Biophysical Society Newsletter | September 2017

7

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

2017

SEPTEMBER

The US Travel Ban: A Dream Unfulfilled My name is Roya; in Persian it means dream. My mother tells me never to stop dreaming and my father taught me to always be positive and to work to achieve my dreams. Recently, I achieved my first big dream by earning a PhD in Structural Biology at the University of Freiburg. I am a protein crystallographer. For each PhD student, one of the goals is to questions sound silly in relation to why I was not given a US visa, but because of my birth place, which I did not choose, I was denied a visa and my dream. Even if I had a chance to choose, I would choose the same country, same city, same neighborhood, and family. My mother's advice ignited my hopes. Therefore,

despite the travel ban, I went ahead and ap- plied for my dream job as a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University in the group of Walter Chazin . He and his group treated me like a col- league and as a friend. I will never forget their tireless efforts and the time they devoted to me by explaining their work via a shared screen; sometimes without a fast internet connection. And how many weeks and months has Profes- sor Chazin spent following my visa application process, investigating the problems, and trying to solve them? To be honest, I could not thank him and his department staff enough for their uncon- ditional support and the massive kindness they have shown me without regard for my nationality or my religion. This is what scientists do to make the world a better place, unlike politicians who don’t understand that science is politically neutral. Nevertheless, finally I had to give up my dream to become a postdoc in the United States. But I do not give up my belief that all people have the right to pursue their dreams, independent of their nationality and religion. — Roya Tadayon , BPS Member

present their work at an important conference in their field and get some suggestions and advice from experts about how to improve their work. Annually, the Biophysical Society meeting is held and eagerly I had prepared to present my project results to other scientists and experts. Unfortu- nately, I was not given the chance to present my work and this marked a sad time in my life when someone stopped me from reaching my goal. Maybe you ask yourself why? Or how? Answers to these questions are the reason why I write this article. As I have stated, I am Iranian and Iran is one of the six countries involved in the new travel ban to the United States. I could not attend the BPS meeting just because I’m Iranian. In my PhD thesis, I worked on new approaches to treat chronic inflammatory disorders and cancer. Sev- eral questions run through my mind: Would the results of my project help specific nationalities? What are the religious beliefs of the people who will read my article? What is the skin color of the people who will use the drugs that maybe will be produced based on my PhD results? I know these

Roya Tadayon

Have your studies or career been affected by travel restrictions to the United States?

The Biophysical Society would like to hear from you. The Society will use the information to demonstrate to elected officials how the restrictions hurt scientists, scientific discovery, and the US economy. Personal information will not be shared without permission. Visit www.biophysics.org/policy/advocacy/action to share your story. The Society leadership recognizes that the implementation of the order has been limited by the courts, but an appeal has been filed and it is possible that the order will be reinstated. Thus, the Society will continue to collect information and be prepared to act as necessary.