Recognizing a member as a BPS Awardee or Fellow is one important way that the Biophysical Society honors excellence and affirms our community. A critical component of our awards program is that it is a reflection of our values, which include diversity, equity, and inclusion. That said, we bestow awards or fellow designations only on those who are nominated, and nominations do not always reflect the diversity of the Society.
Women comprise just over one third of BPS members. Thanks to the efforts of a subcommittee from the Committee on Professional Development for Women, over the past two years, we have seen an increase in the number of nominations of women for Society Awards and BPS Fellows. However, we still have work to do to make sure nominations include increasing numbers of excellent women biophysicists every year.
Similarly, BPS is an international organization with more than a third of our members residing outside the United States, but fewer than 20% of the nominations for Awards and Fellows in 2022 were for international members. So many of our international members make excellent contributions to biophysics, but we cannot recognize them with Society Awards if they are not nominated!
People of color and members of other marginalized demo graphic groups are likewise underrepresented in nominations and, therefore, as award winners. We must pursue the recognition of excellence and inclusion together and nominate deserving colleagues from all backgrounds.
As the nominations for 2023 Society Awards and Fellows open, who will you put forth to recognize, honor, and represent the best of BPS? Nominations are due May 1, 2022, but don’t delay. Visit www.biophysics.org/awards-funding/society-awards and nominate the best of BPS today!