In Brief

Award-Winning Chemists Headline 23rd Frontiers in Chemistry Symposium

Four award-winning chemistry researchers, including a Nobel laureate, are featured presenters in the 23rd Annual Frontiers in Chemistry Symposium hosted by The Scripps Research Institute and organized by Professors K.C. Nicolaou and Phil Baran. The event will be held at the Neurosciences Institute Auditorium on Friday, February 10, from 9 AM to 1:30 PM.

Symposium presenters and lecture topics include:

Scripps Research President Michael Marletta, “Oxidative Chemistry in the Degradation of Cellulose”
Professor Paul Wender, Stanford University, “Toward Transformative Therapies and the Ideal Synthesis”
Professor Paul Alivisatos, University of California, Berkeley, “The Emerging Science of Nanocrystals”
Professor Ei-ichi Negishi, Purdue University, 2010 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, “Catalytic Asymmetric C–C Bond Formation with 1-Alkenes of One-Point Binding: ZACA Reaction”

Nicolaou will welcome attendees, and Baran will provide closing remarks. Following the event, a luncheon reception will be held in the Beckman Galleria.

Symposium sponsors include Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Genetech, GlaxoSmithKline, Incyte, Lilly, Pfizer, and Takeda.

Admittance at the symposium is free; attendance is limited to 300. Further details are available at http://www.scripps.edu/research/chem/symposium.pdf or by contacting Vicky Armstrong at x4-2400 or vbn@scripps.edu.

Meet the Alumni: Beth Anne Baber of The Nicholas Conor Institute

Beth Anne Baber, co-founder and CEO of The Nicholas Conor Institute (TCNI) and alumna of the Scripps Research Institute graduate program, will be featured in the next Meet the Alumni presentation on Wednesday, January 25, from 4 to 5 PM in the Faculty Club on the California campus.

While completing MBA studies at the University of California San Diego’s Rady School of Management, Baber developed an innovative business model, TACTiC (The Acceleration of Cancer Treatments in Children), to move discoveries that would benefit children with cancer out of academia and into commercialization. Under Baber’s leadership, TCNI has formed collaborations with AltheaDx, CollabRx, GeneKey, Life Technologies, and several other organizations.

Sponsored by the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office and the Network for Women in Science, the Meet the Alumni series features a casual setting and discussion format, covering such topics as career influences, transitions, and options. Light refreshments will be served. Registration is required.

FL Campus NWiS Focuses on Professional and Social Events

The Scripps Florida Network of Women in Science (NWiS) is replacing its monthly “coffee chat” meetings with quarterly gatherings focusing on professional and networking events and social activities.

The new meeting schedule begins this spring with professional/networking event. Tentatively planned is a panel of Florida campus female investigators and core facility directors who will share their career and life experiences.

The group pinpointed professional networking opportunities as an important service it can offer, said NWiS member Briana Weiser, adding, “Anyone is welcome to come—men, too!”

Potential social events include a summer turtle walk and a winter kayaking/paddleboarding excursion under a full moon, said Weiser. “The turtle walk is done at night during the summer, when turtles come ashore to nest on the beaches in our area,” she explained.

Forgoing a formal board of officers, the group will rely on program leaders to organize individual events, with Weiser serving as overall coordinator.

Additional NWiS information is available on the group’s website. To sign up for NWiS e-mails or for further details, contact Weiser at (561) 228-3096 or bweiser@scripps.edu.

Cash for Blood Donation

To meet demand for normal human blood products used by institute investigators, the Scripps Research Normal Blood Donor Service (NBDS) seeks to expand its donor pool on the California campus. Donors are immediately compensated $25 to $100 for a single blood draw, depending on the quantity of blood needed.

Potential donors must meet the following criteria:

Age: 18 to 65 years
Weight: at least 110 pounds (50 kg)
Blood pressure: between 90 to 180 mm Hg systolic and 50 to 100 mm Hg diastolic
No major surgery within the past six months
Adequate hemoglobin test scores
Negative screening for HIV and Hepatitis B and C, upon entry to the program and every subsequent year
No daily use of aspirin or anti-inflammatory medication

Further detailed information, including applications to become a paid donor, can be found at the NBDS website. NBDS Coordinator Priscilla Crisler can be reached at 858-652-5418; by fax, 858-652-5556; or e-mail, corelab@scripps.edu.

ScrippsAssists Programs Help Make Holidays Merry

Extending hearts, hands, and pocketbooks, ScrippsAssists 2011 holiday programs exceeded previous levels in responding to the needs of many underserved San Diego families and residents.

Staff and faculty donated a record 1,211 pounds of food—enough for 946 meals—to the fourth annual holiday food drive, reported the drive’s coordinator Taylor Cohen. The non-perishable food items and $420 in cash donations were delivered to the San Diego Food Bank for distribution to the region’s needy residents

The Adopt-a-Family program filled the wish lists of 21 families, four more than in 2010. The families ranged in size from one to seven members, said Marcia McRae, who served as ScrippsAssists liaison with Home Start, the community nonprofit organizing the regional program. Scripps California groups and individuals each adopted a specific family, while some labs also held toy drives. Among the notable donations were a set of two car seats for one family and several bikes.

For details on ScrippsAssists community service programs, visit the ScrippsAssists website.

Send comments to: press@scripps.edu

SEARCH NEWS & VIEWS

Scientists Provide New Understanding of Chronic Pain

Team Creates Novel RNA Repair Technology

Snapshot: Tatiana Domitrovic