iPoLS Student Research Network

International Physics of Living Systems Student Research Network (iPoLS SRN) is a network of graduate students and graduate student educators at leading international research universities, all working on the physics of living systems. The Network member nodes have been among the pioneers in extending physics approaches to understanding living systems. Faculty and trainees at the network institutions collectively help to define the future of the field

This Student Research Network supports visiting research internships to other institutions, which serve both to broadening students perspectives and to create collaborations among groups at the various nodes---collaborations that will, hopefully, last a lifetime. The Network also supports exploration in education at the interface between physics and biology, ensuring that the trainees learn the language of biology, but develop and maintain a firm grounding in physics.

Emory TMLS is sub-node of the Atlanta iPoLS SRN node, headquartered at Georgia Institute of Technology. The goal of the node is to integrate PoLS activities and create collaborations across Atlanta and Southern U.S., more generally. In addition, our node supports seminars, workshops, and other training opportunities, both for our trainees and for the general community (see Conferences & Symposia for some examples).

Atlanta Physics of Living Systems

 TMLS works to integrate theoretical biological physics research across Atlanta metro area, to establish new collaborations among faculty and students at the three local R1 universities (Emory, Georgia Tech, and GSU) and other research institutions, and advance training and research in new directions through these collaborations. Towards these goals, the three institutions will be hosting all-Atlanta biological physics meetings a few times every semester, opening opportunities for trainees to present their work, to hear from eminent speakers, and to interact in an informal social setting following the presentations.

 Meet-ups

 To consolidate Atlanta PoLS community, TMLS is sponsoring city-wide meet-ups, where trainees and faculty from all Atlanta biological physics labs come together, listen to each other results, and spend time learning about each other’s projects and establishing new collaborations in an informal setting over snacks and drinks. The events this year include:

September 28, 2023, Emory, MSC E300

3:30-3:45 - Charles Packard (Emory): "Deep Learning of Cooperative Interactions of Cancer Cells”
3:45-4:00 - Harry Tuazon (GT): "Survival Strategies of Aquatic Worms Through Collective Interfacial Latch”
4:00-5:00 - Shane Hutson (Professor of Physics and Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt): "Something's Wrong in the Cellular Neighborhood”
5:00-6:00 - Reception

October 27, 2023, Emory, MSC E300 - TBA

 3:00-4:00 - Gennady S. Cymbalyuk (Associate Professor, GSU): "Dynamic mechanisms underlying generation of continuous and episodic bursting rhythms by neurons"
 4:00-4:15 - Eslam Abdelaleem (Grad Student, Emory): "Simultaneous Dimensionality Reduction: A Possible Solution to Neuroscience's Data Complexity"
4:15-4:30 - Soon Ho Kim (Postdoc, GA Tech): "Connectivity of inhibitory cell types and their modulations"
4:30-5:30 - Reception

December 4, 2023, Georgia Tech - TBA