Winter Conference

Single Molecule Biophysics

January 5–9, 2025

Organizers:

Thomas Perkins, JILA, University of Colorado & NIST
*Aaron Hoskins, University of Wisconsin-Madison

*organizer responsible for participant diversity

This meeting will be the 12th biennial workshop on Single Molecule Biophysics (SMB) held at the Aspen Center for Physics (ACP), building on a successful series begun in 2001. The SMB meeting highlights recent progress in the field of single-molecule biophysics, both from its experimental and theoretical frontiers. Topics vary somewhat from year to year. Biological systems covered in past meetings have included nucleic acid-based enzymes (polymerases, topoisomerases, helicases, etc.), nucleic acids (DNA, RNA), mechanoenzymes (myosin, kinesin, dynein, ATP synthase, flagellar motors), and aspects of molecule physiology (folding/unfolding, binding, signaling, and other biostructural changes. Featured experimental techniques have included advanced fluorescence, optical tweezers, magnetic tweezers, scanned-probed techniques, nanopores, cryo-electron microscopy, and super-resolution techniques. This workshop has traditionally attracted an admixture of experimentalists, computational scientists, and theorists.

Biologists, biochemists, and physicists with either newfound or longstanding interests in biophysics are strongly encouraged to apply: all levels of accomplishment are welcome. The meeting strives for a lively and inclusive scientific atmosphere that celebrates diversity in all forms including age, rank, gender, and geographic. The SMB workshop has been oversubscribed in the past, so a higher priority will be assigned to those applicants presenting important new findings and who commit to remain for the duration of the meeting.

In the event of oversubscription, a limit of two representatives from each participating scientific group or collaboration will be adopted. We will attempt to award each group or collaboration one short talk based on the applications accepted. All attendees are also invited to present posters. Prospective participants should submit the following:

  • A short abstract (<200 words) of the proposed contribution, including a title plus the names and institutional affiliations of all co-authors. Abstracts will be ranked and used as a basis for admission
  • Indicate if you wish the abstract to be considered for a talk: otherwise, a poster presentation will be assumed.
  • Indicate that you intend to attend the full meeting, if accepted. If a partial attendance is necessary, please be sure to indicate the reason in your application.

In past years, funding has been raised to help defray a portion of the expenses for junior participants, or for those traveling a long way. We hope to continue our tradition of raising substantial funds that can subsidize expenses such as ACP registration and other meeting costs, especially for junior scientists and those traveling from overseas. In addition, one junior applicant will receive a merit-based scholarship from the Block endowment fund and be awarded a talk at the meeting.

Learn more on the conference website here: https://jila.colorado.edu/smb/

Winter Conferences

From December through April each year, the Aspen Center for Physics hosts between six and eight one-week winter conferences. These single-session meetings, with typical attendance of about 80, are focused on the latest developments in the core physics areas of the Center. The details of the format vary, but most have a set of invited speakers, additional speakers drawn from the conference participants, and poster sessions that give an opportunity for all participants to present and discuss their work.