Resources

Workshops and Networking

February 2023: Networking for Introverts and the March Meeting

Thursday, February 9, 11 am ET

Networking for introverts: A Pre-March Meeting Warm-Up

We often hear that networking is an important part of building a career, but building a network can be challenging for many people. Join us for a discussion, where panelists will share tips and tricks that they have used to overcome personal barriers to networking. This will be followed by a breakout session, where you can meet other networking novices, exchange ideas, and practice talking to strangers to warm-up for the March Meeting.

Moderator: Suliana Manley suliana.manley@epfl.ch
Panelists: Moumita Das, Mike Murrell, Alison Patteson, Sahand Rahi, Arpita Upadhyaya

January 2023: Mental Health in Physics

Thursday, January 26, 12 pm ET

Mental health in Physics

For a long time now, we have been seeing high rates of mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, among graduate students in many fields, including physics. In the wake of the pandemic, many of us are still feeling tired, burned out, or traumatized.  What solutions can we find for these problems?  How can we turn a culture of stigma into one of support?  Are there unique issues to biological physics, or conversely are there ways in which we can ally with other disciplines to improve the situation? In this panel discussion, we will try to grapple with ways to improve the culture of mental health and discuss coping mechanisms that various members of the community have found, looking at mental health on an individual and a cultural level.

Moderator: Ré Mansbach
Panelists: Andrea Welsh, Michael Murrell, Deniz Meneksedag-Erol

December 2022: Postdoc Training

Monday, December 19, 12 pm ET

Making the most of your postdoc training

How does one get the most value out of their time as a postdoc in biophysics? What qualifies as "success" when you are a postdoc?

These questions and more will be answered in this workshop sponsored by APS DBIO. A panel of academicians at various career stages will provide their insights into the purpose of postdoctoral training and how it can be used to prepare biophysicists for their future careers.  In addition, they will talk about their personal experiences as successful, former postdocs and provide the audience with advice about how to effectively interact with other biophysicists and interdisciplinary collaborators.

Moderator: Mohammad Nooranidoost
Panelists: Debra Fadool, Eyal Karzbrun, Christopher Smith

November 2022: The Future of Biological Physics

Tuesday November 15, 12 pm ET

The Future of Biological Physics

The Decadal Survey for Biological Physics suggested that there were four key scientific questions the next decade would tackle: what physics problems do organisms need to solve?  How do living systems represent and process information?  How do macroscopic functions of life emerge from interactions of many microscopic constituents?  And, how do living systems navigate parameter space?

Are there any big questions they missed?  And, maybe more importantly, what can we do now to train ourselves and our students for the next decade of such questions and their many instantiations?

The discussion will be stimulated by these scientific questions and education, funding, and inequality recommendations contained in the report.

Moderator: Sarah Marzen (Claremont Colleges)
Panellists: Hernan Garcia (University of California, Berkeley), Jasmine Nirody (The Rockefeller University, University of Oxford), Peter Foster (University of Southern California)

November 2022: Strategies for Incorporating Biological Physics...

Thursday November 3 2022, 1 pm ET

Strategies for incorporating Biological Physics into undergraduate programs

In this panel followed by small group discussions, we’ll consider three different ways that biological physics can be incorporated into the undergraduate physics curriculum for physics majors: examples used in standard courses, strategic course adaptations, and biological physics or other interdisciplinary majors. If your department or program is interested in finding ways to modify your curriculum to incorporate more biological physics, please join us! The final 20 minutes will be devoted to breakout room discussions with the panelists, with each room focused on one of the three approaches, so we hope that you will share your own ideas and experiences as well as hearing about the panelists’ successes and lessons learned.

Moderator: Catherine Crouch

Panelists: Ashley Carter, Jané Kondev, Wolfgang Losert, Patricia Soto Becerra

September 2022: Communicating Biological Physics

Wednesday September 28, 2022, 2 pm ET

Communicating Biological Physics - advice from the experts

It can be difficult to communicate our science to others and the public, even when we think our research findings represent a breakthrough and may also be super cool! Join APS DBIO for a discussion and Q+A with three experts at scientific communication, to learn how to hook your audience and convey the excitement and importance you feel about your work. What are the keys in successfully pitching your work to an editor or to a journalist? How can illustrations and animations help to capture the essence of a system while getting the science “right”? How can you convey the important Physics that you’re learning, while connecting to the biological insight that results? Join us to learn how to convey the importance and excitement about research breakthroughs in Biological Physics.

Moderator: Nancy Forde (Simon Fraser University)

Panelists: Philip Ball (Science Writer), Janet Iwasa (Biochemist and Scientific Animator), Raghuveer Parthasarathy (Biophysicist, Blogger and Author).

August 2022: Teaching Biological Physics

Wednesday August 24, 2022 9 am PT / 12 pm ET

Where does it fit? Insights, innovations, and perspectives on biophysics education

Biological physics is a distinct and vibrant field, but how does it fit within our current educational practices? Should it be integrated into physics curricula or developed as its own program? What student community should it serve? Is there a ‘canon’ of established topics? Whether you are taking classes, teaching classes, or building new programs, this workshop offers the chance to discuss the past, present, and future of biophysics education with a panel of instructional innovators and leaders.

Moderator: Andrew Mugler

Panelists: William Bialek, Lisa Lapidus, Philip Nelson


August 2022: Decadal Survey Report

Wednesday, August 3, 2022 12:00 pm ET (US and Canada)

Physics of Life:  Q & A about the Decadal Survey

The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine has recently completed the first survey of Biological Physics, or the Physics of Living Systems, as part of the Decadal Survey of Physics more broadly.  The report surveys the field; its relation to other fields of science, technology and medicine; and addresses the challenges in education, funding, and community building that we face as we move forward.  This culminates in a series of general and specific recommendations.  

This event is an opportunity for the DBIO community to talk with members of the survey committee, especially to discuss how recommendations can be implemented.  Community input was central to the writing of the report, and community action is essential for the report to have impact.  We hope that you will join us.

The report itself can be found online; a convenient starting point is https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/26403/interactive/.  The webinar that marked the release of the report can be found at https://player.vimeo.com/video/691927583.

Panelists: William Bialek, Princeton University (committee chair); Olga Dudko, University of California San Diego; Peter B. Littlewood, The University of Chicago

July 2022: Applying for Faculty Positions

Wednesday July 27, 2022 9 am PT / 12 pm ET

From Both Sides of the Table: How to Apply for a Faculty Job in the Field of Biological Physics

After productive postdoctoral studies, now you want to look for a faculty position. You may have a number of questions about the process. Where to find the position announcement? Private or public universities? Primarily research or undergraduate institutes? Traditional physics departments or other departments? What to emphasize in the statements? How to interact with the recruitment committee? And many others...

In this workshop sponsored by APS DBIO, a group of panelists at various career stages will provide to-do and not-to-do advice on job applications from perspectives of both recruiters and applicants.

Moderator: Jianhua Xing

Panelists: Sarah Marzen, Jennifer Ross, Andrew Spakowitz, Jing Yan

June 2022: Life at a PUI

Wednesday, June 22, 2022 — 5:00pm PT/7:00pm CT

Life at a PUI: Networking with Biophysics Faculty from Undergraduate Institutions

Have you wondered how to write a successful grant while working at an undergraduate institution, or how to set up a lab on a budget, or how to balance teaching and productive research? In this session, experienced biophysics faculty working at undergraduate institutions will speak to these questions and then host conversations among participants. The goal is to meet and learn from one another to support biophysicists working primarily with undergraduates. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Moderator: Orrin Shindell (Trinity University)

Panelists: Benjamin Stottrup (Augsburg University), Janet Sheung (Claremont McKenna), Rae Robertson-Anderson (University of San Diego)

May 2022: March Meeting Program Insights

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 — 12:00 PM ET

"Under the Hood: Learn About the Process of Proposing and Leading DBIO Scientific Sessions at March Meeting"

Interested in learning more about how the DBIO scientific program at March Meeting is built? Would you like to get more involved, but don't know how it works? During this panel discussion, several DBIO members will discuss their experiences in running Focus and Invited Sessions at previous March Meetings.

Moderator: Margaret Gardel (UChicago)

Panelists: Ajay Gopinathan (UC Merced), Daniel Weissman (Emory), Josh Shaevitz (Princeton), Sima Setayeshgar (Indiana University)


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