Pitt Biological Physics Day fostered collaboration between the Department of Computational and Systems Biology (CSB) and the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
This inaugural workshop was held on September 17 in the O’Hara Student Center Ballroom. It showcased research in the field of biological physics.
“We wanted to bring people from different backgrounds together,” said Jianhua Xing, CSB professor and co-organizer of the event. “This leads to more conversations and then hopefully new ideas.”
Biological physics is an interdisciplinary field that uses principles of physics to understand biological processes.
“Biological physics is a rapidly growing field, and Pitt is very much a part of that growth, with many dynamic research groups pushing the field forward,” said Andrew Mugler, co-organizer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “We wanted to showcase that effort to the Pitt community and beyond.”
During this one-day workshop, speakers from Pitt, Carnegie Mellon University, Princeton University and Columbia University delivered talks on a diverse range of biological physics topics. Joshua Shaevitz presented the keynote address on quantitative methods for understanding animal behavior.
Anna Yoney, a Pitt bioengineering alumnus, delivered a talk on defining cell autonomous attractor states. Yoney is a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University.
“One of the purposes of this workshop is to show our trainees what the field is and how diverse the topic can be,” Xing said. “Anna is a role model because students can see her trajectory and growth.
Students and postdoctoral fellows also shared their research in poster sessions.
Tina Subic, a postdoctoral researcher in CSB, presented a poster on the differential loop extrusion model.
“I got to explain my topic to a bunch of people, and they seemed really curious and excited,” she said. “I’m happy that they shared enthusiasm about the results with me because we haven’t really pitched our project to the biophysics audience before.”
Annie Kim, a student in the Joint Carnegie Mellon-University of Pittsburgh PhD Program in Computational Biology, enjoyed the exposure to diverse methodologies at the workshop.
“One of the most exciting aspects was seeing how methods developed to address specific questions in one domain could be adapted or reimagined to tackle challenges in another,” she said. “It allowed me to view problems I’ve been grappling with in a new light, providing fresh perspectives and potential solutions.”
Xing envisions that Pitt Biological Physics Day will become a staple event at the University, growing and attracting more attendees in upcoming years.
Read more about Pitt Biological Physics Day here.