We did it! The Muscle Biology Subgroup of the Biophysical Society Has Now Officially Launched!

Dear Muscle Research Community,

Thank you so much!

Last year, more than 300 of you added your names in support of creating a new Muscle Biology Subgroup within the Biophysical Society. That collective show of enthusiasm made a clear statement—and we’re pleased to share the news that our efforts were successful!

The new Muscle Biology Subgroup of the Biophysical Society has now officially launched (https://www.biophysics.org/subgroups/muscle-biology

This new Subgroup creates a dedicated home for researchers across all areas of muscle biophysics—from excitation–contraction coupling and myofilament structure–function relationships to the regulation of contraction and beyond. Even more importantly, it represents the kind of engaged, collaborative community that we envisioned and that your efforts helped bring to life.

Now, we invite you to take the next step and be part of the community you helped create.

Here’s how to get involved:

-If you are a current BPS member: Simply log in to the BPS website (https://www.biophysics.org/ and add Muscle Biology as a Subgroup for only $10 (or select it as your primary Subgroup) and begin connecting with us right away.

-If you are not currently a member or your BPS membership has lapsed: Join or renew your BPS membership to gain access to the Subgroup and all Society benefits.

-Let us hear from you:  Our first symposium will be on Saturday, Feb 20, 2027 from 8:30-12:30PM at the Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society in Philadelphia, PA. For our inaugural program we are seeking input from all of you in the Muscle community regarding the choice of topics covered and potential speakers.  Just email us with your thoughts (shannahamilton@arizona.edu; samharris@arizona.edu; k.s.campbell@uky.edu) to provide input into our inaugural program.

-Lastly, because this is our inaugural year, we have no financial reserves to get us off the ground.  Sponsorships and donations are therefore incredibly important for determining the types of awards we can present (Student, Early career, Mid-career, etc), speaker perks, and everything else related to member support during our symposium (e.g., AV costs and food and beverage).  If you would like to help sponsor us and begin developing our financial reserves to ensure robust programming moving forward, please reach out to us at our emails shown below.  

If you would like to make a direct donation to the Muscle Biology subgroup, just reach out to Harris Povich at the Biophysical Society (Harris Povich, Director of Finance & Operations, Biophysical Society. Phone: 240-290-5610 | Office: 240-290-5600. Email: hpovich@biophysics.org).  

Please remember that Subgroups are where ideas take shape, collaborations begin, and scientific communities grow stronger!

If you would like to learn more about BPS Subgroups, please see:

https://www.biophysics.org/subgroups

Finally, it is worth restating that our new Muscle Biology Subgroup exists because of your initiative—and we hope you’ll help us shape what comes next.

Thank you again for your support and for being part of this exciting effort.

We look forward to welcoming you in Philadelphia and beyond.

Warm regards,

Sam Harris (samharris@arizona.edu)

Shanna Hamilton (shannahamilton@arizona.edu)

Ken Campbell (k.s.campbell@uky.edu)

Muscle Biology Subgroup Officers