In 2023-2024, Vallee Visiting Professor Carlos Bustamante from the University of California, Berkeley, spearheaded the development of a new Summer International Course in Advanced Biophysics and Structural Biology at the University of Salamanca, Spain, renowned for its rich academic history and global influence. The one-week course is scheduled to launch in June 2025 and will feature advanced training in single-molecule studies and biological imaging at the molecular level. The project was conceived during discussions with his Berkeley colleague Dr Eva Nogales – also a VVP – and received enthusiastic support from the University of Salamanca's Vice-Chancellor of Research, Professor José Miguel Mateos Rocco who put them in touch with biologists, biophysicists and physicists at the University.

Carlos chose to spend his VVP sabbatical in Salamanca and Madrid to start the planning and organization of this inaugural course, and to set a strong foundation for its future growth and success. While in Spain, he also presented a lecture in the Historical Paranymph of Salamanca University, a place rich in history, and presented a seminar at the National Center of Biotechnology (NCB) at the Universidad Autónoma in Madrid.

In the coming months, Dr Bustamante will return to Spain to finalize details of the course which will be led by a distinguished roster of international experts, including faculty from Harvard, Imperial College, UC Berkeley, and the National Center for Biotechnology in Madrid. It will offer a blend of theoretical lectures and practical sessions, with a focus on state-of-the-art techniques such as single-molecule force spectroscopy and cryo-electron tomography. The course will be presented to graduate students and/or advanced undergraduates from the US, Europe and Latin America.