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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

19

AUGUST

2016

and fun personality made him an always-

welcomed collaborator. And Bill was indeed an

energetic and joyful collaborator; he welcomed

the process of research not only for the occa-

sional glimpse of the new frontier, but also for

personal contacts made by sharing the adven-

ture with friends.

Part of what made Bill’s life so well lived was

his incredible generosity in interacting with

others. Bill was a model of how outstanding

intellectual achievement can be combined with

a humble and friendly personality. Since his

sad loss, many people have emailed us with

stories of how Bill inspired them. One meticu-

lously organized friend speaks of how he ar-

ranged a meeting with Bill to consult with him

on how to be a parent since Bill’s example had

served as the model that he wanted to sculpt

himself. It is no exaggeration to say that we

never once heard Bill engage in mean spirited

comments or gossip about anyone, and by way

of contrast, heard many people say that they

wish they could be more like him. As a men-

tor, his focus was always on how to best impact

the intellectual development and careers of

his students rather than the oft-seen approach

where students are seen as a conduit to improv-

ing the professor’s career. Students loved the

care he devoted to his teaching, and the dozens

of tributes that have been delivered by former

students since his untimely death only hint at

the tremendously positive impact he had on

them.

Bill’s quiet love of adventure continued outside

of his work life. His love of surfing was well

known, coloring how he spent his mornings

before work, with his analytical mind hard at

work studying storm patterns in the Northern

Pacific that heralded the arrival of a swell in

Southern California several days later. In 2006,

one of us took a two-week trip together with

Bill on a boat in the remote Mentawai Islands

off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. These

islands are home to some of the most legendary

waves on the planet, where Bill was in the water

with the world surfing champion in an idyllic

tropical paradise that he never forgot.

Above all, Bill was a family man. Anyone who

knew him knew that his family was front and

center no matter what the circumstances. Bill’s

senseless, premature death has left a perma-

nent void for those who loved him most. Bill

is irreplaceable, but his presence helped shape

whoever had the pleasure of knowing him into

a better scientist, friend, and human being.

Rob Phillips, Robijn Bruinsma, Alex Levine

Anne Hamacher-Brady

moved from the German Cancer Research Center in

Heidelberg, Germany, where she was an independent research group leader to

become an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public

Health in Baltimore, Maryland.

Yadilette Rivera-Colón

moved from a postdoctoral fellowship at the Depart-

ment of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman

School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, to Bay Path University, Longmeadow, Massachu-

setts, where she is undergraduate research coordinator and assistant professor of biology. Rivera-

Colón is a member of the Society’s Education Committee and an alumna of the BPS Summer

Program in Biophysics.

Have you changed positions recently or know of a BPS member who is? Send news of your move to

ccurry@biophysics.org.

On the Move