Biophysical Society Bulletin | September 2022

Biophysicist in Profile

Since 2017, Yates has been working with Christopher So of the Surface Chemistry Branch at the U.S. Naval Research Lab oratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C. as part of the NRL-USNA Cooperative Program for Scientific Interchange. “My work with NRL focuses on using short bioinspired peptides and proteins to determine how barnacles use complex amyloid materials as strong and durable underwater adhesives,” she shares. “Our collaboration led to the identification of new sequence patterning in the adhesive that dictates the assem bly and displayed chemistry of sticky adhesive amyloid fibrils. Ongoing work now aims to determine the extent of unique chemical patterning in barnacle glue proteins across species and all known protein families. Determining the sequence basis of adhesive amyloids will provide a basis to develop new underwater adhesives for the U.S. Navy.” Yates has been a Biophysical Society member since her graduate school years, and has served two terms on the Education Committee. She explains, “The Biophysical Society has continuously supported me from my time as a graduate student until now, as an associate professor, by helping me foster skills needed for my career such as presenting, net working, expanding my biophysics knowledge, and establish ing new collaborations. As a part of BPS, I have made lifelong friends who have become an essential part of my career.” The biggest challenge in her career came in the summer of 2017, when she had to handle a major setback in her lab during her tenure window. “A power failure in my building re sulted in a catastrophic freezer melt and I ultimately lost over

a year’s worth of work. It was devastating at the time, and I felt like my career was going to crumble. The feeling of being in over my head was overwhelming and I was unsure of my self in being able to keep my own lab up and running. . . . I was no longer a graduate student working under my successful [principal investigator], I was the scholar in charge, my career was on the line, and I had to take ownership and face this set back with dignity and grace,” Yates reveals. “I am grateful to USNA which provided me a one-year tenure clock extension and the ability to repurchase what was lost, but I still had a big hill to climb. . . . I needed to embrace the research process of hitting an unexpected outcome and having to pivot. Of course, tears were shed, but in the end, this challenge was a major turning point in my research and career. This led me to new research findings and collaborations, in addition to opening doors for me professionally that I was not expecting. I can thank this challenge for the career that I have today. Not all failures are dark clouds: sometimes they can turn into sunshine!” “I’ve learned that failure is an important part of life and success. When it happens, don’t take it personally and don’t doubt yourself,” she says. “These setbacks happen. It’s best to learn from them, grow, stay positive, and make yourself better. You are good enough.” The views expressed here are solely those of the author in her private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Navy or the Department of Defense.

Numbers By the

BPS membership in 2022 to date comprises one-third student members.

The Biophysical Society is grateful to its Industry Partners.

For Industry Partner Membership information, contact alevine@biophysics.org. SILVER GOLD

PLATINUM

September 2022

5

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