Biophysical Society Bulletin | September 2024

Communities

Carlos A. Villalba-Galea Committee for Inclusion and Diversity

Carlos A. Villalba-Galea

What has been a highlight from your volunteer experience? There are so many memories that is hard to pin one down. However, one common characteristic of all of them is the satisfaction that I feel every time that, when I am interacting with a young scientist—typically a student—I help them realize that we all have a voice in biophysics. That no matter how small a contribution is, that contribution is valuable as far as it is a positive one. Do you have advice for others who might be thinking about volunteering? Just do it! Be part of the big family that we are as biophysi cists. It might sound like a cliché; however, that does not make it less valid. All positions are important, and you can make them as interesting as you are creative. Yet, start small and don’t be shy. We all are busy with busy lives. Our Biophysical Society thrives because we are part of it! When not volunteering for BPS, what do you work on? I am a father, a pet lover, and I love the outdoors. I love going hiking and playing sports. I am an avid ultimate frisbee player—but not a good one! I also enjoy gardening. I love seeing my plants grow and bear fruit. Also, I enjoy watching pollinators coming to the flowers in the early morning, while I am having a good cup of coffee. Then, I work in my lab, so I can have a new abstract for the next Annual Meeting. I also review papers and try very hard to be a good mentor to my students.

Is this your first volunteer position for BPS? If not, what other positions have you held? I have been a member of the Committee for Inclusion and Diversity (CID) for several years and it has been the only com mittee on which I have served. However, I have been a judge for poster competitions several times. It is always a pleasure and inspiring to learn new things from younger generations. I have also participated in the Annual Meeting mentorship program, which gives us the opportunity to guide mentees in our Annual Meeting as postdoctoral fellows transitioning to a faculty position. I have done that the past two years and it has been an incredibly interesting experience. In addition to volunteering with BPS, I am also the current president of the Society of Latin American Biophysicists (SoBLa). Why do you volunteer? We all have our heroes. Those outstanding scientists who have contributed with breakthrough findings and novel paradigm-changing concepts. Those discoveries are like big boulders in the mountain of knowledge. However, most of the mountain’s body is made of those little grains of sand that you and I generate with our daily effort and work. Not only with new results, but also by enabling others to do their work, encouraging a feeling of passion, love, and excitement for new knowledge. It takes a village to raise a biophysicist!

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September 2024

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