Where do you go to do biophysics? What do you seek out? To do science, you need support. You need fellow scientists who can inspire and help you on a shared vision. You may also need financial support to fund your equipment or at least pay for the time you devote to teaching or doing your science. Perhaps one of the ideas behind having an annual meeting is to bring like-minded folks to the same space, to share ideas, build relationships, and talk about how to pursue these dreams given the realities of the current world. 

Though I’ve attended other scientific conferences, this is my first time attending the Biophysical Society Annual meeting. At some point over the last few years, I’d heard of this group but it was challenging to devote time and resources to investigating another scientific society. At this point in time, there are a lot of them. Some cast a wide net claiming they are for all scientists, some narrow their focus to particular scientific disciplines and more narrow their focus even still to niche disciplines. 

Mind share or attention seems like one of the most valuable currencies these days, in the US, at least. I’m very reminded of that being here, in San Francisco - Silicon Valley - a tech hub that helped to develop so much of the technology that grabs our attention. While I walked to the conference center, a person waved a flyer in front of me, yelling about US politics. As I’m writing this, I’m sitting out on the conference center third floor balcony and I hear someone shouting through a megaphone, though the individual words are difficult to make out. These experiences remind me of the realities of the current world, a world in which we want to study biophysics. 

It’s beautiful though, this place. The hills with their carpet of homes, the tall buildings, though not too tall - it’s SF after all. The sun is bright this morning, some clouds in the light blue sky giving it character, the chilly wind creeping under my cardigan, making my fingers tingle the more I write. I watch the occasional seagull wending through the sky. 

I’m inspired by all the folks I see here. I love thinking about the puzzle of bringing physics into life and I’m excited to hear from others who feel similarly to me. I have sessions to attend and folks to meet, so off I go!