Calendar of events, awards
and opportunities

Every week, we update this list with new meetings, awards, scholarships and events. If you are looking for announcements from federal funding agencies relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are collecting those announcements here.

If you’d like us to feature something that you’re offering to the bioscience community here, email us with the subject line “For calendar.” ASBMB members’ offerings take priority, and we do not promote products/services. Learn how to advertise in ASBMB Today.

May 27: Town hall on "COVID-19 and the Mission of the U.S. Public University"

Shout-out to ASBMB careers columnist Martina G. Efeyini for flagging this National Academies town hall. Three presidents of American universities will discuss institutional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, how universities might go about reopening and how they will overcome financial losses.

May 27: Enzyme regulation by filamentation and other alternate and emerging mechanisms

Enzyme activity can be regulated through multiple mechanisms, including localization and active-site orientation or accessibility. This virtual event, to be helf from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern on May 27,  focuses mainly on filamentation, a process by which enzymes reversibly self-assemble into linear structures. It also includes talks focused on other types of protein localization as well as alternative splicing to produce proteins with differing functions. Register for free.

May 27: Webinar on using cryo-EM to investigate GPCR structure

This webinar from Science will feature speakers Matthew Belousoff of Monash University and Stacey Southall of Sosei Heptares. It is billed as covering the following: activation of G protein–coupled receptor complexes and the presence of multiple dynamic states; advantages of Sosei Heptares’ STAR technology for cryo-EM structures; and incorporating single-particle analysis into industrial structure-based drug design workflows. It's at noon Eastern on May 27. Learn more.

May 28: ASCB presents "Reproducibility for Everyone"

The American Society for Cell Biology's virtual annual meeting continues with this virtual workshop (and others). This one promises, according to ASCB's website, to provide "the 101 of all data handling, wet lab protocol sharing platforms, documentation of code using notebooks, workflow systems, and version control, best practices for plotting of small data sets and reagent sharing platforms." It's at 1 p.m. Eastern on May 28.

May 28: Shape shifting in the control of protein function

What roles do conformational changes play in regulating protein function? Protein shape-change can be triggered by a variety of factors, including ligand binding, temperature or pH and can alter enzyme activity and function, allowing enzymes to carry out different functions in different contexts. In this virtual event, to be held from 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Eastern on May 28, researchers will present their findings on proteins that undergo conformational changes, including reassembly, oligomerization and fold-switching. Register for free.

May 31: Free courses for new communicators

Poynter has made all of its News University webinars and courses free for college students and educators through May 31. If you're just beginning your science communication career journey, there are primers on grammar and evaluating sources, among others. More advanced courses include, for example, ones on writing for broadcast media and using video. See the available courses.

June 1: Deadline to apply for diversity scholarship

The ASBMB's Marion B. Sewer Distinguished Scholarship for Undergraduates offers financial support to students who demonstrate an interest in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology and enhance the diversity of science. Students whose social, educational or economic background adds to the diversity of the biomedical workforce or who show commitment to enhancing academic success of underrepresented students are eligible. The scholarship provides up to $2,000 toward undergraduate tuition costs. Learn more.

June 1: Nominations due for Heinrich Wieland Prize

Researchers who have published outstanding work on “biologically active molecules and systems in the areas of chemistry, biochemistry and physiology” are eligible for the 100,000 euro 2020 Heinrich Wieland Prize. Learn more.

June 1: Enter undergrad design challenge

Two institutes at the National Institutes of Health are teaming up with VentureWell to present the 2020 DEBUT Challenge. (DEBUT is short for "Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams.") This contest has lost of prize possibilities, with the biggest at $20,000. See the DEBUT website for details.

June 1–4: Nutrition 2020 Live Online

The American Society for Nutrition had to cancel its annual meeting in Seattle this year, but it's hosting a free conference online beginning June 1. Here's how ASN describes the conference: "This virtual event will be a rich, interactive experience that you can join from anywhere in the world, offering great content in the form of lectures, scientific sessions, satellite programs, virtual abstract presentations, community activities, virtual exhibits, and more. Through panel discussions, live Q&A and interaction for selected sessions, participants can connect with and learn from a global audience." Learn more and register here.

June 8: Webinar on leading during COVID-19

Women in Bio is hosting a live discussion about 12:30 p.m. EDT about leadership during the ongoing crisis. It is free and will be on the GoToWebinar platform. Speakers include: Shehnaaz Suliman, a physician and strategy and business development leader; Jung E. Choi, chief business and strategy officer at Global Blood Therapeutics; Natalie Holles, president and chief executive officer of Audentes ; and Elena Ridloff, executive vice president and chief financial officer at ACADIA Pharmaceuticals. Read their bios and register here.

June 8: Bootcamp for science writers

The Johns Hopkins Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences is offering a free, daylong Zoom webinar for science writers of all kinds on June 8. The theme is precision medicine. ASBMB member Namandje Bumpus will give a talk titled "The Basic Biology of Why Certain Medications Don’t Work for Some African Americans." Arvind Pathak will give a talk titled "Turning Images into Insights." We can attest that we've found some of our best stories and sources at Hopkins bootcamps. More info.

June 9–10: NASEM workshop on aging, environmental research

The National Academies will be hosting a free two-day workshop titled "Integrating the Science of Aging and Environmental Health Research." In an email announcement, the Academies said speakers will discuss findings about "How environmental exposures influence or mediate aging" and "How aging influences environmentally mediated health outcomes." It will be webcast. Learn more.

July 15: Deadline to apply to be IUBMB Life editor-in-chief

We received an email this week announcing that the journal IUBMB Life is seeking a new editor-in-chief. We recommend that you read the full announcement here. Applications should be submitted to Zengyi Chang by July 15. 

July 16–17: Free "train-the-trainers" program

The National Institutes of Health and the Association of American Medical Colleges are presenting their second "Train-the-Trainers" event for advisers, staff members and faculty members who provide guidance to and career-related programming for grad students and postdocs in the life sciences. Advance registration is required, but the program is free. See the agenda.

July 20–29: Free glycobiology training in Brazil

The Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of São Paulo will host the São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Glycobiology (SPSAS-GLYC) this summer. The program includes theoretical and practical courses and opportunities for student presentations. The organizers tell us that, of the 72 attendees, 36 will be chosen from applications from Brazil, and the other 36 will be chosen from applications from other countries. All 72 attendees will attend for free, with the SPSAS-GLYC covering their travel and accommodations. Learn more.

Aug. 11: Deadline for HHMI program for medically trained scientists

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute will be accepting up to 10 biomedical scientists for its new $120 million research program. According to the announcement we received, the Medically Trained Scientists Program "will offer as many as eight years of support for up to 10 early career scientists who are committed to conducting basic research." See HHMI's site for more details.

Sept. 1: New deadline for PROLAB travel awards

The Promoting Research Opportunities for Latin American Biochemists program allows Latin American graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to spend up to six months in U.S. or Canadian laboratories. Participants get access to technologies and expertise that may not be readily available in their home countries, allowing them to grow their skills and contribute to building capacity in the life sciences at home. Note that the deadline has been extended from this spring to Sept. 1.  Learn more.