Commentary and Perspective
Rocking Out Biophysics in IUPAB2024 Kyoto!
2023 Volume 20 Issue 4 Article ID: e200039
Details
2023 Volume 20 Issue 4 Article ID: e200039
In this perspective, I report on the upcoming IUPAB Congress to present basic information and concepts of the Congress as the president of the Congress. The 21st IUPAB Congress 2024 will be held as a joint congress with the 62nd annual meeting of the Biophysical Society of Japan (BSJ). This conference is named IUPAB2024 and will be held under the theme of ‘Rocking Out Biophysics’ (Figure 1). We have chosen this theme to express our desire that participants jointly create new biophysics together and enjoy it at this conference. The conference will provide unique opportunities for participants and invited speakers to exchange the newest knowledge and idea, bringing together the results of cutting-edge biophysics research. In addition, the conference offers six hands-on training courses where young researchers can experience advanced biophysical research to learn new biophysics in more practical ways. In addition, the conference plans a couple of social events, including a “Sake Night” where participants can enjoy the taste of Japanese sake brewed in Kyoto and learn about its culture. The time and venue are as follows.
Conceptual image of IUPAB2024
Date: June 24 (Mon.)–June 28 (Fri.), 2024
Venue: Kyoto International Conference Center
The Annual Meeting of BSJ will be co-held with the IUPAB Congress for the second time, following the meeting in Kyoto in 1978. That meeting in Kyoto was a great opportunity for Japanese biophysics researchers to communicate with their colleagues from around the world. The purpose of this second joint congress, held after an interval of 46 years, is to attract the world’s talents to Japan. That is, while the first joint congress focused on “connecting to the world,” this time the purpose is to “attract overseas talents to Japan.”
One of the meanings of “rocking out ...” is “to shake up something.” We used this phrase to mean that we would shake up the existing concepts and create new biophysics. Prof. David Baker, Prof. Feng Zhang, and Prof. Toshio Ando were asked to deliver the plenary lectures to shape the congress; we believe that the three have rocked out the science. Dr. Baker has made an unrivaled contribution to protein design science, including development of the software package Rosetta for protein structure prediction. Dr. Zhang has developed a number of innovative technologies; particularly, he was the first in the world to implement CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing in eukaryotic species. Dr. Ando developed the world’s first high-speed atomic force microscope, a pride of Japan’s biophysics; he has led the world in research to reveal the dynamics of biomolecules and biological systems. We would like IUPAB2024 to disseminate new concepts and technologies symbolized by these scientists.
Another meaning of “rocking out ...” is “to be excited about something.” One of the most enjoyable things about academic meetings is the opportunity to fully enjoy science in an extraordinary environment. Annual meetings of BSJ are always popular for their free-spirited and lively atmosphere. This free and open culture, which is the inherent DNA of BSJ, attracts distinguished researchers from overseas. IUPAB2024 is designed to further enhance this open-minded atmosphere to be enjoyed by participants of every age, from academia and industry.
The holding of IUPAB2024 is the culmination of the long-term globalization strategy consistently pursued by BSJ. The declining birthrate leads to the depletion of research workforce, and the field of biophysics is no exception. While giving top priority to fostering young specialists in Japan, we have long worked to attract human resources from overseas. To start with, we made English the official language of our annual meetings, ahead of the other academic societies. Currently, all presentations are made in English, and the number of attendees from overseas is increasing steadily. We also organize regular bilateral symposia with the Australia, China, and India during our annual meetings. The bilateral symposium with South Korea has developed to be East Asian Single-Molecule Biophysics meeting, by attracting single-molecule biophysics researchers in China and Singapore. The bilateral symposium with US has also started in 2022. These activities are aimed to create a platform for exchange with outstanding researchers from overseas. In addition, membership has been made free for student members since 2022, thus reducing hurdles for young people, both from Japan and abroad. Since 2005, our society has published the journal Biophysics and Physiobiology (BPPB) in English. The number of posted papers grows year by year, and this year, the journal was given an impact factor. Thus, BSJ has made various efforts in line with its long-term globalization strategy. IUPAB2024 is the culmination of this strategic globalization, and our society will do its best to make IUPAB2024 a success.
Another highlight of this congress is the ‘Hands-on training program’ aimed at young researchers from overseas. Apart from the main scientific programs of IUPAB2024, this special program will be hosted by Japan’s representative research institutions before or after the IUPAB2024. In the course, the attendees will be able to experience state-of-the-art biophysical experiments. To maximize the effect of this program, we will organize symposiums in IUPAB2024 that are coupled with the individual Hands-on training courses. We will provide travel awards totaling 5 million Japanese yen for attendees. The list of Hands-on training courses is below:
In addition to the abovementioned travel awards for the attendees of the Hands-on training course, the congress will provide travel awards for international and domestic attendees as follows:
IUPAB2024 will provide a forum for the open, free, and vigorous discussions that the BSJ annual meeting has been fostering. The congress will also enable active exchanges among people from academia to industry, from senior to young, from Japan to overseas. In addition to the main scientific session, the conference will include a Sake night where you can experience the wonderful Japanese sake, as well as many other activities based on the conference theme, Rocking out biophysics! In addition, for young researchers, we are planning a special session on career development for young researchers in addition to a hands-on training course. We hope that you will join us in Kyoto, a city with a proud tradition in Japan, to enjoy cutting-edge biophysics and witness the birth of a new trend in biophysics. Let’s Rock Out Biophysics in Kyoto!
