Biophysical Society Newsletter | November 2017

17

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

2017

NOVEMBER

From the BPS Blog http://biophysicalsociety.wordpress.com

Grants and Opportunities i i

Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease through Biophysics Research September was World Alzheimer’s Month. World- wide, 47 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, which is the leading cause of dementia. It affects memory, thinking, orientation, comprehen- sion, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgment. Biophysical Society members Liz Rhoades , Univer- sity of Pennsylvania, and Dieter Willbold , Hein- rich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf and Forschun- gszentrum Jülich, shared with BPS blog readers how their research aims to improve understanding of the mechanisms behind Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Read more: https://biophysicalsociety.wordpress. com/2017/09/21/understanding-alzheimers-dis- ease-through-biophysics-research/.

Silencing of HIV-1 Proviruses (R61/R33)

Objective: To encourage exploratory and de- velopmental bi-phasic research applications to support the identification and optimization of small molecules or RNAs that interact with host epigenetic machinery to mediate long-term or permanent epigenetic silencing of HIV-1 provi- ruses. The objective of this research is to identify small molecules or RNAs that mediate the silenc- ing of HIV-1 proviruses. Website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa- files/RFA-AI-17-013.html NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research: Dynamic Neuroimmune Interactions in the Transition from Normal CNS Function to Disorders (R01) Objective: : To transform our understanding of how dynamic interactions among multiple cell types involved in neuroimmune interactions me- diate the transition from normal central nervous system function to disorder conditions. Projects are encouraged that combine diverse expertise and use innovative approaches to address these questions at the molecular, cellular, and circuitry levels. Deadline: December 6, 2017

Connect with BPS

Deadline: December 7, 2017

Website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa- files/RFA-AA-18-007.html

Student Center Kassidy Rodriguez

Q: What has been your favorite course while studying biophysics? Why?

My favorite and most valuable undergraduate course would be modern physics. This was cer- tainly not the most difficult course but it was the most eye opening. The modern physics course bridged the gaps between chemistry and phys- ics, enabling me to see how all the sciences are connected in a much more profound way than I previously thought. It is not the advanced courses where you find your passion for science.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

University of Minnesota -Duluth

Kassidy Rodriguez