Last November Jennifer Pesanelli, Executive Officer of the Biophysical Society (BPS), invited me to accompany her to “President’s School,” a seminar in leadership where I learned the ABCs of how organizations work. For a scientist whose past leadership experience was conducted more by the seat of my pants than guiding principles, it was eye opening. My new education taught me to lead strategically and not meddle unnecessarily in the activities of the hard-working BPS staff and volunteer committees. I also learned that an effective scientific society leads cultural change, rather than reacting to it. As I begin my term as president, this lesson is at the forefront of my mind.
Our annual meeting generally takes place during Black History Month, recognized in the United States and by several other governments throughout the world. Each year in February, a flurry of activities animates the media and our communities, honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., noting the progress of the Black Lives Matter movement, and uncovering ever more illuminating insights into the direct historical links among black slavery, white privilege, and the structural racism that preserves racial inequities today. These are great t-shirt and Twitter opportunities (@hergologie, #BLM), but as a scientific society we have the power to do more.
Over the decades I have watched the Society actively encourage participation by women and engage international scientists. These were all intentional acts—they didn’t just happen organically, and they require constant vigilance to sustain. I want to make sure the invitation is received by everyone, including BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals and others who don’t have an acronym that resonates. I am encouraged by a notable recent effort, the member-driven Justice for Underrepresented Scholars Training in Biophysics (JUST-B) poster session at the 2022 Annual Meeting. Ongoing efforts by BPS staff and member-volunteers extend throughout the year with Biophysics Week and each issue of The Biophysicist, both focused on reaching young scientists. As president I will fully support these and other activities to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion. BPS is uniquely poised to “be the change,” and I would feel my leadership squandered were I not to fully invest in these efforts and inspire others to do the same.
Scientifically, the Biophysical Society promotes methodological innovation, cross-disciplinary studies, and multiscale approaches. BPS has been a beacon for me as discoveries have led me over many different scientific landscapes. I feel it is sometimes important to ignore disciplinary boundaries and traverse multiple scales in the quest to make advances or challenge dogma. My own attendance at the annual meeting may look like a random walk to some as I dart among Subgroups and platform presentations on ion channel biophysics, cardiac physiology, mechanisms of protein translation and folding, condensate biology, and spectroscopic methods development. As president, I will support all scientific disciplines represented in the Society and incentivize integration across diverse fields of biophysics.
Another point of great concern to many BPS members is dissemination of information and an increasing array of publication models. We wish simply for a fair review process and a fair cost basis without paywalls wherever possible. Formerly as a member of the BPS Publications Committee, I engaged in much discussion on this matter both with other committee members and with colleagues around the world. I note a marked diversity of opinions. At a minimum, I believe we should embrace current trends that remove unnecessary roadblocks to publishing results of our studies while maintaining high standards inherent in peer review. As president, I will support the role of BPS in expediting our ability to complete our work, disseminate the information, and benefit in a timely way from the advances of our colleagues. With a newly established editor-in-chief at the Biophysical Journal and two new journals launched in the past two years, Biophysical Reports and The Biophysicist, I believe our Society’s full potential and impact may be achieved.
BPS’s greatest resource is its membership, but we face significant barriers to participation due to pandemic disease, economic inequality, and a dwindling pipeline in some STEM fields. We need to be nimble in implementing technology to maintain our community and promote synergies even when travel is interrupted or is less feasible for those with limited resources, which has been a problem long before the pandemic hit. International journal clubs, seminars, and, increasingly, meetings of other scientific societies are delivered online. There are challenges associated with these platforms but potential advantages in terms of broader access. Council’s decision to offer Subgroup Saturday talks on demand following the 2022 Annual Meeting is an important first step, and perhaps something we want to continue even after the threat of pandemic disease abates. As BPS president, one of my primary objectives is to promote scientific interactions in unconventional ways.
Still, no one Society activity is as important to me as the Annual Meeting. It is the heart and soul of our community. As I write this column in January 2022, I am thrilled, yet nervous, anticipating next month’s in-person meeting. I want to see my friends and colleagues and ask experts questions about new approaches we are trying in my lab. I want to meet trainees and support their poster presentations by taking time to ask a question. I want to see presentations of the latest technologies from my gear-head colleagues. Triply vaccinated, masked, and among others of the same ilk, I am willing to take this chance for now. I do lament the anticipated absence of many of our members outside the United States for whom the barriers to travel may be insurmountable. Their involvement is crucial to our long-term success. But we soldier on, with the BPS staff bearing the greater burden of uncertainty, weighing costs beyond just the hit to the budget, and responding by implementing every possible safety measure, save canceling the meeting. I am deeply grateful for their efforts and apologetic for the new gray hairs sprouted in the process.
I welcome the membership to contact me via email ([email protected]) or Twitter (@hergologie) and give me the opportunity to listen to your concerns and big ideas. I am honored to serve in a capacity that enables me to repay a debt of gratitude to the Biophysical Society.
—Gail Robertson, President