Recently I attended a workshop on “Transforming Research into Real Talk,” which aimed to enable participants to translate a research paper into a short essay for a lay audience. I’ve always been interested in this sort of discussion, but also always thought that I didn’t have the time to spend on this. In the current context of major funding cuts and attacks on research and expertise, it now feels like a critical priority. So, I was thrilled to see the changes that Harvard has made to its website, which (as of this writing) leads with “Research Powers Progress” and links to many vignettes describing research advances in the discovery of causes and cures for a range of diseases.
Wouldn’t it be fabulous if all research universities and scientific societies were to make similar changes so that our websites would highlight for the public the tremendous value of research to society? To help BPS make a change like this, we invite BPS members to send us a vignette (or a link to an existing one) that provides a clear and compelling description of the value of biophysics research to humanity. Please send them to [email protected]. Your vignette need not be related to a funding cut, as the importance of showing the value of biophysics research goes well beyond this current moment. Finding opportunities to communicate the value of science is an ongoing priority.
Prior to being inspired by the “Real Talk” workshop, my original plan for this column was motivated by February Council, during which I learned that approximately 60% of the 20 regular symposia and 5 workshops for the proposed 2026 Annual Meeting program grew out of member proposals. It struck me that this is important information to share with BPS members: you can and do shape the range of topics covered at the Annual Meeting.
In the May 2024 issue of the BPS Bulletin, then-President Gabriela Popescu provided a clear overview of how the Annual Meeting is assembled (www.biophysics.org/bps-bulletin/behind-the-scenes-organizing-the-bps-annual-meeting). With this column, I want to highlight how BPS members can shape the content of the Annual Meeting. Member proposals for symposia and workshops are a great opportunity to ensure that the Annual Meeting covers the wonderful diversity of biophysics research, ranging from important cornerstone areas of BPS to exciting emerging areas that might be new to our meeting. If you think a key topic has been missing at the Annual Meeting, submit your proposal! These proposals will also include your suggestions for session chairs and speakers, which again is an opportunity to highlight individuals and science that might not be familiar to the Program Committee or Council. When these proposals are considered, the goal is to select a diverse set of exciting areas and speakers that have not been included in recent meetings. The Program Committee will also consider statistics from prior meetings, including the numbers of abstracts submitted in each category, to ensure that the range of chosen symposium and workshop topics aligns with member interests. The annual call for proposals for symposia and workshops opens in mid-July, and we look forward to receiving your best ideas to shape the 2027 meeting.
The 70th BPS Annual Meeting will be held February 21–25, 2026 in San Francisco. Our hard-working Program Chairs Ariane Briegel and Ilya Levental, along with the Program Committee, Council, and Subgroup Chairs, have been putting together a fabulous program. Informed by member proposals, topics have been chosen and speakers have been invited for the 20 regular symposia and 5 workshops. These regular symposia and workshops will all feature four invited speakers and a fifth speaker selected from submitted abstracts. These “SympSelect” and “WorkshopSelect” speakers, introduced at the 2024 meeting in Philadelphia, provide an opportunity at abstract submission to nominate yourself or encourage a colleague for these fifth speaker slots at the 2026 Annual Meeting.
BPS members can further influence the program by nominating speakers for the named symposia. Chairs of the “Black in Biophysics,” “Future of Biophysics,” “New and Notable,” and “President’s Symposium” will be reaching out through various calls this summer for your suggestions for speakers for these sessions. Finally, your abstract submissions matter! The numbers of abstracts submitted in each category influences the number of platform sessions. Council periodically updates the categories with expansions, contractions, and new categories. So vote with your submissions, and your suggestions. We are very excited to introduce a new abstract category for the 2026 meeting: Biophysics of Sustainability. We look forward to your abstracts that, as always, will shape the major content of our Annual Meeting.
In closing, we hope BPS members will submit: 1) your best stories of the value of biophysics research to the public for the BPS website, 2) your best symposium/workshop proposals and speaker suggestions for the BPS Annual Meeting, and 3)abstracts that reflect the diverse and exciting work being done in biophysics. Your contributions will enable us to highlight, for BPS members and for the general public, the full range and value of biophysics!
—Lynmarie K. Thompson, President