Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery

The Biophysical Society was formally founded in March 1957 in Columbus, Ohio, after several years of planning and organizing. The organization process actually began in earnest in 1955 at two separate meetings called to address the need for a biophysical society. One conference, held in September 1955, met at Tufts College in connection with the American Physiological Society and was under the chairmanship of Dr. W. A. Selle of the Biophysics Department at the University of California, Los Angeles. The second meeting met at the Hartford House of the Yale Biophysics Department at Valhalla, New York. Both conferences agreed that a biophysical society was desirable; however the second meeting was more concerned with careers and training in biophysics. From these conferences, a committee, consisting of Drs. Cole, Hartline, Talbot and Curtis, was formed to advise the American Physiological Society. Approximately one hundred people next met in New York in January 1956 in the Hotel New Yorker in conjunction with the American Institute of Physics. Forty or fifty individuals were then formed into a steering committee with instructions to convene at the Atlantic City meeting of the Federation of Biological Societies on April 16, 1956. At the Federation meeting, the Committee of Four was elected, consisting of Samuel A. Talbot, Chairman, Kenneth S. Cole, Ernest C. Pollard and Otto H. Schmitt. At the Committee of Four’s First National Biophysics Conference held in Columbus, Ohio, March 4-6, 1957, the decision was made to organize a biophysical society, and a Temporary Council was elected. This Council made several proposals such as adopting the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society and preparing for the second meeting of the Biophysical Society. At this second meeting (the first regular national meeting) on February 6, 1958, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, all of the Temporary Council’s recommendations were accepted and the Biophysical Society elected its first set of officers with Robley C. Williams as the first president. From humble beginnings, the Society has grown into a professional organization with nearly 7,000 members in the United States and 45 countries.

In the early years, the Biophysical Society was guided and operated by volunteers who served as officers, members of Council, or on various committees. The Executive Board (originally named the Executive Council) consisted of four officers: President, President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer as well as the Past President and four members elected by the Council. Unlike the President and President-elect who serve for one year only, the Secretary and Treasurer serve staggered terms of four years. The Office of the Secretary, incorporating the position of Executive Director (also under various other titles over the years), is the hub of the Society coordinating its activities. Two of the secretaries, Margaret O. Dayhoff and Stephen H. White, also went on to serve as Society president after serving consecutive terms as Secretary. The Executive Director position, held by Emily Gray from 1972 – 1996, continues to be a vital part of the Secretary’s Office. The Executive Director acts as a liaison with the Officers, Executive Board and Council, and attends all meetings of the Executive Board and Council. The Executive Director is also responsible for maintaining membership lists and tracking dues payments. In addition, the Executive Director is in charge of the rest of the Society staff personnel, and is responsible for communication with other societies and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB, which the Biophysical Society joined in 1991).

The position of the Executive Director shows the incredible growth of the Biophysical Society. The Society had grand ambitions from its inception, and began pursuing the publication of a society journal immediately upon its creation. In fact, many early members had been desirous of a journal for some time. Discussions began in earnest in 1956 because Academic Press wished to begin publishing a journal to be called “The Journal of Molecular Biology,” which it later decided would be a redundant publication. Early members of the Society began extensive correspondence with both Academic Press and Pergamon Press in hopes of finalizing a journal that the Society could publish. Both companies submitted proposals in 1957 to publish the Journal of Biophysics, and Academic Press was selected. However, several members, including officers on the Executive Board, expressed doubts as to the selection of Academic Press as a publisher. Therefore, the agreement was rescinded and correspondence was begun with the Rockefeller Institute Press (RIP). In August 1959, members selected an editorial board, and RIP began receiving manuscripts for publication in the summer of 1960. The first issue of the Biophysical Journal came out in September 1960, and volume one was completed in 1961. During these formative years, before the Journal could operate on a self-sustaining basis, RIP subsidized the Journal from its own resources. In 1989, the Society began to pursue the possibility of major changes at the Journal. In order to address more areas of interest, and to gain a wider readership, the Society set up an Ad Hoc Editorial Advisory Committee in 1989. Members of the committee submitted reports in November 1989, February 1990, and again in November 1991. After a meeting in Houston, the Society decided to make two significant changes to the Journal: the Journal would now be self-published by the Society (with guidance from Waverly Press), and every (non-student) member would automatically receive a subscription to the Journal with a modest increase in membership dues to compensate. These two changes, which included moving Journal operations from the University of Minnesota to Bethesda, were implemented in 1993. In 1996, the Society began pursuing an online version of the Journal, which is presently active. The Society also publishes a Newsletter.

The Biophysical Society has also been active in other areas such as biophysical meetings and group discussions. The Society established the National Lectures in 1969. The Society also sponsors meetings of sub-groups, which continually change over time to meet the changing needs of the biophysical community. The current sub-groups are Bioenergetics, Biological Fluorescence, Exocytosis/Endocytosis, Membrane Biophysics, Membrane Structure and Assembly, Molecular Biophysics, Motility, and Permeation/Transport. Each subgroup has their own chairperson, by-laws, and dues. The subgroups are designed to address more specific areas of interest. To address the wider interests of the biophysical community, the Society has held Annual Meetings since its inception in 1957. The Annual Meetings are designed to bring together the biophysical community in an informal atmosphere to discuss developments and have individual members present papers in specific areas to facilitate further discussion. The Annual Meetings serve to strengthen the Society as well by introducing new members to the community and promoting awareness of the Society and its activities.

The Society has also had a very active set of committees, which have only grown over the years. The Society has long been concerned with education and biophysics. The Educational Affairs Committee first met at the Annual Meeting in 1959. The committee first targeted college students interested in biophysics, but later also turned to younger students as well as post-doctoral students just launching into the career field. The Educational Affairs Committee sponsors workshops and symposia for students. The Society’s placement service also began immediately upon inception in 1957. The Society wanted to be able to advise its members about types of career opportunities open to research investigators. The Society facilitated communication between its members and organizations needing biophysicists. The Society uses questionnaires in order to better understand the needs of its members seeking placement. The Biophysical Society has also been concerned with women and minorities in biophysics. At the 1972 Annual Meeting the Committee on Professional Opportunities for Women (CPOW) was established. The CPOW has been very active over the years through its meetings in conjunction with the annual meetings, and through the Spectrum newsletter. The Minority Affairs Committee seeks to involve more minorities in the Society and promote career opportunities.

Due to the growth and duration of the Society, in June 1981, members were sent an annual mailing, which mentioned the new appointment of a Society archivist. The Executive Council, during the 1981 Denver meeting, elected Max Lauffer as the archivist. The purpose of electing an archivist was to assemble and preserve the history of the first 25 years of the Society. Members were asked to send memorabilia such as pictures, important correspondence about the work and organization of the Society, and newspaper clippings concerning meetings. Many members responded to this request, and to personal requests from Max Lauffer.