In Brief

Peter K. Vogt Wins International Cancer Research Award

Professor Peter K. Vogt, executive vice president and chief scientific officer of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), was presented the 2013 Pezcoller Foundation–American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) International Award for Cancer Research at the AACR Annual Meeting, held April 8 in Washington, D.C.

Vogt delivered his award lecture, “PI3K - From Simplicity to Complexity and Back,” during the meeting.

Established in 1997, the award recognizes an internationally renowned scientist who has made a major scientific discovery in basic cancer research or contributed significantly to translational cancer research, with a record of recent, noteworthy publications, and whose ongoing work continues to hold promise for substantive contributions to the field of cancer.

Vogt is being honored for his pioneering research on the genetic causes of cancer. He was also recently inducted into the AACR Academy’s inaugural Class of Fellows. For more information on the award, see the AACR press release.

Joel Buxbaum Honored with NYU Biotechnology Award

TSRI Professor Joel Buxbaum has received the DART/NYU Biotechnology Faculty/Alumnus Achievement Award, one of three biotechnology achievement honors presented in 2013 by the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine’s Biotechnology Study Center.

The awards recognize the role of pure science in the development of pharmaceuticals and salute scientists whose work has led to major advances to improving care provided at the patient’s bedside. Other 2013 DART/NYU award winners are Susan L. Lindquist of the Whitehead Institute, for basic biotechnology, and Paul A. Marks of the Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute, for applied biotechnology.

A professor of medicine at NYU before joining the TSRI faculty in 1999, Buxbaum was cited for establishing how genetic mutations in normal serum proteins (transthyretin) can influence the basic pathology of amyloidoses or Alzheimer’s disease.

Previous Dart/NYU Biotechnology Achievement Award winners from TSRI include Institute Professor Richard Lerner and Professor Emeritus Charles Weissmann.

TSRI to Co-Host Stem Cell Summit

TSRI will be among the hosts of the 9^th annual World Stem Cell Summit December 4 to 6 in San Diego. The multidisciplinary conference will feature more than 170 experts, who will discuss the latest scientific discoveries, business models, translational issues, legal and regulatory solutions, and best practices.

Co-chairs of the event include Jeanne Loring of TSRI, Evan Snyder of Sanford-Burnham, Bernard Siegel of the Genetics Policy Institute, Andre Terzic of the Mayo Clinic and Alan Trounson of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

The event, which is expected to attract more than 1,200 participants, will be held at the Hilton Bayfront, 1 Park Blvd., in downtown San Diego. Additional information on the summit is available at www.worldstemcellsummit.com.

Lunch & Learn: Yoga for Mental Health

The benefits of yoga will be demonstrated at the next Lunch and Learn presentation, “Yoga for Mental Health,” scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, noon to 1 PM in the Beckman Building’s Keck Amphitheater on the California campus.

Sponsored by the Counseling and Psychological Services Office, the lunchtime workshop will feature Anna Roth, a counselor at the University of San Diego and 500-hour registered and certified yoga teacher. Roth will introduce the practice of yoga, which began in ancient India, and conduct an experiential mini-yoga practice for session attendees. Participants will also learn simple “desk yoga” poses to home or office use.

For more about the Lunch and Learn series and other resources provided by the Counseling and Psychological Services Office, visit the department’s website.

Green Teams Celebrate Earth Day April 22

The TSRI Green Team on the Florida and California campuses has planned ecology awareness-raising events to commemorate Earth Day, Monday, April 22.

Florida campus staff and faculty are encouraged to forsake fuel-consuming vehicles for a Bike-to-Work Day on April 22. According to Sheri Resnick, human resources analyst and the project coordinator, cyclists will track their carbon-emissions-saving metrics on a dedicated website. For additional information, contact Resnick at (561) 228-2064 or sresnick@scripps.edu. A long-term Bike-to-Work program on the Florida campus is expected to begin May 1.

Eco-responsive gardening is the theme of an Earth Day presentation sponsored by the California Green Team. “California-Friendly Landscaping,” scheduled for April 22, from noon to 1 PM in the Beckman Building’s Keck Auditorium, will feature Curtis Brooks and Scott Couch of Brickman Landscape. A complimentary succulent plant will be offered to each attendee.

The presentation will also feature the announcement of the 2013 Keith McKeown Memorial Green Feat Award winner, recognizing sustainability leadership on the California campus.

Other Earth Day-related activities on the California campus include the annual E-Waste Recycle Day, scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, from 8 AM to 2 PM at the Center for Integrative Molecular Biosciences (CIMBio) building. TSRI faculty and staff can drop off personal home office electronic waste, including computer devices (terminals, monitors, keyboards, wires, etc.), laptops (batteries included), scanners, printers, fax machines, radios and stereo equipment, VCRs and DVD players, TVs and cell phones (batteries included). Further information on the e-waste event is available on the Green Team’s website.

The California Green Team will also repeat the Soles4Souls collection at the e-waste event. The nonprofit agency will clean and ship donated new and gently used shoes to underprivileged populations throughout the world.

ScrippsAssists Reaches Out to Animal Lovers

ScrippsAssists is reaching out to animal lovers on the California campus for its newest volunteer opportunity—assisting the San Diego Humane Society's (SDHS) "2013 Walk for Animals” from 6 AM to noon, Saturday May 4 at NTC Park–Liberty Station, Point Loma.

Volunteers, who must be 14 years of age, are asked to attend a training session on either Saturday, April 27 from 9 to 10 AM or Monday, April 29 from 6 to 7 PM at the SDHS Central Campus location, 10550 Gaines St., San Diego, according to Suzette Hunter, HR analyst and ScrippsAssists project lead.

TSRI participants will staff the raffle ticket table and will receive an event T-shirt and commemorative pin.

“The Walk for Animals is a huge melting pot of people of all ages and dogs of every kind having a great time hanging together in one place! There’s also a yummy pancake breakfast plus a variety of pet friendly vendors that makes it a fun, family-friendly event,” said Hunter.

For additional details or to sign-up, contact Hunter at suzetteh@scripps.edu or x4-8466. Further information on the Walk for Animals event is available at the SDHS website.

CA Campus Pursues Third Win in Bike-to-Work Challenge

California campus faculty, staff, postdocs and students are urged to help TRSI score first place for the third consecutive year in the annual Bike-to-Work Corporate Challenge, sponsored by iCommute and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).

The month-long challenge—May 1 to 31—will pit TSRI against other local organizations and companies to record the highest number of work commutes by bicycle. The challenge is held in conjunction with the national Bike-to-Work Day, scheduled for Friday, May 17, when local businesses and organizations throughout San Diego County will host cycle stops, offering drinks and snacks for event-registered cyclists. Participating cyclists also will be entered automatically in iCommute’s weekly drawings

To enter the challenge, TSRI participants must register with iCommute using their TSRI email addresses. With the iCommute Trip Tracker tool, participants log each bicycle commute to and from campus (including one-way rides and routes using addition transportation modes). Each one-way trip is counted automatically as one point toward the institute's total. Team members who commute by bike on May 17 earn double points.

The TSRI team won first place in the macro category in 2010 and 2011. For further information on joining the Bike to Work Corporate Challenge, contact Kim Akalski, human resources assistant and event coordinator, at kima@scripps.edu.

CA Onsite Clinics Scheduled for May 6 and 8

The next California campus onsite immunization clinic will be held on Monday, May 6 and Wednesday, May 8, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM in 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.

After EH&S pre-authorization, individuals who cannot attend the onsite clinic 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

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