Biophysical Society Newsletter - November 2014

Newsletter NOVEMBER 2014 2015 Society Fellows Named The Biophysical Society congratulates the six members named 2015 Society Fellows. This award honors the Society’s distinguished members who have demonstrated excellence in science, contributed to the expansion of the field of biophysics, and supported the Biophysical Society. The Fellows will be honored at the Awards Ceremony during the Biophysical Society’s 59th Annual Meeting on Monday, February 8, 2015, in the Baltimore, Maryland, Convention Center. The Fellows are:

DEADLINES

59 th Annual Meeting

February 7-11, 2015 Baltimore, Maryland

December 1 Image Contest Submission December 5 Student Housing January 7 Early Registration Late Abstract Submission Luncheon Registration January 22 Hotel Room Block Reservation Child Care Pre-registration January 30 Undergraduate Mixer and Poster Fest Registration

Joseph J. Falke , University of Colo- rado, for his high-impact, wide- ranging contributions to a molecular understanding of chemosensory and signaling reactions on membrane surfaces, and for developing novel biophysical methods to study membrane proteins. Sharon Hammes-Schiffer , University of Illinois, for developing and ap- plying theories for proton-coupled electron transfer reactions and com- putational methods to understanding hydrogen tunneling, electrostatics, and motion in enzymatic reactions. Timothy Lohman , Washington University School of Medicine, for his pioneering biophysical studies of the mechanisms and energetics of protein-DNA interactions, including the enzymology and kinetic mechanisms of DNA helicases and translocases, and single-stranded DNA binding proteins.

Susan Marqusee, University of California, Berkeley, for her work as one of the world’s top experimentalists in the field of protein folding, which has had, and continues to have, a significant impact in the field of protein biophysics in general. George Phillips , Rice University, for his fundamental contributions to studying protein structure, dynamics, and solvation by X-ray diffraction and for promoting graduate and postdoctoral training in biophysics. James Sellers , NHLBI, NIH, for his outstanding contribution to the understanding of the struc- ture, function, and

regulation of the myosin superfamily of proteins.

Two Biophysicists Named 2014 Nobel Laureates See page 18 for details.

CONTENTS

2 4 6 7 8

15 16 17 18 19 20

Biophysicist in Profile Biophysical Journal

Thematic Meetings

Subgroups

Biophysical Society

Public Affairs

Grants and Opportunities Members in the News

International Relations

Annual Meeting

Molly Cule

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Subgroup Symposia

Upcoming Events

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY

Biophysicist in Profile Jim Weisshaar , Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, came late to biophysics, after studying gas phase collisions and spectroscopy using lasers and molecular beams as a physical chemist for 25 years. “In 1997,” he says, “I spent a sabbatical year with Ed Samulski at UNC Chapel Hill studying the structure of alanine dipeptide in liquid crystalline media. Assigning those many sharp lines arising from dipolar couplings got me interested. A few years later, I dropped the gas phase and started learning single-molecule fluorescence. I call it my ‘scientific mid-life crisis,’ to distin- guish it from the other ones.” Weisshaar first became engaged in science during his high school chemistry class. He was lucky to have a teacher, Richard Burke , who believed in the abilities of his students. Weisshaar recalls, “He had us solving the Schrodinger equation for the hydrogen atom in Chem II! I thought quantized atomic energy levels that could be computed accurately were amazing.” Recently, the two reconnected. “Mr. Burke called me up out of the blue. I hadn’t spoken with him since high school days. Evidently he had googled me. It was a spe- cial treat catching up with him, now 72 years old and running his own farm.” After high school, Weisshaar attended Michigan State University, where he earned his bachelor of science in chemistry. He then went on to the Univer- sity of California, Berkeley, where he completed his PhD in chemistry with Brad Moore as his advisor. Weisshaar completed his postdoc at the University of Colorado, Boulder, working on gas phase ion collisions under Steve Leone, Barney Ellison , and Veronica Bierbaum . Following his postdoc, Weisshaar landed at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he established himself in the Department of Chemistry. He worked happily in physical chemistry for twenty-five years before changing fields. “Changing fields from gas phase physical chemistry to biophysics has been a huge challenge,” Weisshaar says. “It turns out that all the molecular quantum mechanics I knew became instantly irrelevant. Now I need stat mech and thermo! On the other hand, my quantitative instincts from [my] physical chemistry days have served me well. Learning enough cell biology to be able to talk with those folks in their own language has been the hardest part. That’s a continuing challenge. The Department [of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison] was very patient during the transition years.” William Moerner of Stanford University and 2014 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry is a colleague in the single-molecule field who has watched Weisshaar’s transition into biophysics over the past decade. Moerner says, “In the mid-2000s, he switched from more conventional physical chemistry to biophysics, and he has become a leader in the use of single-molecule studies to understand a variety of biophysical problems such as diffusion in mem- branes and super-resolution analysis of bacterial protein distributions…He is a friendly, deep colleague who always presents a careful, incisive analysis.” Weisshaar’s longtime colleague at Wisconsin, Tom Record , admires the transi- tion Weisshaar has been able to achieve. “He made a remarkable transition from gas phase chemical physicist to molecular and cellular JIM WEISSHAAR

Officers President Dorothy Beckett President-Elect Edward Egelman Past-President Francisco Bezanilla Secretary Lukas Tamm Treasurer Paul Axelsen Council Olga Boudker Taekjip Ha Samantha Harris Kalina Hristova Juliette Lecomte Amy Lee Marcia Levitus Merritt Maduke Daniel Minor, Jr. Jeanne Nerbonne Antoine van Oijen Joseph D. Puglisi Michael Pusch Bonnie Wallace David Yue Biophysical Journal Leslie Loew Editor-in-Chief

Society Office Ro Kampman Executive Officer Newsletter Ray Wolfe Alisha Yocum Production Laura Phelan Profile

Ellen Weiss Public Affairs

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 © 2014 by the Biophysical Society. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

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Weisshaar’s lab recently discovered that certain AMPs induce formation of reactive oxygen spe- cies in the E. coli cytoplasm. Weisshaar explains, “That’s a new ‘symptom’ after AMP attack, and it’s an important part of bacteriostatic action in aerobic growth conditions. We’re trying to understand how that happens and how ubiquitous the phenomenon is.” They also suspect that AMPs may be inducing opening of mechanosensitive channels in the E. coli cytoplasmic membrane, allowing proteins and small solutes to traverse the membrane. He says, “That’s a very different pic- ture than the usually invoked mechanism of pore formation by insertion into the membrane. A lot more work needs to be done.” Anne Kenworthy , a

biophysics,” Record says, “[He has been] success- ful as a researcher and grad student mentor in both endeavors.” For his part, Weisshaar is happy to be part of the biophysics community. “Our field spans a tremen- dous range of intellectual activity,” he says, “Bio- physics draws on genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, physical chemistry, optics, and condensed-matter and statistical physics. We all need to continually broaden our intellectual, experimental, and computational horizons in order to be able to see research opportunities and take advantage of them. That’s not easy, but this ‘intrinsic interdisciplinarity’ is part of what makes biophysics so fascinating.”

“ Biophysics draws on genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, biochem- istry, physical chemistry, optics, and condensed-matter and statistical physics. We all need to continually broaden our intellectual, experimental, and compu- tational horizons in order to be able to see research opportunities and take advantage of them. That’s not easy, but this ‘intrinsic interdisciplinarity’ is part of what makes biophysics so fascinating. ” – Jim Weisshaar

friend and biophysicist at Vanderbilt Univer- sity, says, “Jim is a very thoughtful and creative scientist. His recent studies have made good use of super resolution microscopy and other high-end imaging approaches to study bacteria. This has allowed them to visualize some remark- able events, such as bacteria under attack by anti-microbial peptides.” Weisshaar has found

The Biophysical Soci- ety has become a scien- tific home for Weis- shaar. “The meetings are a good way to learn a lot in a short period of time. The poster ses- sions are great – that’s where you learn from the students what’s really going on! [The meetings have] helped me meet people I’ve wanted to meet based on their publications. Those stimulating meetings naturally gen- erate research ideas.”

that the most rewarding aspects of his work has been those rare moments of discovery. He elabo- rates, “I guess we all love those ‘aha’ moments when we figure out something that has been puzzling you for a long time, or we finally do the incisive experiment. This happens several times a year if I’m lucky.” Outside of the lab, he finds fulfillment in a variety of hobbies, including gar- dening, reading, and photography. He also enjoys riding his bicycle, he says, “but only seven months of the year in Madison.” For young scientists, Weisshaar offers this advice: “Work hard on your communication skills, both written and verbal. In an era of highly competitive funding, that’s becoming more important all the time.”

Currently, Weisshaar uses single-molecule fluores- cence to study how ribosomes and RNA poly- merase work together in space and time in live E. coli cells. His lab also studies how antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) attack live bacterial cells in real time in order to understand how they kill cells, something he became involved in unexpectedly. He says, “We were studying GFP diffusion in the E. coli cytoplasm and I gave a talk at the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania…Dr. Robert Bucki came up to me afterwards and suggested we watch antimicro- bial peptides in action. I am eternally grateful! The single-molecule tracking projects popped up when the new localization methods appeared.”

Profilee at-a Glance

Jim Weisshaar Institution University of Wisconsin, Madison Areas of Research Biochemistry

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Biophysical Journal Corner

Know the Editors Jane Dyson

Ashok Deniz Scripps Research Institute Editor for the Proteins and Nucleic Acids Section

Scripps Research Institute

Editor for the Proteins and Nucleic Acids Section

Jane Dyson

Ashok Deniz

Q: What is your area of research? My lab is interested in proteins as self-assembling molecular machines. Many, if not all, proteins will fold into their three-dimensional structures spontaneously: the information that specifies the final folded state is present in the amino acid sequence. We have done a number of experi- ments to determine how the sequence codes for folding, using techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), circular dichro- ism (CD), and fluorescence spectroscopy. Rapid mixing techniques allow us to tease out the steps that occur as a protein folds and to identify the types of amino acids that participate in the initial and later steps of the folding process. Proteins are also versatile and flexible machines, particularly those proteins that we term “intrinsically disor- dered” (IDPs). The signature of an IDP is that it is not folded into a defined three-dimensional structure, but is nevertheless functional. Many IDPs need to be disordered in order to perform their functions, for example, in binding to many different partners (protein or nucleic acid) in the cell. Many important cellular systems contain protein elements that are disordered, and we are beginning to see how this disorder allows the system to function as a molecular machine. The motions of protein chains and their connection with function, for example, in enzymatic reac- tions, is another major effort in the laboratory. Protein dynamics can be measured using NMR experiments such as relaxation dispersion, which gives information on the rates of interconver- sion between states, as well as insights into the population and structure of alternative (invisible) states that are frequently intimately connected with the mechanisms of enzyme catalysis.

Q: What is your area of research? Research at my lab currently focuses on gaining a mechanistic understanding of the physics of protein disorder and complexity, by developing and using cutting-edge tools of single-molecule biophysics. Protein disorder and other complexi- ties are now recognized as integral and function- ally critical components of the biology of the cell. Disordered proteins, however, are dynamic, and exhibit complicated structural and interac- tion biophysics, which makes them difficult to study by conventional tools that typically average information over millions or billions of mol- ecules, thus washing out important information. To avoid this loss of information, we develop and utilize sensitive fluorescence methods that allow us to examine individual molecules. More recently, we have also integrated strengths of novel microfluidic techniques to enhance our experimental capabilities. This powerful set of tools has allowed us to uncover critical new insight, including that (1) some disordered pro- teins populate compact yet rapidly fluctuating structures, (2) interactions can exert fine control over complex, multistate folding-binding energy landscapes, and (3) differential accessibility of disordered protein sequence regions can result in dramatic tunability of binding cooperativity, and consequently cellular function. Our work also lends fundamental insight into aspects of the molecular biophysics of health, for example, in the context of protein misfolding linked to Parkinson’s disease. Overall, our research com- bines insights and tools of physics, chemistry, and biology, and our developed methodologies can be used broadly to investigate functionally important molecular complexity in biology.

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2014 Thematic Meeting Poster Award Winners Beginning this year, Biophysical Journal is sponsoring poster awards to deserving students and postdocs who present posters at the Biophysical Society Thematic Meetings. The winners each receive a certificate and a $250 prize. Below are the winners for the meetings held in September and October 2014. Modeling of Biomolecular Systems Interactions, Dynamics, and Allostery: Bridging Experiments and Computations Istanbul, Turkey, September 10-14, 2014 Student Winners Gozde Eskici , University of Pennsylvania Simulated Amyloid Fibril Nucleation in Reverse Micelles Elif Korkmaz , University of Wisconsin-Madison Molecular Dynamics and X-Ray Crystallography Reveal the Role of the Skip Regions in Human Cardiac Muscle Protein Myosin Postdoc Winners Seyit Kale , University of Chicago Multi-layered, Iterative Protocols for Quantum Chemical Calculations Kristen Marino , University College London Allosteric Communication within the B-Raf Dimer: The Effect of the V600E Mutation and Inhibitor Binding Significance of Knotted Structures for Function of Proteins and Nucleic Acids Warsaw, Poland, September 17-21, 2014 Student Winners Aleksandre Japaridze , École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Atomic Force Microscopy Study of DNA Knots in Confined Geometry

Postdoc Winner Szymon Niewieczerzal , University of Warsaw Folding Knotted Proteins in a Chaperonin Cage

Disordered Motifs and Domains in Cell Control Dublin, Ireland, October 11-15, 2014

Student Winners Hadar Amartely , The Hebrew University, Israel The STIL Protein Contains Intrinsically Disordered Regions that Mediate Its Protein-Protein Interactions Rebecca Beveridge , University of Manchester, United Kingdom A Mass Spectrometry-based Framework to Identify (Non)-Structural Order in p27 Postdoc Winners Sarah Shammas , University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Coupled Folding upon Binding of Transcription Factors and Allostery within the KIX System Andrea Soranno , University of Zurich, Switzerland Single-Molecule Spectroscopy Reveals Polymer Effects of Disordered Proteins in Crowded Environments Senior Faculty Position Modeling and Analysis of Cellular Systems The Berlin Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling ( http://www.ccam.uchc.edu/ ) (CCAM) at the University of Connecticut Health Center (UCHC) is a multi-disciplinary research center with 15 faculty members focused on development of new pho- tonic, microscopic and computational approaches for the study of cellular systems. CCAM is the home of the Virtual Cell Project ( http://vcell.org ). We occupy a new award winning research building close to the main campus. UCHC is poised to undergo unprecedent- ed growth through the State “Bioscience Connecticut” initiative and through the establishment of the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine on our campus. We have an opening at the Associate or Full professor level for an established funded investigator whose research program elucidates processes that control cell function. A research program that integrates computational modeling with experiments at multiple scales would be especially appropriate. The successful can- didate will be expected to assume a leadership role in the continued growth of CCAM. Opportunities will also be available to participate in the CCAM graduate program. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Applicants should submit a letter of application, cur- riculum vitae, research plan and statement of teaching interests, and names (with address and e-mail address) of at least three references via the University of Connecticut Health Center Employment Services website, https://jobs.uchc.edu , search number 2012-1038. Questions regarding this search should be addressed to Leslie Loew at les@volt.uchc.edu Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer (M/F/M/PwD/PV)

Nicole Lim , University of Cambridge Mechanistic Insights into the Folding of Trefoil-knotted Proteins

Calin Plesa , Delft University of Technology Study of DNA Knots with Solid-State Nanopores

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Public Affairs

Congress Keeps Government Running with Continuing Resolution The Federal Government has yet again started its fiscal year, which began October 1, operat- ing under a continuing resolution, which extends funding for all federal agencies and programs at FY 2014 levels through December 11, 2014. By approving a budget to keep the government op- erational through December, Congress has put off any tough fiscal decisions until after the Novem- ber elections. At that time members will no longer be on the campaign trail and will know which party will control Senate for the next two years. While Congress got off to a strong start approving a budget resolution for 2015 in January, it failed to pass a single appropriations bill. The House passed 7 of the 12 annual appropriation bills, but the Senate did not approve any. At its September meeting, the NIGMS Advi- sory Council approved a new pilot program for research funding distributed by the Institute. Replacing multiple grants, the Maximizing Inves- tigators’ Research Award (MIRA) program will provide a single award in support of all the proj- ects in an investigator’s lab that are relevant to the NIGMS mission. The MIRA awards will be given for a longer period and at a higher funding level than current average NIGMS R01 awards. The pilot program will initially be open to investigators who currently have at least two NIGMS R01s, as well as new investigators. In response to a call for comments on the pro- posed program, the Biophysical Society’s Public Affairs Committee encouraged NIGMS to care- fully evaluate the pilot program to see how it is impacting the portfolio. Specifically, the Commit- tee asked NIGMS to analyze the percentage of the budget for new/competing grants spent on MIRA NIGMS Advisory Council Approves Pilot Funding Program

Over 300 Rally for Medical Research on Capitol Hill The Biophysical Society joined more than 300 other organizations on September 18 under the banner of the “Rally for Medical Research” to urge Congress to increase our nation’s investment in medical research and, specifically, increase funding for NIH. BPS members Jenna Campbell , Boston Consulting Group, and Richard Brennan , Duke University, joined 300 individuals representing researchers, patients, survivors, clinicians, and industry repre- sentatives in visiting 200 Congressional offices to call for a stronger investment in medical research. The Rally was kicked off by a reception the eve- ning before, where attendees heard from Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), NIH Director Francis Col- lins , actress Laura Bell Bundy , and Miss USA Nia Sanchez . Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) spoke the morning of the Hill day. In addition, President Obama sent a brief statement of support that was read at the reception.

The Congressional visits in Washington DC were accompanied by a nationwide “Day of Action.” The Society, along with other participating organi- zations, urged members to contact their represen- tatives by email, phone, and social media to urge them to increase funding for medical research.

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International

awards, the ratio of awards to new/established investigators, both before and after the implementa- tion of MIRA, and changes in R01 renewal rates from year-to-year. While the goal of the program is to decrease the grant application burden on both investigators and reviewers, increase flexibility and funding stability, and better distribute limited re- sources, only careful evaluation of the program will illustrate whether that happens. NIGMS plans to issue a funding opportunity an- nouncement for the program in early 2015 and issue the first MIRA awards in FY 2016. The Institute has stated that it does plan to evaluate the program and expand it if it is found to be successful. BPS Submits Comments on OSTP Strategy for American Innovation The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Economic Council (NEC) are currently at work updating the Strategy for American Innovation, which was originally adopted in 2011 and was meant to “guide the Administration’s efforts to promote lasting eco- nomic growth and competitiveness through policies that support transformative American innovation in products, processes, and services and spur new fundamental discoveries that in the long run lead to growing economic prosperity and rising living standards.” To help inform that process, OSTP and NEC asked for input from the scientific community and the public. The questions posed by the two or- ganizations were broad in scope but asked individu- als and organizations to provide ideas and examples of what should be included in the updated strategy. In response to that request, the Biophysical Society’s Public Affairs Committee submitted comments, which strongly stated that any innovation strategy must include a strong commitment to funding fundamental science research, even before applica- tions for that knowledge are identified. The com- ments submitted can be read in full on the Society’s website. To read them go to "About Us", and select "Newsroom".

Japan Education Ministry Seeks Major Increase in STEM Funding The Education Ministry in Japan has asked the government for an 18% increase for its science and technology budget. This funding would support several major facilities, including the SPring-8 syn- chrotron and the SACLA X-ray free-electron laser. With the additional funding, the facilities could make upgrades and run for an additional 1000 and 750 hours, respectively, per year. A portion of this funding would also be allocated for continuing study into the proposed International Linear Collider. Ear- lier this year, the Japanese government established a committee to investigate the scientific case for the facility, as well as the technical issues and cost associ- ated with undertaking such a project. The proposed budget increase will be presented to the legislature in December. A recent report from the Brookings Institution entitled The Geography of Foreign Students in U.S. Higher Education: Origins and Destinations analyzes where international students in the US on F-1 visas are coming from and going to, at the city level. Previous studies have focused on countries of origin of international students, but not cities. The top five hometowns for F-1 students are Seoul, South Korea; Beijing, China; Shanghai, China; Hyderabad, India; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study found that the New York City metro area is the top destination for international students coming to the US, while the metro areas with the most dramatic increases in numbers of international students in recent years include Corvallis, Oregon; Dayton, Ohio; and Tus- caloosa, Alabama. Report Analyzes Cities of Origin of International Students in US

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59 th Annual Meeting February 7-11, 2015  Baltimore, Maryland

2015 Annual Meeting Career Events  From putting potential students in touch with top biophysics programs, to assisting job seekers with resume critiques, to providing networking opportunities for mid-career professionals, this year’s Annual Meeting will feature a wide variety of career-enriching events for Meeting attendees at every career stage and on every career path.

Perspectives on the Meeting "I come to the meeting every year. It is a great place for my students to show posters and get to know the field. And of course for me to catch up with colleagues and learn what is new.” — Heike Wulff “I loved the Career Center! I think it has been growing quickly in terms of the number and diversity of services and sessions offered that are actually useful for me as a graduate student.” — Sandra Pineda- Sanabria

Industry & Agency Fair Tuesday, February 10, 1:00–3:00 pm

Career Transitions Navigating the Transition: Grad Student to Postdoc Sunday, February 8, 1:30 pm –3:00 pm

Come to the fair to explore scientific career paths outside of academia. This is a great opportunity to learn about the variety of opportunities avail- able to scientists in industry and government and to talk one-on-one with representatives from participating organizations. Networking Postdoctoral Breakfast Sunday, February 8, 7:30 am –8:30 am Come and join your peers to meet and discuss the issues you face in your current career stage. Members of the Early Careers Committee will be available to answer questions about how the Committee serves postdocs in the biophysical community. Limited to the first 100 attendees. You have a position working in biophysics and have some funding for your work, but you have realized that the career challenges continue. Come relax and network with your contempo- raries and senior biophysicists over a beer or glass of wine. This event is a great chance to compare notes with colleagues and discuss one-on-one your unique solutions to issues that arise in the time between getting your job and getting tenure, including management of lab staff, getting your work published, and renewing your funding. Refreshments will be provided, with cash bar. Mid-Career Mixer Sunday, February 8, 5:30 pm –7:00 pm

Are you a graduate student curious about the process of moving from graduate school to a postdoctoral position? This session, organized by the Early Careers Committee, is designed for you! A panel of current postdocs will share their experiences with choosing a postdoctoral position and making the transition from graduate school into postdoctoral training. Postdoc to Faculty Q&A: Transitions Forum and Luncheon Tuesday, February 10, 12:00 pm –2:00 pm This question-and-answer luncheon, sponsored by the Committee for Professional Opportunities for Women (CPOW), is designed for postdocs finishing and actively applying for academic fac- ulty positions. New faculty and recently tenured faculty in basic science and/or medical school departments will lead the discussion, as well as

experienced senior-level faculty who have served as department chairs and/or part of faculty search committees. Topics for discussion include how to prepare the cur- riculum vitae, the interview pro- cess, networking, how to negotiate the job offer, and advice for new faculty as they balance research with their department obligations. Pre-registration is recommended and the fee includes a box lunch. Walk-ins will be permitted to at- tend if space allows but will not be able to purchase the box lunch.

Abstract Update Over 3200 abstracts were submitted for the Annual Meeting and will be programmed into platform and poster sessions. Look for your programming email notice in late November.

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BRIDGING THE SCIENCES: COMPUTATION AND EXPERIMENT

Networking with Minority Biophysicists: Resources and Opportunities Tuesday, February 10, 3:00 pm –4:00 pm This networking event, sponsored by the Minority Affairs Committee, will provide minority students and scientists the opportunity to network and discuss challenges and resources with other minority biophysicists. Funding and Publishing Learn from others who have been successful in ob- taining funding for the development of undergradu- ate courses and programs. In addition to discuss- ing these funding opportunities, speakers will also comment on national initiatives focused on STEM education. Grant Writing Workshop: How (Not) to Write Your NIH Grant Proposal Monday, February 9, 1:00 pm –3:00 pm Through mock study sections and discussions, veteran NIH officials will demonstrate what review panels look for when they read and assess proposals. They will also answer questions about peer review, avoiding application pitfalls and responding to review concerns. This session is sponsored by the Public Affairs Committee and is appropriate for both experienced principal investigators and those apply- ing for their first grant. This panel discussion, sponsored by the Publications Committee, will focus on the practical issues in- volved in publishing a scientific paper. The panelists have extensive experience in writing, reviewing, and editing papers, and will provide information on the dos and don'ts of submitting research manuscripts. Discussions will likely focus on strategies to avoid common pitfalls, how to prevent and fix problems before submission, and how to respond to critiques and even rejection of a paper. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions during the session. How to Get Your Scientific Paper Published Monday, February 9, 2:15 pm –3:45 pm Teaching Science Like We Do Science Sunday, February 8, 2:00 pm –3:30 pm

Funding Opportunities for Faculty at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions Tuesday, February 10, 12:00 pm –1:30 pm

The Education Committee is hosting a session aimed at helping PUI faculty find funding sources that will help them to establish or maintain an active and productive undergraduate research laboratory. Grant Opportunities for Early Career Faculty Tuesday, February 10, 2:30 pm –4:30 pm Meet program coordinators and research administra- tors from key funding agencies in this panel, hosted by the Early Careers Committee. They will discuss and answer questions about the timeline, strategies, and funding opportunities for new faculty working to establish their independent laboratories. Annual Art of Science Image Contest Opens Sponsored by Bruker Corporation Do you have an eye-catching image that resulted from your research? To showcase the artistic side of scientific imaging, BPS members attending the 2015 Annual Meeting may enter the annual BPS image contest, The Art of Science. Monetary prizes will be awarded for 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd place. Prizes sponsored by Chroma For more information and to submit an image, go to www.biophysics.org/2015meeting and click ‘Program’ and then ‘Special Functions’ . Entries are due December 1, 2014.

Winning images from 2014 Art of Science Image Contest

Additional details at www.biophysics.org/2015meeting

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Subgroup Annual Meeting Symposia The 12 Society subgroups will hold symposia on Saturday, February 7, 2015, in Baltimore, Maryland. For complete session information for each subgroup visit http://www.biophysics.org/2015meeting/Program/Sub- groups/tabid/4872/Default.aspx. Bioenergetics Jan Hoek and Gyorgy Hajnoczky , Thomas Jefferson University, Subgroup Co-Chairs Vassilios Papadopoulos , McGill University Translocator Protein in Mitochondrial Cholesterol Transport and the Pharmacology of Steroidogenesis Marco Colombini , University of Maryland

Bax Channels: Cooperativity and Voltage Gating Jeff Abramson , University of California, Los Angeles Structure-guided Simulations Illuminate the Mechanism of ATP Transport Through VDAC1 John J. Lemasters , Medical University of South Carolina VDAC and Regulation of Mitochondrial Metabolism 5:00 pm Subgroup Business Meeting 7:00 pm Subgroup Dinner Biological Fluorescence Enrico Gratton , University of California, Irvine, Subgroup Chair Kandice Tanner , NIH Deconstructing Organogenesis Using Fluorescence Microscopy Vladislav Verkhusha , Albert Einstein College of Medicine Engineering of Bacterial Phytochromes for in Vivo Imaging Peter Walla , Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Germany Fluorescence Nanoscopy by Polarization Modula- tion (SPoD) and Polarization Angle Narrowing (ExPAN) Dan Larson , NIH Understanding Gene Expression Heterogeneity in Living Cells with Single-Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy

Morning Symposium

Program Chair: Brett Kaufman , University of Pennsylvania Carlos Moraes , University of Miami Selective Targeting of mtDNA Sequences and Applications to Therapy Craig Cameron , Pennsylvania State University New Paradigms for Regulation of Human Mitochondrial Transcription Phillip West , Yale University Mitochondrial DNA Stress Primes the Antiviral Innate Immune Response Brett Kaufman , University of Pennsylvania New Insights into the Causes of Mitochondrial Genome Instability Afternoon Symposium: Mitochondrial outer membrane transport systems: structure, prop- erties, and physiological implications Program Chairs: Marco Colombini , University of Maryland; John J. Lemasters , Medical University of South Carolina Shelagh Ferguson-Miller , Michigan State University High Resolution Crystal Structures of Translocator Protein 18 kDa (TSPO) Reveal Ligand Binding Sites and Effects of a Human Single Polymorphism Yves Pommier , NIH MtDNA Topoisomerases

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Exocytosis and Endocytosis Gary Matthews , Stony Brook University, Subgroup Chair Christien Merrifield , National Center for Scientific Research, France Mapping the Molecular Dynamics of Clathrin Mediated Endocytosis Elisabeth Glowatzki , Johns Hopkins University Hair Cell Ribbon Synapse Function - Differently

Chiara Stringari, Ecole Polytechnique, France Metabolic Imaging of Living Tissues by Fluorescence Lifetime Microscopy (FLIM) and Endogenous Biomarkers Rong Li , Stowers Institute of Medical Research Dynamics and Segregation of Protein Aggregates during Asymmetric Cell Division Young Fluorescence Investigator Award & Lecture The Gregorio Weber Award & Lecture Biopolymers in Vivo Silvia Cavagnero , University of Wisconsin, Madison, Subgroup Chair

Optimized for Hearing and Balance Shigeki Watanabe , University of Utah Ultrafast Recycling of Synaptic Vesicles

Jeremy Dittman , Weill Cornell Medical College Complexin-mediated Inhibition of Vesicle Fusion: Conserved Functions fromWorm to Mouse Ronald Holz , University of Michigan, Katz Award Lecture Known Unknowns in Exocytosis

Interaction Networks in Living Systems

Program Chairs: Joan Shea , University of California, Santa Barbara; Sarah Woodson , Johns Hopkins University

10:45 am Subgroup Business Meeting

5:30 pm Subgroup Business Meeting

Keynote 1: James Williamson , Scripps Research Institute Dynamics of Bacterial Ribosome Assembly in Cells Robert Singer , Albert Einstein College of Medicine Ivet Bahar , University of Pittsburgh Neurotransmitter Translocation: Insights from Network Models and Multiscale Simulations Gerhard Hummer , Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Germany Assembling the Pieces of Protein Puzzles Jin Zhang , Johns Hopkins University Probing Spatiotemporal Regulation of Signal Transduction in Living Cells Keynote 2: Xiaowei Zhuang , Harvard University Super-Resolution Fluorescence Imaging with STORM

6:30 pm Subgroup Dinner

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Elizabeth Komives , University of California, San Diego, Subgroup Chair Intrinsically Disordered Proteins in their Cellular Settings Program Chairs: Edward Lemke , European Molecular Biology Laboratory; Rohit Pappu , Washington University 10:00 am Subgroup Business Meeting Ashok Deniz , Scripps Research Institute, Keynote Speaker Single-Molecule Biophysics of Intrinsic Protein Disorder

Additional details at www.biophysics.org/2015meeting

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Dariush Hinderberger , Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany Cooperative Effects and Structural Dynamics in the Intrinsically Disordered Protein Osteopontin John Bushweller , University of Virginia School of Medicine Intrinsic Disorder, Epigenetics, and Leukemia — The MLL-AF9 Saga Edward Lemke , European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany Decoding Protein Plasticity from Single Molecules to Large Complexes Philipp Selenko , Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology, Germany Studying Proteins at Atomic Resolution in Live Cells: From Science Fiction to Reality Tanja Mittag , St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital The Role of Protein Disorder and Self-Association in the Formation of Cellular Bodies Petra Levin , Washington University An Intrinsically Disordered Linker Plays a Central Role in Bacterial Cell Division Clifford Brangwynne , Princeton University Space and Time in IDP-mediated Intracellular Phase Transitions Ursula Jakob , University of Michigan, Keynote Speaker Conditionally Disordered Chaperones Mechanobiology Dennis Discher , University of Pennsylvania, Subgroup Chair Douglas Robinson , Johns Hopkins University Molecular Mechanisms of Contractility-based Cellular Mechanosensing Kenneth Yamada , NIH Cell Migration Roop Mallik , Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India Dynein Teams Assemble on Lipid Rafts to Generate Large Forces on Phagosomes

Ewa Paluch , University College London, United Kingdom Actin Cortex Mechanics and Cell Shape Control in Migration and Division Ulrich Schwarz , Heidelberg University, Germany Stiffness Sensing Through Myosin II Minifilaments Benoit Ladoux , Paris Diderot University, France Adaptative Response of Cell Cytoskeleton Rheology and Ordering Governs Matrix Rigidity Sensing Yong Hwee Foo , National University of Singapore Investigation of the EnvZ/OmpR Bacterial Signal- ing System Using Single Particle Tracking and Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy Membrane Biophysics Baron Chanda , University of Wisconsin-Madison, Subgroup Chair Richard Aldrich , University of Texas, Austin Coupled Conformational Changes and Allostery in Channel Gating Pierre-Jean Corringer , Pasteur Institute, France Allosteric Mutant Phenotypes Investigated on an α 1 Glycine Receptor Transmembrane Structure Hiro Furukawa , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Structural Analysis of NMDA Receptor Anthony Auerbach , State University of New York, Buffalo Thermodynamics of AChR Activation José Faraldo Gómez, NIH Novel Insights into the Structure and Mechanism of Proton and Sodium/Calcium Exchangers Rachelle Gaudet , Harvard University Structural Determinants of TRPV Channel Activation and Modulation Brad Rothberg , Temple University Conformational Motions of K + Channel RCK Domains

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

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Membrane Structure and Assembly Marjorie Longo , University of California, Davis, Subgroup Chair John Conboy , University of Utah Phosphatidylglycerol Asymmetry and Translocation in Lipid Membranes Todd R. Graham , Vanderbilt University Control of Membrane Asymmetry by P4-ATPases Peter Tieleman , University of Calgary, Canada Computer Simulations of Lipid Flip-Flop and Membrane Asymmetry Mary Kraft, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Investigating the Mechanisms of Non-Random Sphingolipid Organization in the Plasma Membranes of Fibroblast Cells Edward Lyman , University of Delaware Molecular Structure and Nanoscale Dynamics of the Liquid-ordered Phase Christoph Naumann , Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis Probing Membrane Protein Sequestration and Oligomerization in Polymer-tethered Phospholipid Bilayers Containing Raft-mimicking Lipid Mixtures Jeanne Stachowiak , University of Texas, Austin Protein Crowding Modulates the Shape and Content of Curved Membranes and Coated Vesicles Miglena I. Angelova , Pierre and Marie Curie University, France Direct Monolayer Packing Imbalance and Phospho- lipid Flip-Flop: Two Mechanisms of Local Bilayer Deformation. Application to Mitochondrial Cristae of Wild-Type and Cardiolipin-Deficient Mutant Patricia Bassereau, Curie Institute, France Protein Spatial Distribution Depends on Membrane Curvature Guillaume Drin , National Center for Scientific Research, France Structural Basis of Membrane Curvature Recognition by the ALPS Motifs

Scott Feller , Wabash College, Thompson Award Lecture Musings at Mid-Career: What Is So Special about Omega-3 Fatty Acids? 5:10 pm Subgroup Business Meeting Molecular Biophysics Zev Bryant , Stanford University, Subgroup Chair Dynamics of Macromolecular Machines and Assemblies James Berger , Johns Hopkins University Bending, Twisting, Popping: Protein and Nucleic- Acid Remodeling by ATP-dependent Machines and Switches Terence Strick , CNRS/University Paris Diderot, France Single-Molecule Analysis of Nucleotide Excision Repair Pathways Yann Chemla , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Direct Observation of Structure-Function Relationships in Nucleic Acid Processing Enzymes 11:15 am Subgroup Business Meeting Eric Greene , Columbia University Visualizing Homologous Recombination at the Single-Molecule Level Using DNA Curtains Tanja Kortemme , University of California, San Francisco Gregory Alushin , NIH Visualizing the Structural Plasticity of the Cytoskeleton Nikta Fakhri , Massachusetts Institute of Technology

High-Resolution Mapping of Intracellular Fluctuations Using Carbon Nanotubes

Additional details at www.biophysics.org/2015meeting

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Motility Samantha Harris , University of Arizona, and Jeffrey R. Moore , Boston University School of Medicine, Subgroup Co-Chairs Erika Holzbaur , Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Both Competition and Coordination among Opposing Motors Regulate Organelle Motility Richard McKenney , University of California, San Francisco Multiplex Regulation of Cytoplasmic Dynein Motility Joe Muretta , University of Minnesota Mapping Myosin’s Structural Kinetic Landscape for Basic and Therapeutic Discovery 3:30 pm Subgroup Business Meeting Sivaraj Sivaramakrishnan , University of Michigan Nano-patterning Myosin Motors to Dissect Collective Cellular Function Christine Cremo , University of Nevada School of Medicine The Kinetics Underlying the Velocity of Smooth Muscle Myosin Filament Sliding on Actin Filaments in Vitro David Warshaw , University of Vermont Crossing the Bridge Between Muscle Contraction and Intracellular Cargo Transport Nanoscale Biophysics Laura Finzi , Emory University, Subgroup Chair Jeff Gelles , Brandeis University Nanoscale control of Actin Polymerization by a Formin-Capping Protein ‘Decision-Making’ Complex at the Filament Barbed End

Victoria Birkedal , Aarhus University, Denmark Single Molecule FRET Analysis of Nucleic Acid Structures Tom Perkins , University of Colorado, Boulder Ultrastable AFM: Improved Stability, Precision, and Bandwidth for Bio-AFM Hong Wang , North Carolina State University Revealing Structure and Dynamics of Telomere Maintenance Proteins on DNA: One Molecule at a Time Wesley Wong , Harvard University/Boston Children’s Hospital Revealing the Mechanical Regulation of Hemostasis with Novel Approaches in Single-Molecule Manipulation Amit Meller , Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Native Proteins Characterization Using Nanopores Vahid Sandoghdar , Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Germany Label-free Optical Detection of Single Nanoscopic Bioparticles Permeation and Transport Emad Tajkhorshid , University of Illinois, Voltage-gated Sodium Channels: Structure and Function of Complexes with Sodium Channel Blockers Rajini Rao , Johns Hopkins University An Inside Job: Na + /H + Exchangers Link Endosomal pH to Neurological Disorders Mounir Tarek , CNRS/ University of Lorraine, France Conduction in Connexin Hemichannels from Molecular Dynamics Simulations Urbana-Champaign, Subgroup Chair Bonnie Wallace , University of London

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Thematic Meetings Biophysics of Proteins at Surfaces: Assembly, Activation, Signaling October 13–15, 2015, Madrid, Spain Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Félix Goñi , Basque Country University, Spain Marjorie Longo , University of California, Davis, USA Allen Minton , NIDDK/NIH, USA Jesus Perez-Gil , Compultense University of Madrid, Spain Ralf Richter , CIC biomaGUNE, Spain Simon Scheuring , Univeristy of the Mediterranean, France Petra Schwille , Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Germany Claudia Steinem , University of Gottingen, Germany Nancy Thompson , University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA Marisela Velez , Higher Council for Scientific Research, Spain *Confirmed speakers as of October 8, 2014. Additional speakers to be announced.

This meeting will focus on different aspects related to the biophysics of tuning protein func- tions through their assembly into biological or engineered surfaces. Particular aspects covered will include 1) the effect of the interaction with surfaces on the molecular structure of proteins and protein assemblies, with special interest in the modulation by surface-promoted orientation and two-dimensional accumulation of lipid-protein and protein-protein interactions; 2) the effect of two-dimensional organization and entropy loss on the modulation of protein function; and 3) the potential of introducing properly engineered sur- faces to generate new or improved protein-based applications. The program will include talks from the perspec- tive of different systems and approaches reviewed by recognized biophysicists, with the goal of promoting fruitful discussions and future col- laborations in the search of general principles of surface biophysics defining and exploiting protein structure and function. Alicia Alonso , Basque Country University, Spain Gregor Anderluh , University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Patricia Bassereau , Curie Institute, France Maria Garcia-Parajo , Institute of Photonic Sciences, Spain Ana Garcia-Saez , University of Tübingen, Germany Juna Carmelo Gomez-Fernandez , University of Murcia, Spain Speakers*

Deadlines

Abstract Submission: Monday, June 1, 2015 Early Registration: Tuesday, June 23, 2015

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Subgroups

this “from-the-ground-up” approach is ultimately the one to take if we want to understand how the living things function. Has joining the BIV subgroup impact the way you think about the field yet? It is hard to say because I joined the BIV subgroup roughly at the same time that I moved from UIUC to Stanford to start my postdoc, which overall had a big impact on me. It is difficult to decouple the contributions of individu- al events. I think interacting with the best scientist in my field will inevitably have an impact on me over time. I hope that this membership will help me shape my scientific interests and identify my own future research directions. What activity of the BIV subgroup is most important to you? I think the most exciting activity for any member of the Biophysical Society is the BPS annual meet- ing, and for me as a member of the BIV subgroup, it is the BIV symposium that I look forward to the most. This symposium is a very unique forum that brings together researchers at various stages in their career who are really at the forefront of exploring fundamental mechanisms of molecular and cell biology, building tools to investigate these mechanisms, and using the discovered rules to solve problems in biotechnology and biomedicine. In addition, during my tenure as the BIV sub- group postdoc representative I also hope to help increase the student/postdoc participation in the other initiatives of BIV, e.g., the dissemination of in vivo-related cutting-edge science and research symposia, and the BIV logo contest. — Silvia Cavagnero , BIV Subgroup Chair

BIV Fascinated by Live Cells

Maxim Prigozhin , the BIV subgroup postdoc rep- resentative, is interviewed in this issue of the BPS newsletter. Max did his undergrad at the Univer- sity of Toronto before he joined the lab of Martin Gruebele at the University of Illinois for his PhD in chemical physics. He is now at Stanford Uni- versity working with Steven Chu . When did you become excited about biophysics? I did some biophysics research during my under- graduate studies, which is why I decided to pursue this direction in graduate school. What drew me to biophysics in the first place is how eclectic this area of research is. For example, in Martin’s lab, we did everything ourselves: we cultured cells, mutated and expressed proteins, played with lasers, built microscopes, designed electronics, wrote software for simulation and data analysis... you name it! Everyone could really pick what they were excited about doing the most and forge their own path. And if you got bored, well, you just did something else for a while! What was your motivation to join the Biopolymers in Vivo (BIV) subgroup? My PhD work was mostly concerned with pro- teins in a test tube. For my postdoc, I decided to switch into the realm of live-cell biophysics. I fig- ured, this way the biopolymers get to stay in their native environment and I don’t have to express/ purify them anymore! I naturally gravitated to- wards the BIV subgroup because its members, like myself, seek to combine the microscopic under- standing of the chemistry of biomolecular interac- tions with the meso- and macroscopic arrange- ments that these interactions lead to. I believe that