Biophysical Society Newsletter - August 2016

Newsletter AUGUST 2016 Jane Dyson Named next Editor-in-Chief of Biophysical Journal

DEADLINES

Meetings 2017 61 st Annual Meeting February 11 – 15 New Orleans, Louisiana October 3 Abstract Submission January 9 Early Registration Single-Cell Biophysics: Measurement, Modula- tion, and Modeling June 17–21 Taipei, Taiwan March 1 Abstract Submission March 24 Early Registration Conformational Ensembles from Experimental Data and Computer Simulations August 25–29 Berlin, Germany April 3

The Biophysical Society and Biophysical Journal are pleased to announce the appointment of Jane Dyson as the Journal’s next Editor-in-Chief, effective July 1, 2017, when Les Loew completes his five-year term in that position. “It’s a great honor to be selected as Editor-in- Chief of Biophysical Journal . I’m looking forward to working with the premier journal in biophys- ics, and to interacting with the Journal staff and Society members to maintain and enhance the Journal’s high standards. It’s a big challenge, and I’m excited to begin,” commented Dyson. Dyson is a professor in the Department of Inte- grative Structural and Computational Biology at The Scripps Research Institute, where her re- search focuses on the understanding of how the amino acid sequence of a protein determines its final folded structure and the understanding of enzyme and protein function through study of structure and dynamics. She uses NMR spectros- copy to study structure and dynamics, as well as mass spectrometry, and equilibrium and kinetic CD and fluorescence spectroscopy. Additionally, molecular cloning techniques are used to prepare labeled proteins in the amounts necessary for structural studies by NMR. Biophysical Society President Suzanne Scarlata calls her “an incred- ible biophysicist who will certainly continue to bring quality science and prestige to the Journal.”

Dyson received her PhD in inorganic chem- istry from the Universi- ty of Sydney, Australia,

where she also did her undergraduate work in biochemistry. She did a postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts Insti- tute of Technology and from 1979 to 1984 was a UNESCO Lecturer in the School of Chemistry at the University of New South Wales. Jane Dyson

Dyson will be the 15th and first woman editor of the Biophysical Journal . She is well-known for her groundbreaking work with intrinsically dis- ordered proteins and has published extensively on this and other topics in more than 260 peer- reviewed papers and book chapters. In addition, she has served on numerous editorial boards and as guest editor for several journal publications, including Peptide Research , Folding and Design , Journal of Magnetic Resonance , Biopolymers , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , Comprehensive Biophysics , and Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics . Her experience as a member of the Biophysical Journal Editorial Board will serve her well in her new role, as will her service as a faculty representative on the Scripps Library Committee, which grapples with current chal- lenges in scholarly publishing.

Abstract Submission Early Registration Early Registration

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CONTENTS

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President's Message Biophysicist in Profile

Student Center

Members in the News Networking Events

Public Affairs

Biophysical Society

Annual Meeting Thematic Meetings Biophysical Journal

Molly Cule

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Grants and Opportunities

Obituary

Subgroups

Upcoming Events

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President's Message

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY

Officers President Suzanne Scarlata President-Elect Lukas Tamm Past-President Edward Egelman Secretary Frances Separovic Treasurer Paul Axelsen

In the April newsletter, I wrote an article about ways to make more funding available to researchers from The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — although some ideas might be generalized to other agencies. Here, I would like to summarize some of the responses that I’ve received from you. Surprisingly, all of them were very positive. A few of you also made additional comments that I would like to share with our member- ship, and with NIH. One member pointed out that when NIH makes its case to Congress for funding, they should estimate the enormous amount of time and money lost by scientists’ never-ending fights for funding. While I am sure that they already do this, it might be nice to survey our membership for estimates on their time spent writing grants versus doing research-related work.

Council Olga Boudker Jane Clarke Bertrand Garcia-Moreno Ruth Heidelberger Kalina Hristova Robert Nakamoto Arthur Palmer

Suzanne Scarlata

Gabriela Popescu Joseph D. Puglisi Michael Pusch Erin Sheets Joanna Swain

Some investigators pointed out that NIH institutes do not clarify the nature of the science they fund, but most of this confusion could be alleviated by calling program officers before working on a grant. There was a concern about the demographics of the Pioneer awardees in that at least half work at Ivy League institutions and 90 percent work on either the East Coast or the West Coast. These awards should be made available to all deserving scientists. There were two ideas that many of you would like to see instituted. 1. Most would like to see the step cut-off (i.e., where all scores below a line are funded and all above are not) eliminated. The general consensus is that tapering down the proposals that are funded over at least 10 percentage points would be a good way to keep more investiga- tors working in the lab rather than re-writing grants. 2. The idea of sunset funding is very appealing. Some older investigators are not ready for retirement but don’t want to take funding away from young people. Keeping a senior lab alive with only one technician or research associate would be a good solution. There were several ideas of how to do this such as having a PI’s R01 extended over longer funding peri- ods with decreased direct costs or having 4–5 year funds funding at a lower level. If anyone has any other ideas, please send them to me at president@biophysics.org.

Biophysical Journal Leslie Loew Editor-in-Chief

Society Office Ro Kampman Executive Officer Newsletter Catie Curry Beth Staehle Ray Wolfe Production Laura Phelan Profile Ellen Weiss Public Affairs Beth Staehle Publisher's Forum

The Biophysical Society Newsletter (ISSN 0006-3495) is published twelve times per year, January- December, by the Biophysical Society, 11400 Rockville Pike, Suite 800, Rockville, Maryland 20852. Distributed to USA members and other countries at no cost. Canadian GST No. 898477062. Postmaster: Send address changes to Biophysical Society, 11400 Rockville Pike, Suite 800, Rockville, MD 20852. Copyright © 2016 by the Biophysical Society. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Jane Dyson (Continued from page 1) As part of her vision for the Journal, Dyson intends to target turnaround times and attract- ing submissions from new areas. She wants to ensure efficiency and consistency in the review and evaluation process across scientific areas, and plans to continue the many excellent initia- tives started by her predecessors.

“I am excited that Jane will become editor in chief in 2017. The Society has been fortunate to have had great editors leading BJ, and we are continuing this tradition with Jane’s appoint- ment. She will bring a new perspective and thoughtful leadership at a time when scholarly publishing is facing many changes and challeng- es,” says Society President-Elect Lukas Tamm .

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Celebrate the second Annual Biophysics week on March 6-10, 2017! Biophysics Week is a global ef- fort to connect the biophysics community and raise awareness of the field and its impact among the general public, policy makers, students and scientists in related fields. Mark your calendars and join your peers during this global awareness week. There will be webinars, lesson plans, articles, seminars, lab tours, daily activities, and much more!

Evelyne Deplazes University of Queensland, Australia

“I am a biophysicist and I use computers to understand how molecules interact with each other. I hope to combine simulations and experiments to understand biological pro- cesses of biomedical relevance at the molecular level.”

Sarah Waxman, Undergraduate at Rutgers University Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ, Richard Ludescher’s lab “I am a biophysicist and I use fluorescence to study how edible food colors can be used as probes for the physical properties of food!” Sri Ranjini Arumugam Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Goettingen, Germany, Nanoscale Spin Imaging Lab “I am a biophysict and enjoy being one. I work with microscopes and proteins.”

Visit biophysics.org/ BiophysicsWeek for more details soon!

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Valeria Vásquez was raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Her father is a geologist and shared his love of sci- ence with her starting when she was very little. “I could listen forever to him talk about every single mountain formation while we were on road trips in Venezuela,” she shares. Vásquez also admires her mother, who worked with underprivileged children throughout her career as a kindergar- ten teacher. Vásquez became enamored with the scientific process as an elementary school student. “My school held a yearly science festival where we had to work in teams to develop a scientific project that would be presented at the end of each year,” she says. “My best friend’s mother, who was an engineer, chaperoned us throughout the year and taught us how to apply the scientific method. Formulating hypotheses and designing experi- mental plans hooked me immediately.” Vásquez completed her undergraduate studies at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. She then went on to pursue her PhD in the lab of Eduardo Perozo at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, completing her studies in 2008. While she was working in Perozo’s lab, Vásquez met José Faraldo-Gómez and Sudha Chakrapani , with whom she has remained friends over the years. Vásquez served as Faraldo-Gómez’s men- tor while he did wet lab work for a short time in Perozo’s lab. “Valeria is an outstanding scientist with an excellent training in biophysics and biochemistry—but she is also a wonderful person with a very positive disposition and the right tem- perament for a career in science,” he says. “What I remember the most about spending time with her in the lab is how careful, thoughtful, and hard- working she is. [Also] her homemade arepas are phenomenal, particularly combined with copious amounts of Rioja.” Chakrapani recalls her time working with Vásquez fondly. “Valeria was a lot of fun to work with. She is a well-rounded person, brilliant, meticulous, and extremely passionate about science, politics, and her family,” she says. “She is very insightful, full of new ideas, and absolutely relentless when it comes to trying new approaches to study a very difficult scientific problem.” Biophysicist in Profile VALERIA VÁSQUEZ

For her postdoctoral research, she worked in the lab of Miriam B. Goodman at Stanford Univer- sity. “We identified arachidonic acid-containing phospholipids as crucial modulators of touch sensitivity in C. elegans touch receptor neurons,” Vásquez says. She is now an assistant professor in the Depart- ment of Physiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. “My current research is centered on understanding ion channel function of mechanosensitive channels using two main avenues: (1) in vivo approaches to study the effect of bioactive lipids on channel function using the animal model C. elegans , and (2) in vitro biochemical and biophysical approaches to elucidate the mechanisms of ion channel activa- tion and identify lipids that directly modulate their function,” she explains. Vásquez credits several people in her life for helping lead her to this particular area of study. The first was her husband, Julio Cordero-Morales . “Since we were in college he was — and still is — super passionate about ion channels and excitable cells. He would always tell our trainees, ‘There is nothing more exciting than looking at an enzyme to work in real time,’ like we do when we patch clamp,” she says. “My friend and collaborator Boris Martinac taught me how to patch clamp spheroplasts while studying mechanosensitive ion channels. My PhD advisor Eduardo Perozo taught me that without dynamics, structures are just snapshots. Miriam Goodman taught me that the in vivo context always matters.” The most rewarding aspect of her work is the sharing and exchange of information. “I get to learn from everyone, whether they are in my field or not,” she explains. “What I like the most is discussing ideas with labmates and colleagues to challenge and/or postulate hypotheses. It is very rewarding to find something new and exciting, whether it goes with or against my hypothesis.” Vásquez faced challenges related to her work– family balance during her postdoctoral fellowship. “The biggest challenge so far was coming back to the lab after a two-month maternity leave.

Valeria Vásquez

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Not because I did not want to come back, but it was difficult to leave my son at daycare after only two months and think straight while being sleep deprived,” she shares. “In spite of this, I was lucky I could count on my husband. We worked as a team to enjoy our family and still be produc- tive in the lab.” Her advisor, Goodman, was also a support during this time. “When I told her I was pregnant she gave me a good piece of advice: plan the experiments you want to do for 10–12 months after you come back from your mater- nity leave and have everything written so you can execute your plans straightforwardly,” Vásquez recalls. In Vásquez and Cordero’s quest to maintain two successful careers, Vásquez has found role models in another married couple running a lab together: Lily Jan and Yuh Nung Jan . “The way their research lines complement each other, ion channel function and neuronal development, is quite amazing,” she says. “One of the quotes in Yuh Nung Jan’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute profile has always fascinated me, especially be- cause my husband and I started our lab a couple of years ago, after receiving our postdoctoral train- ing in somatosensation with the goal of studying ion channel structure-function, electrophysiology, and behavior: ‘It is relatively rare in science that two researchers complement each other in ability and in temperament such that the sum of the col- laboration is more than the two parts.’”

The Biophysical Society has been a supportive community for Vásquez over the years. “The So- ciety has given me the opportunity to collaborate and publish with people who otherwise I would not have met. The Annual Meeting is the ideal setting to broadcast the science we do in our lab and to find and nurture long-term collaborators and friends,” she says. “The first time I went, I felt overwhelmed because I did not know anyone and everything was too new and exciting. Now, it feels as if I’m going to a family reunion. I use the meeting every year to boost my enthusiasm and recharge my batteries.” She has met many other Latin American scientists at Biophysical Society meetings and became involved with SOBLA, the Sociedad de Biofísicos Latino Americanos, a group with the goal of strengthening biophysics in Latin America. Outside of work, Vásquez loves to spend time with her family. “Because we all live apart, I always find the time to travel and meet with my parents, siblings, and niblings,” she shares. Vásquez offers this advice to biophysicists starting out in their careers: “I would advise young bio- physicists to follow what they are really passionate about. I feel very lucky because I get paid to do something that I love to do, and I always tell my juniors that working in a research lab should not feel like a job but instead something fun and en- tertaining,” Vásquez says. “Curiosity should drive their research and their willingness to explore more and more everyday.”

Valeria Vásquez with her son.

Profilee-at-a-Glance Institution University of Tennessee Health Science Center Area of Research Functional and Structural Basis of ion channels involved in mechanosensation

2016 Biophysics Week Affiliate Event Award Winner

Congratulations to Pavle Andjus , University of Belgrade, Serbia, who was selected from the 2016 Biophysics Week affiliate event organizers to receive a complimentary registration to the Society’s 2017 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Biophysics Week event held by Andjus was a series of popular public lectures at the Kolarac Foundation in Belgrade. This event was one of the many won- derful affiliate events held by biophysicists around the world that made Biophysics Week a success. We expect the next Biophysics Week, March 6-10, 2017, will be just as successful with enthusiastic participation. Keep an eye out for the 2017 call for Biophysics Week affiliate events in fall of 2016.

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Public Affairs BPS-sponsored Golden Goose Award For Work that Led to Breakthrough Pest Control Technique

American Innovation and Competitiveness Act Approved

In late June, the Senate Commerce Committee approved the American Innovation and Com- petitiveness Act, which would reauthorize the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the White House Office of Science Technol- ogy through 2018. The bill is an updated version of the 2010 America COMPETES Act. The bill, S. 3084, was introduced by Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Gary Peters (D-MI), leaders of the Commerce Committee’s innova- tion and competitiveness working group on federal science and technology research policies, along with Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Bill Nelson (D-FL.) who serve respectively as the chair and ranking member of the Senate Commit- tee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bipartisan bill reaffirms the NSF merit-based peer-review process for determining grants, codi- fies reforms to increase transparency and account- ability in the grant-making process, and includes measures to reduce regulatory burdens on feder- ally funded researchers. An amendment approved during the bill’s consideration allows for 4 percent growth in the budget per year at NSF and NIST in FY 2018, based on what the Senate has pro- posed for these agencies for FY 2017. The Biophysical Society, through its membership in the Coalition for National Science Funding, thanked the committee for its work on the bill, and particularly for its support of science and the authorized increase, but also encouraged the committee to lengthen the funding authorization beyond 2018. The bill’s chances of becoming law are not par- ticularly good; there is very little time left on the Senate schedule for its consideration. Even if it does not make it to the Senate floor, the bill is significant because it will serve as a marker for the next Congress’s starting point.

Edward F. Knipling and Raymond C. Bushland , two United States Department of Agriculture entomologists, are being posthumously honored with the Golden Goose Award for their study of the Sex Life of the Screwworm Fly. Knipling and Bushland are being honored for research that led to the “sterile insect technique,” in which lab-raised and sterilized male insects are used to overwhelm and eventually eradicate native pest populations. The technique has been herald- ed as “the only truly original innovation in insect control in [the 20th] century,” and continues to inform ongoing fights against other agricultural pests and insects carrying infectious pathogens, including the tsetse fly and the Aedes aegypti mosquito — the primary culprit in transmission of the Zika virus. The Golden Goose Award honors scientists whose federally funded work may have seemed odd or obscure when it was first conducted but has resulted in significant benefits to society. The Biophysical Society is a sponsor of the award. Knipling and Bushland, along with two other teams of researchers, will be honored at the fifth annual Golden Goose Award ceremony at the Library of Congress on September 22.

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$2 Billion Increase for NIH in FY 2017 Labor-HHS Bill On June 9, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2017 Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations bill, which includes $34 billion for the National Institues of Health (NIH) in FY 2017 — a $2 billion (6.3 percent) increase over current year funding. The committee’s increase includes $1.39 billion for Alzheimer’s disease research, $300 million for the Precision Medicine Initiative, and $250 million for the BRAIN Initiative. The bill was the first Labor- HHS appropriations bill approved in several years. The Biophysical Society thanked the committee for the bipartisan bill and the increased support for the NIH. The bill was not yet scheduled to go to the Senate floor for approval at press time. New Faces in Washington NIGMS Council: Five individuals were appoint- ed to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Advisory Board during the Council’s May meeting. They are: BPS member Janet L. Smith , professor of life sciences and biological chemistry at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and scientific director of the General Medical Sciences and Cancer Institute’s Structural Biology Facility at the Advanced Photon Source; Liza Cariaga-Lo , vice president for academic development, diversity, and inclusion at Brown University; Carmen Des- sauer , professor of integrative biology and pharma- cology at the University of Texas Health Science Center; Mark Peifer , professor in the department of biology and member of the Lineberger Com- prehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Wilfred van der Donk , chair in chemistry at the University of

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. These individuals will serve four-year terms on the council, offering advice and recommendations on NIGMS pro- grams and policies, as well as serving as the second level of peer review for NIGMS grant applications. National Library of Medicine: Patricia Flatley Brennan has been tapped to lead the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest biomedi- cal library. Brennan is currently at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is a professor at the School of Nursing and College of Engineering. Brennan has been a pioneer in the development of information systems for patients and in evaluating health IT architecture. Her new role begins this month. National Science Board: During its May meet- ing, the National Science Board (NSB), which serves as the governing body for the National Sci- ence Foundation, elected Maria Zuber , vice presi- dent for research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as chair and Diane Souvaine , vice provost for research at Tufts University, as vice chair. They replace Dan Arvizu and Kelvin Droege- meier , who rotated off the board after serving 12 years, the last four as chair and vice chair, respec- tively. Zuber is in her fourth year on the board and has served on its Committee on Strategy and Budget, which advises on NSF’s strategic direc- tion and reviews the agency's budget submissions. Souvaine is in her second term on the NSB and has served as chair of its Committee on Strategy and Budget, chair of its Committee on Programs and Plans, and as a member of its Committee on Audit and Oversight, all of which provide strategic direction, oversight, and guidance on NSF projects and programs. Board members serve six-year terms, and are eligible to have their appointment renewed once.

Apply to be the 2017-2018 BPS Congressional Fellow! Are you interested in working on Capitol Hill and learning more about science policy? The BPS is now accepting applications for the 2017-2018 Fellowship year. All members who have obtained their PhD and are eligible to work in the United States may apply.

Application deadline: December 15, 2016 Visit www.biophysics.org for additional information.

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February 11–15, 2017 • New Orleans, Louisiana

Workshops Workshops are technique oriented sessions and cover emerging methods presented by widely acknowledged developers and experts who help the participants gain a working knowledge of new technologies. Workshops are held on Tuesday night only, 7:30 pm–9:30 pm.

Wah Chiu, Baylor College of Medicine Lori Passmore MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, United Kingdom Beyond Calcium: Imaging Voltage and Other Ions William Kobertz, University of Massachusetts, Chair Amy Palmer, University of Colorado

Protein Folding Mechanisms Susan Marqusee, University of California, Berkeley, Chair Ashok Deniz, Scripps Research Institute

Olga Dudko, University of California, San Diego Bertrand Garcia-Moreno, Johns Hopkins University Biological Networks from Experiment to Modeling and Back Jennifer Reed, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chair

Lin Tian, University of California, Davis Thomas Knöpfel, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

Uwe Sauer, ETH Zurich, Switzerland Ido Golding, Baylor College of Medicine Julie Theriot, Stanford University

Methods for Tracking Single Biomolecule Mobility, Clustering, and Conformational State Stephen Sligar, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Chair Laura Kiessling, University of Wisconsin-Madison Virginia Cornish, Columbia University Tim Liedl, Ludwig Maximillian University, Germany

Single-Particle CryoEM: A How-To Guide Bridget Carragher, Wadsworth Center, New York Structural Biology Center, Chair John Rubenstein, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Canada

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Abstract Submission Deadline: October 3, 2016

Abstract Categories The Society organizes the platform and poster sessions based on scientific areas. The abstract topic cat- egories are reviewed annually and modified as needed to reflect new and evolving areas in biophysics. When you submit an abstract, you will be asked to choose in which category your abstract best fits. The abstract categories for the 2017 Annual Meeting are listed below. PROTEINS 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

CELL PHYSIOLOGY & BIOPHYSICS 4A Membrane Receptors & Signal Transduction 4B Mechanosensation 4C Exocytosis & Endocytosis 4D Calcium Signaling 4E Intracellular Calcium Channels & Calcium Sparks & Waves 4F Excitation-Contraction Coupling 4G Cardiac, Smooth & Skeletal Muscle Electrophysiology 4H Muscle Regulation 4I Intracellular Transport CHANNELS 5A Voltage-gated Na Channels 5B Voltage-gated Ca Channels 5C Voltage-gated K Channels & Mechanisms of Voltage Sensing & Gating 5D TRP Channels 5E Ligand-gated 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 Smooth Muscle Mechanics, Structure & Regulation 6E Actin Structure, Dynamics & Associated Proteins 6F Microtubules, Structure, Dynamics & Associated Proteins 6G Kinesins, Dyneins & Other Microtubule-based Motors 6H Myosins 6I Cytoskeletal Assemblies & Dynamics 6J Cell Mechanics, Mechanosensing & Motility 6K Cytoskeletal-based Intracellular Transport 6L Bacterial Mechanics, Cytoskeleton & Motility

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

www.biophysics.org/2017meeting

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BIOENERGETICS 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 BIOPHYSICS OF NEUROSCIENCE 9A Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 9B Systems Neuroscience 9C Computational Neuroscience 9D Neuroscience: Experimental Approaches & Tools 9E Sensory Neuroscience NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN BIOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES 10A EPR and NMR: Spectroscopy & Imaging 10B Electron Microscopy 10C Diffraction & Scattering Techniques 10DMolecular Dynamics 10E Computational Methods & Bioinformatics 10F Optical Microscopy & Superresolution Imaging: Novel Approaches and Analysis 10GOptical Microscopy & Superresolution Imaging: Applications to Cellular Molecules 10H Single-Molecule Spectroscopy 10I Optical Spectroscopy: CD, UV-VIS, Vibrational, Fluorescence 10J Force Spectroscopy & Scanning Probe Microcopy

BIOPHYSICS EDUCATION 12A Biophysics Education

Techniques To allow attendees to search for 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 a list of broad topics. If you did not use any of the techniques listed, you will have the option to select “None/Other.” The technique categories for the 2017 Annual Meeting area listed below. • Analytical Ultracentrifugation • Atomic Force Spectroscopy • Bioinformatics • Calorimetry • Cell/Tissue Imaging & Mechanics • Computational Chemistry • Electron Microscopy & Tomography • 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

BIOENGINEERING AND BIOMATERIALS 11A Bioengineering 11B Biosensors 11C Biosurfaces 11DMicro- and Nanotechnology 11E Biomaterials

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Thematic Meetings Engineering Approaches to Biomolecular Motors: From in vitro to in vivo

Attendees representing 12 countries met at Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre to discuss and share their research.

In June, approximately 100 scientists and engi- neers from diverse backgrounds gathered in Van- couver, Canada, at Simon Fraser University for the Biophysical Society thematic meeting, Engineering Approaches to Biomolecular Motors: From in vitro to in vivo . The program ranged from artificial motors based on DNA, peptides, proteins, and supramolecular chemistry, through the engineering of biological motors and their incorporation into nanodevices and on to reconstituted systems and living cells. Theoretical perspectives provided insight into the workings and fundamental operational limits of these machines. The science presented showed that both bottom-up and top-down engineering approaches had reached a level of maturity where major advances are being made into understanding and utilizing molecular motors. The breadth of the program engaged scientists who do not normally meet together, spawning lively and challenging discussions. Single-mole- cule methods abounded, spilling from synthetic constructs to cell biology. The program was dense, with 36 presentations plus nine session in- troductions, yet, the theater remained full until the very end. Thirty-seven posters were presented over

two sessions: four students and one postdoc were awarded prizes from the Biophysical Journal for their excellent presentations. Each poster present- er delivered a one-minute “flash talk” as part of the oral sessions to raise awareness of their science. The meeting was capped by a harbor cruise around Vancouver. The weather was perfect, allowing the participants to enjoy spectacular vistas of the mountains and bay surrounding Vancouver from the decks of the paddle boat, culminating in a picturesque sunset. During the cruise, there were numerous discussions regarding the potential for subsequent meetings to draw together a similar cohort of scientists to discuss progress in the field and to map the future. The meeting’s organizing committee members included Zev Bryant , Stanford University, United States, Paul Curmi , University of New South Wales, Australia, Nancy Forde , Simon Fraser Uni- versity, Canada, Heiner Linke , Lund University, Sweden, and Samara Reck-Peterson , University of California, San Diego, United States. — Paul Curmi , University of New South Wales, Australia

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Biophysical Journal Know the Editors Kazuhiro Oiwa National Institute of Informa- tion and Communications Technology, Tokyo Editor, Molecular Machines, Motors, and Nanoscale Biophysics Q: What are you currently working on? Our research group has focused on understand- ing the mechanisms of dyneins and eukaryotic flagellar motility. Dyneins are microtubule-based protein motors that drive cilia/flagella, and play important roles in a variety of essential intracel- lular motility. Using in vitro motility assays and single-molecule measurements, we have revealed mechanical properties and regulations of axo- nemal and cytoplasmic dyneins. Recently, we adopted a bottom-up approach for our study on dyneins and axonemes, in which well-character- ized components are combined into a functional assembly in order to reconstitute the original functions in vitro. Advances in nanotechnology, including DNA origami techniques, and in mo- lecular biology make this approach feasible. Q: What are you currently working on that excites you? Collective motion of self-propelled particles is my current interest. We found that microtubules driven by surface-bound dyneins self-organized into large-scale vortices. When I was observing microtubule movement in a small 100 μm × 100 μm area, large streams of microtubules acci- dentally passed through the observation area. That was my first encounter with the phenomenon. Like the Nazca geoglyphs, a wide view enabled us to recognize the large-scale vortex patterns formed in an entire flow cell. We successfully showed this process by a simple mathematical model, based on only the smooth motion of single microtubules and their local interaction (alignment of micro- tubules on collision). Now, it is exciting for us to extend the experiments to various types of dynein Kazuhiro Oiwa

in order to find a universal class of collective motion.

Q: What has been your most exciting discovery as a biophysicist? My most exciting discovery was the large configu- ration change of an axonemal dynein molecule coupled with nucleotide states. This was done in collaboration with a group at the University of Leeds. On electron micrographs, single particle analysis of negatively stained axonemal dynein revealed such large changes. From this work, I learned that raw micrographs of negatively stained molecules contain a wealth of structural informa- tion, and I fully recognized the power of math- ematics. Q: At a cocktail party of non-scientists, how would you explain what you do? Talking about the invisible things that happen inside of our bodies is a good way to capture peo- ple’s interest. First, I would ask the non-scientists when and how symmetric breaks take place in our body during development. Then I would explain that a simple function of a group of tiny organ- elles, called cilia, determines the development of right–left asymmetry. This is a good introduction to present to my audience, to explain to them the importance of studying these organelles. It is also an amazing example of our extraordinary biologi- cal system, in which a small bias can be detected, enhanced, and bring about change in a wide ranges of scales. This is an attractive concept, not only for scientists, but also for non-scientists. My main way of staying up to date with the latest research is to attend the Biophysical Society An- nual Meeting and other international conferences. Conferences are not only showcases of the latest research, but they also provide rich sources for novel ideas. Also, reading peer-reviewed literature is, of course, unavoidable. My preference is the review journals since they are handy for catching up with the progress in the research fields. Q: How do you stay on top of all the latest developments in your field?

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

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BJ Poster Award Honorees Each year, Biophysical Journal sponsors poster awards to deserving students and postdocs who present posters at the Biophysical Society thematic meetings. The winners each receive a certificate and a check for $250. Congratulations to the following individuals who presented outstanding posters at the Biophysical Society meeting Engineering Approaches to Biomo- lecular Motors: From in vitro to in vivo , which was held in June in Vancouver, Canada. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada Synthesis and Characterization of the Lawnmower: An Artificial Protein-based, Burnt-Bridges Molecular Motor Tom Zajdel University of California, Berkeley, CA Impedance-based Electrochemical Readout of Bacterial Flagellar Rotation Jasmine Nirody University of California, Berkeley, CA Dynamics of the Bacterial Flagellar Motor: Theoretical Model and Validation Postdoc awardee Aidan Brown Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada Maximizing Irreversibility and Minimizing Energy Dissipation for Simple Models of Mechanochemical Machines Student awardees Damiano Verardo Lund University, Sweden Chapin Korosec

Brain Biophysics: Check out the latest collection of articles from the Biophysical Journal This collection of articles, curated by Vasanthi Jayaraman , highlights research articles in the area of Brain Biophysics. The 12 articles show the use of diverse techniques such as computational, structural, spectroscopic and/or electrophysiology in investigating components of the neural systems involved in physiological and pathophysiological conditions. They address a wide range of research from gating at the channel level, exocytosis, and long-term potentiation, to conformational states of proteins involved in diseases such as Alzheim- er’s. Visit http://www.cell.com/biophysj/collec- tions/ for this and other virtual issues of Biophysical Journal .

See rapid release articles in the ONLINE NOW section of the BJ website http://www.cell.com/biophysj/newarticles

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

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Subgroups

Student Center

Michiel Niesen Department of Chemistry and

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins The intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) community was treated to two spectacular meet- ings at the end of June in beautiful Les Diablerets, Switzerland. First was the Gordon Research Sym- posium organized by Rebecca Berlow and Ofrah Faust entitled Function Through Disorder: Intrinsi- cally Disordered Proteins in Biology and Medicine . The symposium brought together 65 students and postdocs from 14 countries and 44 academic and industrial institutions. The meeting featured short talks by 10 outstanding junior researchers and two lively poster sessions, as well as a career panel cov- ering topics ranging from job applications to future perspectives on the field. The symposium was followed by the fourth In- trinsically Disordered Proteins Gordon Research Conference organized by Monika Fuxreiter and Richard Kriwacki . Like the one before it, this meet- ing was fully subscribed. The theme of the confer- ence was Disordered Proteins: From Mechanisms to Therapeutic Opportunities . The broad importance of IDPs in biological systems and their interesting biophysical properties brought together both aca- demic and industry researchers from diverse fields and included biologists, biophysicists, chemists, neuroscientists, engineers, and oncologists. Many at the conference were first-time participants, high- lighting the evolving and increasingly diverse interest in IDPs. Among the rapidly advancing areas of IDP research highlighted at the confer- ence were the importance of IDPs in membrane- less organelle organization and function, IDPs in cellular signaling and homeostasis, and progress on the therapeutic targeting of IDPs. Look for the next Gordon Research Symposium and Gordon Research Conference in the summer of 2018! — Steven Metallo , IDP Subgroup Secretary-Treasurer

Chemical Engineering California Institute of Technology

Michiel Niesen

Q: What made you decide to study biophysics?

As an undergraduate, I was mainly interested in studying the natural sciences, but I had not yet decided what direction in particular to pursue. The favorite part of my study was collabora- tive group projects, especially biophysics-related projects, because they represented a perfect blend of the fields I wanted to study. The connection between biology and fundamental science seemed very powerful to me, and a great way of truly understanding how living organisms function with such sophisticated properties. Based on this I decided to pursue graduate research in biophysics.

Members in the News Eve Marder , Brandeis Uni- versity and Society member

since 1995, was awarded the Kavli Price for Neuro- science. Bozhi Tian , University of Chicago and Society mem- ber since 2015, was award- ed the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Rakesh Jain , (not pictured) Harvard Medi- cal School and Society member since 1999, was awarded the National Medal of Science.

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

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Networking Events

Spring 2016 Call for Networking Events Congratulations to all applicants who were selected to receive a BPS mini-grant from the BPS Member- ship Committee as a result of the spring 2016 Call for Networking Events. New and Renewing Networking Events Awarded Include: Southeastern Single-Molecule Biophysics Meeting September 2016, Helen, Georgia Biophysical Society Pennsylvania Network Meeting October 2016, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Midwest Regional Biophysics Networking Meeting Career Lifetimes: From Undergraduate Training to Principal Investigator October 2016, St. Paul, Minnesota Computational and Experimental Studies of Microtubules and Microtubules-based Motor Proteins December 2016, Mumbai, India Western Canada Biophysics Networking Meeting March 2017, Kelowna, BC, Canada Musical Notes at the Heart of Biophysics: Insights into the Cardiac Rhythms March 2017, Winston Salem, North Carolina Second Molecular Biophysics Symposium April 2017, Blacksburg, Virginia Each year, the Membership Committee provides mini-grant opportunities. If your application is se- lected for an award, BPS will provide each event up to $500 to help you host an event. Events are intended to promote interaction between different institutions and/or communities in a geographical area not served by the Annual Meeting. They typically take place in an area not currently well served by other opportunities for networking among biophysicists. For more information on each of these events, visit www.biophysics.org/networkingevents.

Numbers By the

Since 2011, BPS has provided grants to support over 32 unique networking events held at locations all over the world.

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

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Molly Cule

ate programs or departments will have at least one faculty member designated as a graduate advisor. You can request a confidential meeting with him/ her and explain your situation while appreciating any help/support you receivefrom him/her. Good luck finding a suitable lab and switching to it.

How do I go about switching labs within the same institution?

This is a difficult situation and I sincerely hope that you do not have to be in this poisi- tion. However, some students or postdoctoral fellows find themselves in a situation in which the existing lab environ- ment and their mentor are not the right fit, or their interests changed, or perhaps the men-

Grants and Opportunities i i

NIH Director's Pioneer Award Program (DP1)

Objective: This award is part of the NIH Common Fund, which supports cross-cutting programs that are expected to have exceptionally high impact. To be considered pioneering, the proposed research must reflect ideas substantially different from those being pursued in the investigator's research program or being pursued elsewhere. Who May Apply: Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/ Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Pioneer awardees are required to commit the major portion of their re- search effort to activities supported by the Pioneer Award research project in the first three years of the project period.

tor has moved across the country and moving with the mentor is not an option. For graduate stu- dents the situation of switching advisors presents a humongous challenge and can be quite stressful. It is particularly stressful for students after spending a year or so in the lab, generating preliminary data for a testable hypothesis. It means either a big blow to their research career and time lost or an increase in the amount of time needed to complete a dissertation and graduate. If you find yourself needing to switch, you should consider approaching the PI and telling him/ her that you want to leave. What are the specific issues? Framing this as your own issue rather than placing blame with your PI should make the conversation (and subsequent transition) less un- comfortable. Some of these issues may include dif- ficulty of mastering a certain technique in the lab and your inability to make adequate progress; how you find it difficult to fit within the lab group; or how your research interests have changed in recent months and explaining that there is another lab/ group that you feel is better fit for you. Often the mentor may be able to offer advice and give you more time to re-think your decision. Take the time (one or two weeks at most) to rethink, then go back to the mentor. In the unfortunate situation that your mentor is unreasonable and adamantly resists your need to change labs, then it is all the more reason to leave the group. In such a situation you can always approach the gradu- ate program director or any other senior faculty member within the department. Almost all gradu-

Deadline: September 2, 2016

Website: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa- files/RFA-RM-16-005.html

Advances in Biological Informatics

Objective: The National Science Foundation seeks to encourage new approaches to the analysis and dissemination of biological knowledge for the benefit of both the scientific community and the broader public. The ABI program is especially interested in the development of informatics tools and resources that have the potential to advance or transform research in biology.

Deadline: September 9, 2016

Website: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15582/ nsf15582.htm

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

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It’s Time to Renew Your Membership for 2017

• Keep up with the latest research – with access to Biophysical Journal online – the premier journal of quantitative biology • Get published for less – publish in the Biophysical Journal and pay reduced rates for pages and print color and receive free online color • Save money on meetings – get significant member discounts to the BPS Annual Meeting – the largest meeting of biophysi- cists in the world, and to the BPS thematic meetings held throughout the world • Increase your career development skills – through webinars on timely and relevant career development topics • Expand your network – connect with your peers at Society meetings including BPS Annual Meeting, Thematic Meetings, and local networking events

• Get financial assistance – apply for travel awards and bridging funds to attend the BPS Annual Meeting, or apply for funds to help support your local meetings and events • • Stay connected and informed – gain easy access to other members through the members-only directory and monthly news- letter • Advance your career – through many ca- reer development resources, including the BPS Job Board, external career resources, and career expert columnist “Molly Cule” • Make your voice count – join thousands of biophysicists across the globe speaking in one strong voice advocating for funding basic science in general and for biophysics specifically

Visit biophysics.org/ Renew Today!