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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
7
AUGUST
2017
Thematic Meetings
Single Cell Biophysics:
Measurement, Modulation,
and Modeling
A very exciting BPS Thematic Meeting,
Single
Cell Biophysics: Measurement, Modulation
, and
Modeling, was held on June 17–20, 2017, in
Taipei, Taiwan, at the Institute of Atomic and
Molecular Sciences (IAMS), Academia Sinica,
on the campus of National Taiwan University.
This meeting brought together a diverse group of
researchers with a common interest in cellular-level
biophysics. The meeting included 170 physicists,
biologists, chemists, and bioengineers from 24
countries.
The success of any meeting depends on both the
scientific presentations and the interaction of the
participants. We appreciate that so many of the
speakers chose to present unpublished results. Par-
ticipants were eager to ask questions and continue
discussions at coffee breaks and meals. In addi-
tion to the 29 invited speaker presentations and
13 short talks, 100 posters were presented in two
poster sessions. These very active poster sessions
helped to encourage discussion throughout the
meeting. The
Biophysical Journal
sponsored awards
to two postdocs and two students, providing
recognition to younger scientists. Congratulations
to awardees
Wan-chen Huang
, Academia Sinica,
Taiwan;
Daniel Jones,
Uppsala University, Sweden;
Ivan Lazarte,
National Central University, Tai-
wan; and
Felix Wong
, Harvard, USA! And thanks
very much to all of our poster judges.
BPS Thematic Meetings are an opportunity for
scientists to gather and exchange ideas in different
locations around the world. For many of the in-
ternational participants, this was their first visit to
Taiwan. Scientists and engineers are, by definition,
curious people, and while we normally explore in
the lab, we all embraced the chance to explore a
new city. Participants explored the city and culture
of Taiwan through an opening reception with
traditional folk art and Taiwanese shaved ice, a
tour of one of Taipei’s famous Night Markets, and
tours through two of the most famous landmarks
in Taipei, the National Palace Museum and Taipei
101. A traditional banquet provided a taste of
Taipei’s finest food. In addition, these cultural ac-
tivities provided the chance for extended informal
discussions.
The meeting was organized by
Jung-Chi Liao
(Aca-
demia Sinica, Taiwan),
Keng-hui Lin
(Academia
Sinica, Taiwan),
Christine Payne
(Georgia Tech,
USA), and
Jie Xiao
(Johns Hopkins, USA). It was
made possible through funding from Taiwan’s
Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and
the United States’ National Science Foundation
(NSF), as well as generous support from industry
(AIP Publishing, Bitplane, Major, and Molecular
Devices) and Georgia Tech’s College of Sciences.
We hope this Single Cell Biophysics Thematic
Meeting stimulated new ideas, initiated new col-
laborations, and exposed everyone to some new
foods. While many of these outcomes will be
longer-term, an immediate outcome of this meet-
ing has been the petition to start a Cell Biophysics
Subgroup within the Biophysical Society. This
subgroup would organize symposia on the Sat-
urday prior to the annual BPS meeting. If this
subgroup would be useful for you, please contact
subgroups@biophysics.orgto add your name to
our petition.
Attendees from across the globe met at National Taiwan University
to discuss and share their research.