Challenges of a “Virtual” Biophysics Laboratory during the “Stay home” period caused by COVID-19

Abstract

We have recorded our experience of a “virtual” university biophysics laboratory using the Zoom meeting system, from April to June 2020, during the “stay home” period of the COVID-19 pandemic, in Japan. Because the specialty of our laboratory is experimental biophysics, careful planning was necessary for the continuation of research. We set several special research topics for teleworking, although some compromise was inevitable. Frequent meetings, seminars, and lectures using the Zoom meeting system were important to maintain laboratory activity. Meetings were carried out three times per day. Two types of seminars were held, as well as the “meeting-style” laboratory. Lectures by outsiders were also performed. As a result of these approaches, many students succeeded in presenting their telework research in autumn domestic conferences for biophysics and physics education in 2020. Furthermore, some students submitted papers to academic research journals by the end of the teleworking period. Our experiences of the “virtual” laboratory will provide helpful information for many researchers in experimental research fields in science and engineering.