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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
11
FEBRUARY
2015
International
European Union May Allow
Member Countries to Ban
GM Crops
Beginning in spring of 2015, individual mem-
ber countries in the European Union (EU) may
be permitted to ban genetically modified (GM)
crops within their borders even if they are ap-
proved at the European level. Only one GM crop,
Monsanto’s MON810, a pest-resistant maize, is
grown in Europe currently, despite several GM
crops being declared safe by the European Foods
Safety Agency. Supporters say that this proposal
will allow member states to follow the will of
their citizens, while critics, including many in
the scientific community, argue that the move to
“renationalize” the decision about growing GM
crops undermines the very concept of science-
based risk assessments. At time of publication,
negotiators representing the European Parliament
and the national governments had agreed on a
joint version of the proposal, which is still subject
to confirmation by the European Parliament and
the EU member states.
Check Out a BPS
Networking
Event Near You!
Over the past four years, BPS has sponsored more
than 25 networking events that have brought
together local scientists to discuss various topics
in biophysics and have fostered new professional
relationships. This year, BPS has already commit-
ted to sponsoring five networking events noted
on the map.
Networking Events Outside the US
July 3, 2015
Paris Descartes University
Paris, France
June 12, 2015
Academy of Science
Prague, Czech Republic
May 2015
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN
June 2015
University of
Massachusetts, Amherst
Amherst, MA
May 11, 2015
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY
Networking Events in the US
Submit a
Networking Event
Proposal
Deadline: April 15
Don't see one near you?
Have an idea for a net-
working event and want
to host one in your area?
The venue and format
of the event are up to
you—we are looking for
creative ideas that will
promote interactions
between members and
non-members interested
in biophysics and the Soci-
ety. For your information
about networking events
and proposal require-
ments, visit the meetings
section of the Society
website at
www.biophysics.org.
Members in the News
Brian M. Salzberg
, Universi-
ty of Pennsylvania Medical
School, Associate Editor of
the
Biophysical Journal
, and
Society member since 1979,
was elected a Fellow of the
Optical Society (OSA).
Xiaoliang Sunney Xie
, Har-
vard University and Society
member since 1993, is the
recipient of the 2015 Peter
Debye Award in Physical
Chemistry given by Ameri-
can Chemical Society.