Digman Elected to BPS Council

August 23, 2018 - Michelle Digman, Samueli School biomedical engineering assistant professor, this month was elected by her peers to serve a three-year term on the Biophysical Society (BPS) Council, the group’s governing body. BPS, founded in 1958, has more than 9,000 members.

A 15-year society veteran, Digman was one of four new Council members elected. The organization has played an integral role in her career development, she said, and she plans to use her new position to continue serving its members. “This society provides a supportive environment that promotes diversity and inclusion in STEM, enhances the visibility of our research efforts to the community, and provides grants and awards to those highly innovative individuals who have made huge impacts in biophysics and continue to do so.  I hope to work together with the organization to encourage young diverse researchers to push the envelope in these areas and to strengthen the society's programs in diversity and inclusion, education and outreach to our communities,” said Digman, who will begin her term on March 5, 2019.

While her lab focuses on spectroscopy, protein dynamics, metabolic alterations in cells and tissues, and fluorescence imaging technologies, Digman also serves as the Samueli School’s co-equity adviser, and she wants to bring this perspective to her new role. “I understand the importance of having a climate of respect and inclusivity, and would like to contribute my experiences to help foster this environment within BPS,” she said.

“I am honored to have been elected to serve as a council member of the Biophysical Society,” she added. “Biophysical research spans across all scales – from atoms, molecules, proteins and complex biological systems to the environment – which are fundamental for improving health and for a deeper understanding of complex biological systems and the natural world.”

-Anna Lynn Spitzer