BPS is pleased to have several attendees serving as meeting bloggers during #bps18.  For those in attendance, learn about sessions you couldn’t fit into your schedule, consider a different perspective, or get some tips to help you make the most of your time at the meeting and in San Francisco. For those readers that aren’t at the meeting, read the posts to get a taste of some of the great research being presented at Biophysical Society’s 62nd Annual Meeting!

My name is Jessie and I am a 4^th year PhD student in the physics department at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. My research is in the area of biomedical imaging, specifically a type of optical imaging call Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Working in Amy Oldenburg’s Coherence Imaging Lab at UNC-CH, I design and build OCT systems with novel features in order to image and study various biological systems. My interest in writing and science communication began as an undergrad at Davidson College (Davidson, NC) where I majored both in physics and in Spanish literature. I am an active member of our physics outreach program and our school’s science policy advocacy group.

My name is Cathrine Bergh and I’m just about to start a PhD in Theoretical Biophysics under Dr. Erik Lindahl at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. I have a background in physics and my research is focused on developing and using theoretical methods to study motion of biomolecules, for example molecular dynamics, Markov state models or other coarse-grained or multi-resolution simulation methods. I also have a great interest in computer science/HPC and worked as a support engineer for the fastest supercomputer in Scandinavia (a Cray XC40). It is my first time at the Annual Meeting, but not in San Francisco as I recently did my Master’s thesis project at Stanford University in Dr. Michael Levitt’s group. I’m mostly looking forward to the poster session, to just talk to lots of people and hopefully bring back a few new ideas to Sweden. And of course it will be great to see all my lab mates from Stanford again!

I will present a poster about my Master’s thesis work on Tuesday February 20th 1.45-3.45 pm. I hope I will talk to you there!

So I’m Po-chia Chen (Poker), a sort of integrative structural biologist who combines molecular dynamics simulations with small-angle X-ray scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments. My current working arrangement consists of a research stay in Sydney, Australia on while being employed by EMBL, Heidelberg: which results in me running parallel projects on protein modelling, NMR spin relaxation predictions, and SAXS-based screening. A poster will be presented on the last one of the three at this meeting, although I may be running around catching up on current and previous work ranging from membrane channels to protein nucleic-acid interactions. Please feel free to tag me for an explanation.

My aim for this blogging contribution is to highlight some of the random social aspects of the conference. As a veteran of multiple conferences, there’s plenty of work and non-work conversations attendees get up to. I’m a general reader/geek/surfer/gamer, and if there happens to be a piano nearby and people are actually allowed to play it, chances are I’ll be there at least once. So hit me up if you want to chat or have a story to share.

My name is Madhura De. Originally from Calcutta, India, I am currently a 2^nd year PhD student at the German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg. I did my undergraduate studies and Masters in Calcutta where I shifted gradually from biology to biophysics and structural biology, focusing on NMR spectroscopy and atomistic simulations of DNA mismatches during my Master’s thesis. I shifted to single molecule FRET spectroscopy for my PhD and I am currently trying to use this technique to probe the position of linker histone in the chromatosome.

This is my first time at the Biophysical Society, and also my first visit to the United States, and I am excitedly looking forward to a lot of sunshine at the remarkable Golden Gate Bridge!

Apart from enjoying my day to day adventures – highs and lows at the lab, I really enjoy writing, travelling, reading, listening to music (Scott McKenzie’s ‘San Francisco’ playing on loop a few weeks prior to this year’s meet), and watching videos related to the International Space Station, Harry Potter, and David Suchet’s ‘Hercule Poirot’!

I will be presenting a poster at the Single Molecule Spectroscopy II session, 21^st February, from 10.30 to 11.30 am. I would be glad to discuss my work with all of you and also hear about yours! Do drop by!

My name is Ewan D Fowler. I earned my BS degree in Sport Science from the University of Glasgow in 2010. This was followed by a MS and PhD at the University of Leeds in the laboratory of Prof Ed White, where I studied the energetic basis for excitation-contraction coupling abnormalities in heart failure. I was awarded a travel scholarship from Boehringer Ingelheim to spend part of my PhD at the Vrijie Universiteit, Amsterdam, where I investigated diastolic dysfunction by stretching intact cardiac myocytes under dynamic load. I currently work as a Research Associate in the laboratory of Prof Mark B Cannell at the University of Bristol. My research investigates the interaction between the electrical properties and calcium handling of cardiac myocytes. I am particularly interested in the causes of calcium-induced arrhythmias in pathology. Outside of science, I enjoy learning electronics, programming, competing in triathlons and the occasional craft beer.

 

 

I am Gaurav, a biomedical scientist trained in multidisciplinary and multicultural settings. I am currently working at a bay area startup, where I am investigating electrical conduction through single DNA molecules in pursuit of developing quantum tunneling based DNA sequencing platform. Before this current position, I obtained my Ph.D. from Drexel University in Philadelphia where my doctoral work focused on single-molecule detection using solid-state nanopores.

Through the BPS blog, I look forward to sharing my insights about the exciting research being presented at BPS’18. I also plan to share my favorite places to see and eat in San Francisco with BPS’18 attendees. You can follow me on twitter @virgaurav and visit my LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gauravgoyal/.

 

I am Derek, a Biophysics PhD student in my fourth year at Stanford University. MY research in Prof. Alex Dunn’s lab focuses on adhesion complexes, the protein assemblies that mechanically link the cell’s cytoskeleton to the external environment. To study how mechanical force regulates adhesion assembly and cytoskeletal organization, I use single-molecule force spectroscopy and computational modeling. I got involved in biophysics as an undergraduate researcher in Prof. Koen Visscher’s lab at the University of Arizona, where I was lured in by the high-power lasers but convinced to stay by the biology. Outside of lab, I enjoy mentoring high school students through Stanford’s Future Advancers of Science and Technology (FAST) outreach program (and would like to give a shout out to the fantastic students at Andrew P. Hill High School). At every Biophysical Society meeting, my lab mates work hard to perpetuate the rumor that I am secretly an amazing dancer, a practical joke that has gotten out of hand.

My name is Emily E. Maverick and I am a 4^th year graduate student in the Biomedical Sciences department at Colorado State University. My scientific passion has been ion channels ever since I learned about the NMDA receptor as a coincidence detector for learning and memory in a college pyschology class. In fact that’s why I decided to go to grad school—to study these beautiful proteins that are responsible for thought, experience and consciousness. My current research centers around a potassium channel that has both an electrical and a structural role in brain health and function. I use electrophysiology and single molecule imaging to investigate its function and localization in several cell types.

Although my research interests are somewhat niche, I am also endlessly curious, and it’s this trait that lead me to blogging. I kept up a blog in college as an avenue to gab about science that blew my mind, so blogging for BPS is going to be really fun! What better place to be immersed in cutting edge research and technology? I’m looking forward to writing about health-related and translational biophysics research as well as some of the novel techniques that will be highlighted at this year’s meeting.

When I’m not writing or at the bench I love to play outside in the beautiful Colorado weather. Ultimate Frisbee, rock climbing and backpacking are some of my favorite hobbies. While in San Francisco I’m going to be searching out some good breweries (Fort Collins has spoiled me) and seafood (Colorado is so land-locked) and I’ll communicate on the blog when I find something worth sharing. Enjoy the meeting!

 

Hi. I am Mara Olenick, a 5^th year PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, where I work to better understand intracellular transport through studies on the molecular motor, dynein.  While this is my second time to the annual BPS meeting, this is my first time blogging. I  look forward to blogging about the professional development events along with the scientific sessions, since I am nearing the end of my graduate career and am interested in pursuing a career in science communication. In my free time, I am also excited to explore San Francisco with hmy friend and previous BPS blogger Martin Iwanicki, who will undoubtedly take me to all the hot food spots the city has to offer. Besides my love of science, I enjoy trying new foods, listening to live music and exploring new places which is why I am eager to attend BPS18!  I will be giving a talk Monday Feb. 19^th at 9:30am in the Microtubules and Associated Motors platform session.

 

 

 

 

Hi! My name is Briana Watkins, though most everyone calls me Bree. I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2015. I am now a third year PhD student at the University of Miami in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. My project is focused on understanding how different small molecules modify the activity of voltage-gated ion channels in the heart. I’m particularly interested in the role of different ion channels in cellular excitability in health and disease.

 

 

 

 

 

I’m Justin Westerfield, a fourth-year PhD student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Working in the lab of Dr. Francisco Barrera, I study pH-responsive peptides as candidates for targeted therapy and as tools to understand membrane proteins. Outside of the lab my interests revolve around nature; I generally spend my free time baking breads, hiking, and photographing landscapes. This will be my first BPS meeting, and I’m so excited to meet new people and discuss emerging trends in biophysics. Come visit me on Monday at poster B244! I will be tweeting throughout the week as much as I can, and you can follow me on Twitter at @WesterfieldJM. You can see samples of my posts on justinwesterfield.com/blog. See you in San Fran!