In Brief

Kate Carroll Receives Tenure; Chitra Mandyam and Michael Zwick Promoted to Associate Professor

Three faculty members—Kate Carroll, Chitra Mandyam and Michael Zwick—have been promoted as recently announced at a meeting of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) Board of Trustees.

Carroll has been promoted to associate professor with tenure in the Department of Chemistry (Florida campus). Bridging the fields of chemistry and biology, Carroll’s research focuses on the reduction-oxidation reaction (redox)—a chemical reaction in the body that damages healthy cells and contributes to diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s to heart disease. For further information, visit Carroll’s faculty page and lab website.

Mandyam is now associate professor in the Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders (California campus). Her lab research focuses on determining if and how new cells in certain regions of the brain—the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus—are affected by drugs of abuse. Additional information on Mandyam’s research is available on her faculty page and lab website.

Zwick has been promoted to associate professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbial Science (California campus). In his research, Zwick studies and evaluates the efficacy of specific antibodies generated against portions of the HIV virus to pinpoint weaknesses that can be targeted with vaccine candidates. Further information can be found on Zwick’s faculty page and laboratory website.

TSRI Startup Company Enters into $111 Million Antibiotic Drug Discovery Collaboration with Genentech

Technology originating at TSRI is at the center of an antibiotic drug discovery collaboration between RQx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

“Startup company formation, along with focused pharma partnerships, is a major vehicle for translating TSRI technology into novel therapeutics,” said Scott Forrest, vice president of business development at TSRI. “We are thrilled RQx made such progress in two years to establish this partnership with Genentech.”

Under the terms of the agreement, RQx will receive from Genentech an up-front payment and is eligible to receive research and development milestone payments totaling $111 million. In addition, RQx is eligible to receive royalties on sales of products resulting from the collaboration.

The technology was originally licensed from TSRI in 2010 when Avalon Ventures co-founded RQx Pharmaceuticals in collaboration with TSRI Professor Floyd Romesberg, in whose laboratory the technology was discovered. The company’s Series A financing also included an investment from Correlation Ventures.

TSRI is a shareholder in RQx.

Lab Management Training Offered on Florida Campus

The inaugural South Florida Academic Leadership Symposium, scheduled for Friday, March 15, and Saturday, March 16, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, will offer training on how to run an innovative and productive research lab.

The symposium is designed for postdocs and junior faculty in the biomedical, physical and life sciences from South Florida institutes, including TRSI, the Max Planck Florida Institute, (MPFI), Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida (VGTI), Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies (TPIMS), Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (SBMRI) and University of Miami. The program is also open to graduate students and staff scientists.

Presenters will include TSRI faculty members and representatives from VGTI, TPIMS and FAU, as well as keynote speaker L. Michelle Bennett, deputy scientific director for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Based on the scientific management training course developed by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund/Howard Hughes Medical Institute and similar to the six-year program presented in San Diego, topics will include:

Building and sustaining an effective team
Managing communication and conflict in the lab
Developing a leadership style
Managing time
Setting up a lab
Navigating tenure
Marketing science

Course materials will be distributed on flash drives, and continental breakfast, break refreshments and boxed lunches will be provided. Course fees are: $25, graduate students; $50, postdocs; $75, junior faculty and staff scientists. Seating is limited and early registration is encouraged.

The two-day symposium will be held at the MPFI’s Wilam A. &George T. Elmore Auditorium, One Max Planck Way, in Jupiter. Registration and additional details are available at sfals2013.eventbrite.com. For further information, contact Michael Matrone at matrone@scripps.edu or (858) 784-9391.

Professional Workshops: "Options for PhDs" and "How to Mentor"

Two upcoming professional development events, sponsored by the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office, aim to help postdoctoral fellows and graduate students prepare for jobs in the life sciences field.

Career Options for PhDs

A panel discussion offering practical career advice from industry professionals will be held Tuesday, February 26, 1:30 to 3:30 PM in the Committee Lecture Hall in the Skaggs/Molecular Biology Building, and streamed live to the Scripps Florida campus {ROOM NUMBER} . Panelists include:

Amy Cullinan, senior science marketing writer at Illumina
Mandy Lehmann, technical applications scientist at Illumina
Matthew Ritter, alliance manager at TSRI
Michelle Widolff, medical science liaison at Impax Pharmaceuticals

Panel members will share job descriptions, industry opportunities and training/career resources. The session will include a Q & A period. Reservations are not required.

Academic Careers Roundtable

Effective mentoring will be topic of the next session in this bimonthly series, scheduled for Wednesday, February 27, noon to 1 PM, in the graduate office conference room, 3377 N. Torrey Pines Court, California campus. Faculty guest speaker Professor Erica Ollman Saphire will lead the informal conversation on “What Makes a Good Mentor?” Lunch will be provided. Reservations are required and can be made at http://hris.scripps.edu/training/class/ACR2012APD.

Information on other resources offered by the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office can be found on the department’s website.

CA SOF Travel Award Applications Due March 1

Applications for the spring cycle of postdoctoral travel awards offered by the California campus’s Society of Fellows (SOF) are due Friday, March 1, 5 PM, Pacific time.

Available to fulltime California research associates, a maximum of four $1,000 travel grants will be awarded to cover conference-related costs (e.g. travel, housing, registration). A committee of five TSRI postdoctoral fellows will review the applications.

Postdocs who have yet to attend a meeting to present their current work, previous applicants and those with outstanding financial need are encouraged to apply in this round of grants; however, past travel award winners are not eligible.

Eligibility, specific application procedures and proposal guidelines can be found on the Career and Postdoctoral Services webpage. Volunteers interested in serving on the selection committee are asked to contact Mike Matrone at matrone@scripps.edu.

FL Campus Debuts Teaching Workshop Series

A new workshop series offering postdoctoral fellows and graduate students teaching and classroom training will begin Thursday, March 7, from 1:30 to 3:30 PM on the Florida campus in Classroom B159.

The series, “Effective Teaching in the Sciences,” aims to provide an important aspect of career development for young scientists whose careers in academia will require teaching responsibilities, said Heidi Walsh, research associate in the Smith lab. In addition, said Walsh, citing a study in the journal Science, classroom teaching training can improve graduate students’ own research skills.

The first workshop will present an introduction to pedagogy, discussing how to overcome students’ misconceptions about science through active learning. Drew Kohlhorst, assistant director for curriculum development and evaluation at Emory University’s Center for Science Education, will lead the session.

Session two is scheduled for Tuesday, March 19 in Classroom B158 and will feature a panel of educators providing perspectives on teaching science in various scenarios—different types of classes (seminar versus large lecture) and student levels. Panel members will include University of Maryland Baltimore County Assistant Professor Ian Thorpe (a TSRI alumnus), TSRI Professor Bill Roush and Florida Atlantic University Instructor Chitra Chandrasekhar.

A third workshop is planned for April, offering practical knowledge on student evaluation and pedagogical skills assessment. The series will culminate with mock classroom sessions in which participants will develop and deliver their own lessons.

The series is offered without charge; course materials and other teaching resources will be provided. Registration is required and may be made at http://pedagogy.eventbrite.com.

The program was developed, said Walsh, with the support of Mike Matrone, program coordinator in the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office; Deborah Leach-Scampavia, senior communications specialist; Rosie Albarran-Zeckler, educational researcher; and Vanessa Paulman, scholar advisor in the International Office.

For further information, contact Walsh at HWalsh@scripps.edu or (561) 228-2976.

CA Onsite Clinics Scheduled for February 25 and 27

The next California campus onsite immunization clinic will be held on Monday, February 25, and Wednesday, February 27, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM in its new location, Building 3366, room 240.

Conducted by Sharp Rees-Stealy staff, the clinics provide hepatitis B vaccination free of charge to all TSRI employees. Appointments are not needed.

Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Occupational Medicine must pre-authorize all other procedures based on the employee's working conditions. These procedures include: tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) vaccines; the one-visit Quantiferon tuberculosis test (see the Center for Disease Control TB Fact Sheet); and other titers, immunizations and procedures.

Individuals who cannot attend the onsite clinic but who have EH&S pre-authorization may visit the Sharp Rees-Stealy occupational medicine clinic by calling (858) 526-6150. The clinic is located at 10243 Genetic Center Drive, off Mira Mesa Boulevard. For further details, contact Sunny Gold Schmidt, gschmidt@scripps.edu or x4-9299.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

Associate Professor Kate Carroll has received tenure. (Photo by James McEntee.)

Chitra Mandyam has been promoted to associate professor. (Photo by BioMedical Graphics.)

Michael Zwick is now an associate professor. (Photo by BioMedical Graphics.)

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