitable, while upholding academic integrity. Somehow, with the help of my TAs, who are also my graduate students, we managed to navigate the landscape of remote learning and made it through the quar- ter. Simultaneously, my children were in ”Zoom school” and that was an experience unto itself — and not a nice one. Very quickly the expectations of increased research productivity from remote work went out of the window. Managing Zoom calendars and classroom activities for multiple members of my family suddenly became a full-time job. My group’s research is entirely theoretical and computational, so when the closures were announced we quickly moved our research enterprise to our homes. Group members estab- lished their home work environment, sorting out the various connectivity issues and other technical challenges along the way. By early April, we were essentially set-up. Then, we had to work out our day-to-day procedures. We had many conversations about time management and communica- tion. Specifically, we talked about using time blocks, taking intentional breaks, and setting goals that are achievable and specific. Slack was our steady companion as we tried our best to stay in touch with one another. My schedule changed from weekly one-on-one meetings to subgroup meetings based on research themes. We initiated peer mentoring sessions

where students could talk to each other about various topics including time management or other challenges about work- ing from home. Peer mentoring, if nothing else, was at the least a coffee gathering to bring us together. We had our first Zoom qualifying exam, thesis proposal, and thesis defense exams, which all went swimmingly well. I summarize some of the points we have learned as a group over the past few months below. These reflections are not offered as advice to anyone. Rather just insights into how we, as a group, have risen to the challenge of pursuing research in pandemic times. One thing that the pandemic has taught us is that everyone is in a unique situation and what works for one makes no sense to another. 1. Communication. Electronic communication lacks much of the social interaction that we have come to value as a society. • Communicate regularly and often with your team and with your collaborators. Slack is great for low energy, quick check-in type of interaction and emojis can be use- ful in communicating, well, emotions. • Do your best to be available during working hours on Slack (do not slack off on Slack) so that we can stay in touch and set your status to away while taking a break. • “Message me as often as you’d like to check-in. You do not have to worry about whether you are bothering me. I’ll respond when I can.” This is something I iterate to my group members all the time. After all, working with them is one of the biggest perks of my job. • Similarly, do not feel guilty for stepping away from your machine for breaks. • Emails are great for more in-depth conversations on matters that require attention and more thoughtful responses. • When in doubt, communicate. Leave it to the other per- son to decide their time of response. • Silence is not necessarily an indication that everything is okay. • Follow up after a reasonable time if no response is ob- tained.

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