Email to all on Jochen.. that will also be posted to soc media by Caterina (without signature). Please any suggestions/edits. This was kind of hard to write. Dear All, It is with great sadness that we learn of the unexpected passing of Prof. Jochen Guck this weekend. Jochen was a prolific and amazing person by all accounts, not only for mechanobiology in general but also Brillouin Microscopy, and a core person who made the establishment of this BioBrillouin network possible and extension of technology to biology. Above all though he was an amazing person that made everyone feel comfortable and brought out the best in everyone. This is a huge loss for the BioBrillouin community, mechanobiology community, and the world at large. Our most sincere condolences go out foremost to his family and closest friends. We all will miss him very much as a friend and colleague. In the wishes of Jochen himself (local organizer of the upcoming BioBrillouin meeting) the meeting should take place as planned and “should be better than ever” – and this is what we will strive for. The Scientific Organizing Committee has stepped up to make this a reality. We feel it important to pay tribute, and will dedicate a session to the work by his lab. We will also be awarding a “Jochen Guck Prize: for the most promising translation of Brillouin Microscopy to Medical Applications” that will be awarded each year, and provide a lasting legacy. Yours Sincerely, Kareem On behalf of the Scientific Organizing Committee: Jochen Guck - Local Conference Chair (Max Planck Inst. for the Science of Light & MPZ für Physik und Medizin, Germany) Kareem Elsayad (Medical University of Vienna, Austria) Robert Prevedel (European Molecular Biology Laboratory - EMBL, Germany) Francesca Palombo (Exeter University, United Kingdom) Stephanie Möllmert (Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Germany) Michael Monaghan (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) Thorsten Hamann (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway) Questions pertaining to the meeting should be addressed to: SOC25@biobrillouin.org