This series, initiated and sponsored by the Editors of The Biophysicist and the Biophysical Society’s Education Committee, seeks to help attendees to become more effective in their teaching of biophysics, while valuing diversity and equity among students with different backgrounds. The later Webinars will also discuss research-based approaches to teaching biophysics and introduce the participants to the field of educational research, with particular application to biophysics. Each event will last 90 minutes, featuring a 30-minute talk by a guest speaker followed by breakout groups and discussion involving the participants and the speaker.
There is no fee to attend; however, you must register separately for each webinar. A Zoom link to the webinar will be sent to all registrants in advance.
Previous Webinars
Thursday, October 12, 2023
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM USA Eastern
Webinar 9: Mentoring the Next Generation of Biophysicists
The next webinar in the series sponsored by The Biophysicist and the BPS Education Committee will focus on mentoring, a major responsibility of biophysicists and biophysics educators in which nearly all members of the biophysics community engage. We wish to discuss best practices and enhance the mentoring of biophysicists, particularly for those at early stages of their careers. The webinar will feature three speakers—Andres Cisneros, Elizabeth Komives, and Craig Nunemaker—and time for an engaging Q&A session with attendees. The Biophysicist Associate Editors Andrew Feig and Patricia Soto will lead the discussion.
Moderators
Andrew Feig – Research Corporation for Science Advancement; Associate Editor, The Biophysicist
Patricia Soto – Creighton University; Associate Editor, The Biophysicist
Panelists
Andres Cisneros – University of Texas at Dallas
Elizabeth Komives – University of California San Diego
Craig Nunemaker – Ohio Universit
View Webinar
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM USA Eastern
Webinar 8: Funding Sources for Biophysics Research
The next webinar in the series sponsored by The Biophysicist and the BPS Education Committee will focus on funding for biophysics research. The discussion will refer to specific funding programs and discuss targeting proposals to the right program (be they philanthropic foundations, government programs, or through university-sponsored resources) and will frame grants using logic models, theories of changes, and other approaches. Audience participation is encouraged. The Biophysicist Associate Editors Andrew Feig and Gundula Bosch will lead the discussion.
Moderators
Andrew Feig – Research Corporation for Science Advancement; Associate Editor, The Biophysicist
Gundula Bosch – Johns Hopkins University; Associate Editor, The Biophysicist
View Webinar
Thursday, September 22, 2022
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM USA Eastern
Webinar 7: Using Curricular Material Repositories to Enhance the Learning Experience
The next webinar in the series sponsored by The Biophysicist and the BPS Education Committee will concentrate on using curricular material repositories. The repositories offer extensive and well-curated collections of resources readily available to educators. The panel discussion will provide a glimpse of the overall purpose of the repository and how to contribute, adapt and adopt resources. An open discussion by the audience will follow the panel discussion (approximately 30 minutes). The panelists represent a variety of web portals from disciplinary communities that overlap with biophysics, and ultimately all aim to enhance the students' learning experience. The Biophysicist Associate Editor Patricia Soto will lead the discussion.
Moderator
Patricia Soto – Creighton University; Associate Editor, The Biophysicist
Panelists
Sarah “Sam” McKagan (American Association of Physics Teachers) & Nancy Donaldson (Rockhurst University) – Living Physics Portal
Sam Donovan – BioQuest
Laura Listenberger – St. Olaf College
View Webinar
Thursday, June 16, 2022
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM USA Eastern
Webinar 6: Building a Network of Biophysics Education
The next webinar in the series sponsored by The Biophysicist and the BPS Education Committee, Building a Network of Biophysics Educators, will be a participant-centered, round-robin conversation on nurturing biophysics educators and biophysics education research. Flash talks of 3-5 minutes each will be presented, with time for discussion after. Educators, researchers, and especially students and postdocs interested in biophysics education careers or combining teaching with research are particularly encouraged to contribute. Submissions of short (200 word) abstracts must be in one of the following themes: CUREs (course-based undergraduate research experiences), Assessment, or Innovative Teaching Tools. Please only submit an abstract if you are available on the date and time of the webinar. Selected presenters will be notified by June 10. The Biophysicist Associate Editor Patricia Soto and BPS Education Committee Members Kambiz Hamadani and Tugba Ozturk will lead the discussion.
To participate without submitting a talk, register below. The webinar is free, but registration is required.
Moderators
Patricia Soto – Creighton University; Associate Editor, The Biophysicist
Kambiz Hamadani – California State University San Marcos; BPS Education Committee
Tugba Ozturk – Washington University in St. Louis; BPS Education Committee
View Webinar
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM USA Eastern
Webinar 5: Publishing in The Biophysicist
The fifth webinar in the series will feature authors who have been published in The Biophysicist to discuss how they crafted their research and ideas into a viable article. Lisa Lapidus (Lapidus, L. J. 2020. Physics at the molecular and cellular level (P@MCL): a new curriculum for introductory physics. Biophysicist 2: 30. 10.35459/tbp.2019.000138) and Ryan McGorty (Riedstra, C. P, and R. McGorty. 2020. Liquid-liquid phase separation: undergraduate labs on a new paradigm for intracellular organization. Biophysicist 1: 5. 10.35459/tbp.2019.000104) will be the panelists to help you understand how your biophysics education work can be published in the journal. The panel discussion will be followed by ample time for open discussion with attendees.
Moderator
Gundula Bosch – Johns Hopkins University; Editor, The Biophysicist
Panelists
Lisa Lapidus – Michigan State University
Ryan McGorty – University of San Diego
View Webinar
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM USA Eastern
Webinar 4: Designing Syllabi to Guide the First Day of Class and Craft an Inclusive Classroom
The fourth webinar will concentrate on approaches to creating a syllabus and preparing for a new semester. Syllabi come in many forms, ranging from formal documents that are essentially learning contracts to graphic syllabi that emphasize values and learning goals over content coverage. This panel discussion will focus on the use of syllabi and other first day activities to set the tone for the semester, bringing together a concerted and self-consistent message that articulates the instructor’s approach and course goals. The panelists represent a variety of different institutions and teaching styles, but all aim to create an inclusive environment in which to learn biophysics. The panel discussion (approximately 30 minutes) will be followed by open discussion by the audience and a response by two “consumers” of learning.
Moderator
Andrew Feig – Research Corporation for Science Advancement; Editor, The Biophysicist
Panelists
Gundula Bosch – Johns Hopkins University; Editor, The Biophysicist
Linda Columbus – University of Virginia; Member, Biophysical Society Publications Committee
Phil Nelson – University of Pennsylvania; Editor, The Biophysicist
Patricia Soto – Creighton University; Editor, The Biophysicist
Respondents
Tugba Ozturk – Washington University; Member, Biophysical Society Education Committee
Luis Octavio Romero – University of Tennessee Health Science Center; Member, Biophysical Society Education Committee
View Webinar
Monday, April 12, 2021
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM USA Eastern
Webinar 3: Evidence-Based Approaches to Improve Your Teaching – Designing Assessments
The third webinar in the series will focus on designing assessment tools. The guest speaker will be Dawn Meredith, developer of curricular materials for the reform of the introductory physics course for life science students and seed contributor to the Living Physics Portal (https://www.livingphysicsportal.org/).The webinar will be hosted by Patricia Soto, a member of both The Biophysicist Editorial Board and the Biophysical Society Education Committee.
Dawn Meredith – University of New Hampshire, Physics Department
Patricia Soto – Creighton University; Editor, The Biophysicist; Member, Biophysical Society Education Committee
View Webinar
Monday, March 8, 2021
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM USA Eastern
Webinar 2: Evidence-Based Approaches to Improve Your Teaching — Developing Inter-institutional Research Opportunities in Biophysics during the COVID Era
The second webinar in the series will focus on the design and execution of successful research experiences for undergraduates and high school students during the pandemic. The guest speaker will be Constance (Connie) J. Jeffery, who established an online inter-institutional collaboration to study the sequences, structures, and functions of moonlighting proteins. The proteins included human ACE2, which is a carboxypeptidase enzyme that moonlights as a chaperone of the BoAT transporter. The SARS-CoV2 virus uses ACE2 to bind to and infect cells. Also, Connie has been a lead contributor to education and training grants submitted to NSF and NIH. The webinar will be hosted by Tugba Ozturk, a member of the Biophysical Society Education Committee.
Constance J. Jeffery – University of Illinois at Chicago, Biological Sciences Department
Tugba Ozturk – Washington University; Member, Biophysical Society Education Committee
View Webinar
Register Now
Monday, February 8, 2021
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM USA Eastern
Webinar 1: Introduction: Better Teaching and Its Impact
This Introduction to the Series will preview future topics and will be accessible to a broad audience – attendees with any level of experience teaching or studying education are welcome. The guest speaker will be Penny Beuning, co-author of the book Teach Better, Save Time, and Have More Fun: A Guide to Teaching and Mentoring in Science, a handbook for successfully integrating effective teaching and mentoring into your research career. The webinar will be hosted by Andrew Feig of The Biophysicist’s Editorial Board.
Penny Beuning – Northeastern University
Co-Author, Teach Better, Save Time, and Have More Fun: A Guide to Teaching and Mentoring in Science
Andrew Feig – Research Corporation for Science Advancement
Editor, The Biophysicist
View Webinar