The Biophysical Society is an international

scientific society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership may ...

whose purpose is to lead the development and dissemination of knowledge in

biophysics Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...

. Founded in 1958, the Society currently consists of over 7,500 members in

academia An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government ...

, and industry. Although the Society is based in the United States, it is an international organization. Overseas members currently comprise over one third of the total.

Origins

The Biophysical Society was founded in response to the growth of the field of biophysics after World War Two, as well as concerns that the

American Physiological Society The American Physiological Society is a non-profit professional society for physiologists. It has nearly 10,000 members, most of whom hold doctoral degrees in medicine, physiology or other health professions. Its mission is to support research an ...

had become too large to serve the community of biophysicists. Discussions between prominent biophysicists in 1955 and 1956 led to the planning of the society's first meeting in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

in 1957, with about 500 attendees. Among the scientists involved in the early effort were

Ernest C. Pollard Ernest Charles "Ernie" Pollard (April 16, 1906 – February 24, 1997) was a British professor of physics and biophysics and an author, who worked on the development of radar systems in World War II, worked on the physics of living cells, and wrote ...

, Samuel Talbot, Otto Schmitt, Kenneth Stewart Cole, W. A. Selle, Max Lauffer, Ralph Stacy,

Herman P. Schwan Herman P. Schwan (7 August 1915 – 17 March 2005) was a biomedical engineer and biophysicist, recognized as the "founding father of biomedical engineering." He was born in Aachen, Germany, and died in his home Radnor, Pennsylvania. Biography S ...

, and

Robley C. Williams Robley Cook Williams (October 13, 1908 – January 3, 1995) was an early biophysicist and virologist. He served as the first president of the Biophysical Society. Career Williams attended Cornell University on an athletic scholarship, completi ...

. This meeting was described by Cole as "a biophysics meeting with the ulterior motive of finding out if there was such a thing as biophysics and, if so, what sort of thing this biophysics might be."

Organization

The Biophysical Society is governed by four officers: the President, President-elect, Past-President Secretary, and Treasurer, as well as by a Council of twelve members in addition to the officers. These offices are elected by the membership of the society. The Council appoints an Executive Officer to oversee the functions and staff of the society. The society has a number of committees that help to implement its mission. The committees are: Awards, Early Careers, Education, Finance, Member Services, Membership, Committee for Inclusion and Diversity, Nominating, Professional Opportunities for Women, Program, Public Affairs, Publications, and Thematic Meetings. The Biophysical Society also supports subgroups focusing on smaller areas within biophysics. The current subgroups are: Bioenergetics, Mitochondria, and Metabolism,

Bioengineering Biological engineering or bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically-viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number o ...

, Biological Fluorescence, Biopolymers in vivo,

Cell Biophysics Cell biophysics (or cellular biophysics) is a sub-field of biophysics that focuses on physical principles underlying cell function. Sub-areas of current interest include statistical models of intracellular signaling dynamics, intracellular transpo ...

, Cryo-EM,

Exocytosis Exocytosis () is a form of active transport and bulk transport in which a cell transports molecules (e.g., neurotransmitters and proteins) out of the cell ('' exo-'' + '' cytosis''). As an active transport mechanism, exocytosis requires the use ...

and

Endocytosis Endocytosis is a cellular process in which substances are brought into the cell. The material to be internalized is surrounded by an area of cell membrane, which then buds off inside the cell to form a vesicle containing the ingested material. E ...

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins In molecular biology, an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) is a protein that lacks a fixed or ordered three-dimensional structure, typically in the absence of its macromolecular interaction partners, such as other proteins or RNA. IDPs ran ...

Membrane Biophysics Membrane biology is the study of the biological and physiochemical characteristics of membranes, with applications in the study of cellular physiology. Membrane bioelectrical impulses are described by the Hodgkin cycle. Biophysics Membrane bioph ...

Membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. ...

Structure & Function,

Mechanobiology Mechanobiology is an emerging field of science at the interface of biology, engineering, chemistry and physics. It focuses on how physical forces and changes in the mechanical properties of cells and tissues contribute to development, cell differen ...

, Molecular Biophysics,

Motility Motility is the ability of an organism to move independently, using metabolic energy. Definitions Motility, the ability of an organism to move independently, using metabolic energy, can be contrasted with sessility, the state of organisms th ...

Cytoskeleton The cytoskeleton is a complex, dynamic network of interlinking protein filaments present in the cytoplasm of all cells, including those of bacteria and archaea. In eukaryotes, it extends from the cell nucleus to the cell membrane and is comp ...

, Nanoscale Biophysics, and

Permeation In physics and engineering, permeation (also called imbuing) is the penetration of a permeate (a fluid such as a liquid, gas, or vapor) through a solid. It is directly related to the concentration gradient of the permeate, a material's intrins ...

Transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipel ...

Activities

Since 1960 the Biophysical Society has published the '' Biophysical Journal'', which is currently semi-monthly, as a specialized journal in the field of biophysics. This was started because the Society perceived other scientific journals as unsympathetic to submissions by biophysicists. The society also publishes a monthly newsletter, an annual Membership Directory, and a Products Guide. The Biophysical Society sponsors a
Annual Meeting
which brings together more than 6,000 scientists for symposia, workshops, industrial and educational exhibits, subgroup meetings, and awards presentations. The meeting features a talk by that year's Biophysical Society Lecturer, chosen for significance in biophysical research and excellence in presentation; the lectures are published in the Biophysical Journal, and those since 2003 are available on video. Starting in 2010 with "Calcium Signaling" in Beijing, the society now also sponsors 3-4 smaller thematic meetings annually across the world. Since 2016, the Society has sponsored Biophysics Week each March. The week is a global event aimed at encouraging connections within the biophysics community and raising awareness of the field and its impact among the general public, policy makers, students, and scientists in the field.

Awards

The Society currently offers eleven Society Awards each year to distinguished biophysicists in different categories. The awards are: * Anatrace Membrane Protein Award * Avanti Award in Lipids * Rosalba Kampman Distinguished Service Award * Innovation Award * Emily M. Gray Award * Fellow of the Biophysical Society Award * Founders Award *

Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award The Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award from the Biophysical Society in Rockville, Maryland, is given to a woman who "holds very high promise or has achieved prominence while developing the early stages of a career in biophysical research".Biophysical So ...

Michael and Kate Bárány Award The Michael and Kate Bárány Award for Young Investigators from the Biophysical Society in Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metrop ...

*The Kazuhiko Kinosita Award in Single Molecule Biophysics *BPS Award in the Biophysics of Health and Disease *Ignacio Tinoco Award The Society also offers travel awards to its annual meeting, poster awards at Society-sponsored meetings, as well as other scientific conferences. The society sponsors "Biophysics Awards" at high school

science fair Science and engineering fairs, hosted by schools worldwide, offer students the opportunity to experience the practices of science and engineering for themselves. In the United States, the Next Generation Science Standards makes experiencing the ...

s across the nation.

Public policy

The Biophysical Society's Public Affairs committee responds to science policy issues such as research, careers, and science education, and has adopted a number of positions. In February 2004, the society released a statement supporting freedom of communication of scientific data, supporting the existing policy that prior

classification Classification is a process related to categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated and understood. Classification is the grouping of related facts into classes. It may also refer to: Business, organizat ...

strictly for national security reasons should be the only reason communication of scientific data should be restricted. The society also urged a reexamination of visa policy in the wake of several foreign-born scientists being denied permission to travel to the United States, citing the importance of their importance to the economy and security of the United States. In May 2005, the society released a statement opposing the teaching of

intelligent design Intelligent design (ID) is a pseudoscience, pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, presented by its proponents as "an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins".#Numbers 2006, Numbers 2006, p. 373; " Dcaptured he ...

in science classrooms, calling it an "effort to blur the distinction between science and theology". The society is also active in supporting federal funding of science, and provides materials to assist scientists in communicating with elected officials. The society participates in the annual Science-Engineering-Technology Congressional Visits Day, in which scientists, engineers and business leaders meet with elected officials in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...

. Beginning with the 2015-2016 year, the Biophysical Society has sponsored a congressional fellow through the AAAS Technology and Policy Fellowship Program. The purpose of the program is to provide an invaluable and unique opportunity for BPS members to gain practical experience and insights into public policy by working on Capitol Hill while also allowing scientists to contribute their knowledge and analytical skills in the federal policy realm.

References

External links

Biophysical Society Homepage
{{Authority control Scientific organizations established in 1957 Biophysics Biology societies Physics societies Biophysics organizations 1957 establishments in Ohio Scientific societies based in the United States