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Biophysical Society Student Chapter

Three members of the Biophysical Society Student Chapter wave to the camera in Linus Pauling Science Center

For Biophysics Week 2022, the OSU BPS Student Chapter hosted the first Oregon Biophysics Symposium. Speakers from research universities across the state of Oregon came to give seminars about their research. Undergraduate and graduate students also participated in a research poster session, where prizes were awarded to the best posters by a panel of faculty judges. Visiting guests were also able to participate in a guided tour of Oregon State’s NMR facility by the NMR facility director.

Welcome to our BPS chapter!

The OSU Biophysical Society Student Chapter was founded in 2020 during the peak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and remains the only BPS chapter in the state of Oregon. The mission of our chapter is to promote continued professional growth in the areas of biophysics and to encourage professional responsibility that includes ethical, social, economic, and safety considerations. We are especially dedicated to outreach and informal science education with the goal of making biophysics approachable and digestible for our community.

We’ve had members of our chapter partner with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) to develop activities for K-12 students to learn about protein structure. We have also contributed to the annual Biochemistry Summer Camp hosted by the OSU Biochemistry and Biophysics Department.

Chapter goals and objectives

  • Continued professional growth in the areas of biophysics
  • Encourage professional responsibility
  • Dedicated to outreach and informal science education; with a goal of making biophysics approachable and digestible for our community

Join our chapter

Any person enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student studying biophysics or a related field at Oregon State University is eligible for membership. Our chapter has undergraduate, graduate, postdoc and faculty members that all contribute to an amazing community of biophysics enthusiasts at Oregon State.

Meetings and structure club

Our chapter hosts a weekly journal club during the academic year, where each week students present papers relevant to biophysics or structural biology. All are welcome and encouraged to attend these presentations.

Regular meetings of the Chapter are held during the second week of each month or bi-monthly, during the academic year except June-August. The Executive Committee may also call a special meeting at any time.

For the current meeting schedule, more information, or to join our google drive, please contact us at walkedou@oregonstate.edu.

Additional committees and leadership opportunities

  • Program Committee - to arrange and be responsible for meetings, speeches, and papers presented.
  • Membership Development Committee - to promote local and national membership and to encourage the involvement of non-members in Chapter activities.
  • Publicity Committee - to bring the Chapter and its activities, including all meetings, to the attention of members, potential members, the school(s) and the press, and any other potentially interested persons.
  • Outreach Committee - to organize outreach events and volunteers throughout the year, working with similar efforts already in place throughout the department and Oregon State College of Science.