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Subgroups

As the Biophysical Society continues to grow, the Society's Subgroups allow members to meet and interact within more focused areas in smaller groups. Subgroups hold scientific symposia and business meetings each year on the Saturday that starts the Annual Meeting. They also sponsor several awards, including the Student Research Achievement Awards (SRAA) Poster Competition. Membership to the Society's Subgroups is open to all members.

BPS Council is excited to launch a new Subgroup Incubator Program for those interested in establishing a recurring meeting for an underserved research topic area or demographic. The incubator program is envisioned as a mechanism to explore new topic areas and determine whether there are opportunities within an existing Subgroup to foster an ad hoc group or see whether a new Subgroup may emerge. Ad hoc groups may run incubator events for two years to demonstrate continued, sustained interest in the topic before pursuing Subgroup status. Details about the incubator program are currently in development. Contact [email protected] with questions.

Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic

(formerly Exocytosis & Endocytosis)



The mission of the Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Subgroup (formerly Exocytosis & Endocytosis) is to further the understanding of the basic mechanisms of membrane fusion, fission and traffic. The research interest includes exocytosis, synaptic transmission and plasticity, endocytosis, intracellular trafficking, organelle & cell fusion or fission, cargo release, exosome secretion, viral entry, and any other process related to membrane fusion, fission and trafficking. Our subgroup seeks to accelerate progress by facilitating exchange of ideas and collaborations. We organize a yearly symposium in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, and the symposium is followed by a dinner and a social mixer. The subgroup sponsors the Bernard Katz Award, which recognizes outstanding scientific careers in the field of membrane fusion, fission and traffic.

Join the Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Subgroup Sir Bernard Katz Award

 

In order to join the Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Subgroup, you must be a member of the Society.

Jefferson Knight, Chair (2024-2025) 

Yongli Zhang, Chair-Elect (2024-2025)

Julien Berro, Secretary-Treasurer (2024-2026)

 

 

2024 Michelle Knowles University of Denver
2023 Phyllis Hanson University of Michigan
2022 Arun Anantharam University of Toledo
2021 Jenny E. Hinshaw NIH, NIDDK
2020 Ling-Gang Wu NIH, NINDS
2019 Amy Lee University of Iowa
2018 Dixon Woodbury Brigham Young University
2017 Brian Salzburg University of Pennsylvania
2016 Jürgen Klingauf University of Münster
2015 Gary Matthews  Stony Brook University
2014 Elizabeth Seward University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
2013 Corey Smith Case Western Reserve University
2012 Corey Smith Case Western Reserve Univeristy
2011 Ed Stuenkel University of Michigan
2010 Josh Zimmerberg National Institute of Health
2009 Ron Holz University of Michigan
2008 Ruth Heidelberger University of Texas Health Center at Houston
2007 Guillermo Alvarez de Toledo University of Seville
2006 Robert Chow University of Southern California 
2005 Meyer Jackson University of Wisconsin
2004 Manfed Lindau Cornell University 
2003 Keven Gillis  University of Missouri

2023 Symposium

Saturday, February 18, 2023
San Diego, California

View Program

2022 Symposium

Saturday, February 19, 2022
San Francisco, California

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2021 Symposium

Monday, February 22, 2021

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2020 Symposium

Saturday, February 15, 2020
San Diego, California

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2019 Symposium

Saturday, March 2, 2019
Baltimore, Maryland

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2018 Symposium

Saturday, February 17, 2018
San Francisco, California

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2017 Symposium

Saturday, February 11, 2017
New Orleans, Louisiana

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2016 Symposium

Saturday, February 27, 2016
Los Angeles, California

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2015 Symposium

Saturday, February 27, 2015
Baltimore, Maryland

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2014 Symposium

Saturday, February 15, 2014
San Francisco, California

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2013 Symposium

Saturday, February 2, 2013
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

View Program

2024 Jenny Hinshaw NIH
2023 Jose Rizo-Rey University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
2022 Meyer Jackson University of Wisconsin
2021 Joshua Zimmerberg NIH
2020 Richard W. Tsien NYU, Langone Health
2019 Edwin Chapman HHMI, University of Wisconsin
2018 Manfred Lindau Cornell University
2017 Robert Zucker University of California, Berkeley
2016  Sandra Schmid University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
2015  Ronald Holz University of Michigan 
2014  Axel Brunger  Stanford University 
2013 James Rothman Yale University
2012 Pietro De Camilli Yale University School of Medicine
2011 Rodolfo Llinas New York University
2010  R. Mark Wightman University of North Carolina 
2009 Gary Matthews Stony Brook University 
2008           Reinhard Jahn & Thomas C. Südhof Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry & University of Texas Southwestern
2007 William J. Betz University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
2006 John Heuser & Thomas Reese Washington University School of Medicine & NINDS, National Institutes of Health
2005 Wolfhard Almers Oregon Health Science Center
2004 Erwin Neher Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry

Exocytosis and Endocytosis Subgroup Bylaws

Article I
Purpose: The purpose of the Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Subgroup (formerly Exocytosis & Endocytosis) is to promote the interchange of information about membrane fusion, fission and traffic among members of this Subroup and between this Subroup and others interested in fusion, fission and traffic, and to foster the advance of knowledge about membrane fusion, fission and traffic.

Article II
Membership: Members of the Biophysical Society may join the Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Subgroup; non-members of the Biophysical Society are welcome to attend Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Subgroup symposia but are unable to join the Subgroup, serve as Officers of the Subgroup, or vote.   

Article III

Dissolution: The Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Subgroup must be in accordance with the Biophysical Society’s constitution and bylaws, mission, values, goals, and operational guidelines. If the subgroup is found in violation of their bylaws or Society’s guidelines, the group will be placed on probation and may be dissolved at the discretion of the Council of the Biophysical Society.

 

Article IV

Meetings: Business meetings shall be held in connection with the annual scientific meeting of the Biophysical Society. Five percent of the members of the Membrane Biophysics Subgroup or 10 members, whichever is smaller, shall constitute a quorum. Scientific meetings shall be held in association with the annual Biophysical Society meetings, and must follow the guidelines established by the BPS Council.

 

Article V
Officers: The Officers of the Subgroup will be the Subgroup Chair, the Past Chair, the Chair-Elect, and the Secretary-Treasurer. 

Duties of the Subgroup Chair are to organize and conduct Subgroup Meetings and to advise the Biophysical Society of the activities and needs of the Subgroup. The Chair also advises the Society on matters related to membrane fusion, fission and traffic, and any other activities the Chair deems to be beneficial to the Subgroup and to the Society. The Chair is to consult other members of the Executive Committee in organizing Subgroup Meetings.

The Secretary-Treasurer is elected for a two-year term and is responsible for maintaining adequate records of membership and finances, and carrying out necessary correspondence. The Chair-Elect makes the technical arrangements for the Subgroup Meetings and administers Subgroup elections.

After a new Chair-Elect is elected, the Chair will become the Past Chair and the former Chair-Elect will become the Chair and appoint two new members to the Executive Committee, each for one-year terms, to represent the breadth of research interests of the Subgroup membership. The two appointed members of the Executive Committee are ineligible to be reappointed for next two years but may be elected to Chair-elect position.

Article VI
Executive Committee: The Executive Committee will be responsible for fulfilling the scientific and business obligations of the group. The Executive Committee will consist of the four Officers and two appointed members. The Executive Committee shall have the power to conduct business by means of electronic vote. The affairs of the Subgroup shall be handled by the Officers in accordance with the policies determined by the Executive Committee and the Biophysical Society Council.

 

Article VII

Nominating Committee: The members of the Executive Committee shall constitute the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is responsible for soliciting nominations from subgroup membership and for preparing the final slate of candidates. Nominations will be received electronically up to one month prior to the Subgroup’s business meeting. Nominees must accept their nomination prior to being placed on a ballot. It is the intent of the Subgroup that the Chair shall be rotated so as to fairly represent the different specialties within the membership

 

Article VIII
Eligibility for Office: Only members of the Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Subgroup may be candidates for offices. Members may not be elected to one office more than every five years. 

 

Article IX
Elections: Elections will be held electronically up to two weeks prior to the Subgroup’s business meeting. The candidates for each office receiving the highest number of votes will be elected. The results will be announced to the Subgroup’s membership during the Subgroup’s business meeting. Officers will take office at the end of the annual business meeting held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Biophysical Society. Interim vacancies in officers or councilors will be filled in accordance with Bylaw Article VII of the Biophysical Society.

Article X

Awards Committee: An awards committee will solicit nominations through a call to all subgroup members, evaluate nominations, and select awardees.  The committee’s selection criteria will be based on scientific excellence first but must also consider diversity.


 

Article XI

Annual Award: An award shall be presented at the Annual Subgroup Meeting to honor an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of exocytosis and/or endocytosis. It is the intention of the Subgroup that award recipients be rotated so as to fairly represent the different specialties within the membership. It is also the intention of the Subgroup to give the Award on occasion to Investigators who are in relatively early stages of their career. Individuals do not have to be members of the Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Subgroup to be eligible for the Award. The amount of money or other financial consideration (travel expenses, etc.) associated with the award, if any, is decided by a majority vote of the Award Committee based upon the resources of the Subgroup. The Chair of the Award Committee will solicit nominations for the Award from the Subgroup membership. The Award recipient must receive at least three votes from the five-member Award Committee. If necessary, multiple “runoff” elections may be held until an individual receives the required three votes. The Award recipient should be chosen within approximately one month of the election of the new Chair-Elect in order to allow time for the Award recipient to make plans to attend the Annual Meeting.

 

Article XII
Amendments to the Bylaws: Amendments to the bylaws of the Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Subgroup must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Subgroup’s Executive Committee, and ratified in an electronic ballot by a majority of the members of the group voting. Proposals for new or amended Bylaws shall be submitted to the Chair-Elect for consideration at the Annual Meeting.

The following word cloud is comprised of the speaker talk titles from our symposia.