In Brief

Ryan Shenvi Honored by the Royal Society of Chemistry

Ryan Shenvi, associate professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has been awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry Natural Product Reports (NPR) 2016 Lectureship, which recognizes an early-career, independent scientist for significant contributions to natural products-related research.

NPR, one of 40 leading journals published by the United Kingdom's Royal Society of Chemistry, is a critical review journal focusing on related research areas such as isolation, structural and stereochemical determination, biosynthesis, biological activity and synthesis.

Shenvi will select a conference at which he will deliver the NPR lecture. The Shenvi lab works to develop efficient chemical syntheses of molecules that are relevant to medicine. Additional information on his research is available on his faculty webpage and lab website.

Eric Topol Tops List of Twitter Influencers in Life Sciences

Eric Topol, TSRI professor and Gary and Mary West Endowed Chair of Innovative Medicine, recently topped the list of Twitter influencers in the field of life sciences, as determined by the online social media tracker Rise.

Topol ranked number one in three key Twitter metrics for the week of November 5 to 12, scoring 6,340 @mentions, 4,899 retweets and 74,216 followers.

Topol’s research focuses on individualized medicine, using the genome and digital technologies to understand each person at the biologic, physiologic granular level to determine appropriate therapies and prevention. For additional information, visit Topol’s faculty webpage or lab website.

A complete list of Rise’s Top 100 Life Science Twitter influencers is available on the organization’s website

Jeanne Loring Named 2015 Stem Cell Person of the Year

TSRI Professor Jeanne Loring has been named the 2015 Stem Cell Person of the Year, an award created by Paul Knoepfler, associate professor at the University of California (UC), Davis School of Medicine and author of “The Niche,” a wide-ranging stem cell blog.

Loring was recognized for her exceptional contributions to the stem cell research field in 2015 as well as her years of research, particularly in stem cell epigenetics, and her role as an advocate and educator, said Knoepfler, who is also affiliated with the UC Davis Genome Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Overall, Jeanne has had a transformative positive impact at least in part via taking risks and thinking outside the box, important criteria for the Cell Person of the Year Award.,” Knoepfler added.

The Niche award was the second stem cell research distinction Loring recently received; she was presented the Stem Cell Advocacy Award from the World Stem Cell Summit.

For more information on the award, see Knoepfler’s blog; for more information on Loring’s work, see her faculty webpage and lab website.

TSRI Alumni Association Launches, Gathers Input

A new TSRI alumni association, whose mission is to connect alumni with each other and the institute, is currently gathering input on how best to serve its constituency. Plans include an “opt-in” directory of former TSRI students and postdocs, a website and LinkedIn presence, and a kick-off networking event in the first quarter of next year.

Interested alumni can join the LinkedIn group, keep an eye on the group’s website for updates, and/or complete a two-minute survey.

For more information, contact Goran Pljevaljcic, the group’s president, at goran2@yahoo.com.

alumni
Board members of the new TSRI Alumni Association include (left to right) Sheena Saayman, Edward Cho, Goran Pljevaljcic, Debbie Liao, Jack Scatizzi and Geza Ambrus-Aikelin, as well as Benjamin Pratt (not pictured) (Photo by Cindy Brauer.)

Joe Jardine Awarded Whitney Fellowship

Joe Jardine, research associate in the Schief lab, is one of just two dozen recipients of a 2015 Helen Hay Whitney Fellowship, three-year grants to support early-career researchers in basic biomedical science. Jardine’s research focuses on guiding rational vaccine design by antibody repertoire analysis.

Established in 1947, the New York City-based Helen Hay Whitney Foundation aims to invest in the development of career scientists who contribute through both their own research and, eventually, their training of future generations of scientists.

Scripps Florida Hosts 2015 Girls Leadership Institute STEM Academy

They came from all over Palm Beach County, approximately 100 middle and high school girls who were looking for some high-energy, hands-on experience in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The day-long program, free to all participants, was organized by the Women’s Foundation of Palm Beach County and held on the Scripps Florida campus.

The girls attended workshops on topics from studying model organisms and comparing their own DNA to that of bacteria and worms to programming small robots and learning how to develop their own websites. Workshops were sponsored by Scripps Florida, Florida Power and Light, 4-H of Palm Beach County, Lion Country Safari, Palm Beach Codes School, Keiser University, Poinciana Elementary STEM Magnet School, NCBW 100 and Max Planck Florida.

After box lunches—and a visit by the local CBS-TV affiliate covering the event—the girls spent the rest of the afternoon discussing how best to market their projects and presenting them to the group.

stem group
About 100 girls participated in the STEM event on the Scripps Florida campus. (Photo by Eric Sauter.)

CA Meet the Alumni: Michael Zorniak of Teva Pharmaceuticals

Michael Zorniak, medical science liaison for Teva Pharmaceuticals, an international generic medicines producer, will be the guest speaker at the next Scripps California Meet the Alumni gathering, scheduled for Wednesday, December 9, from 4 to 5 PM.

A postdoctoral fellow in the Barbas lab from 2013 to 2014, Zorniak received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Department of Neurological Surgery. In his position in Teva’s Neuroimmunology Medical Affairs unit, his responsibilities include cultivating, maintaining and managing interactions with neurological healthcare professionals.

Sponsored by TSRI Career and Postdoctoral Services, Meet the Alumni events feature a different speaker from the institute’s growing alumni network, presented in a relaxed, informal setting. Speakers discuss career-influencing decisions and options, offering advice on career transitions.

The event will be held in the Graduate Office dining room, first floor, Hazen Theory building. Reservations are required.

Career Workshops: Science Posters, Industry Insights

Two upcoming workshops, sponsored by TSRI Career and Postdoctoral Services, will offer skills training for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.

California

How to create engaging and effective posters—a skill rarely taught to scientists—is the aim of a workshop, “Convey Your Science with Posters,” scheduled for Thursday, December 3, from 3 to 4:30 PM, in the Graduate Office seminar room, first floor, Hazen Theory building.

Conducted by Scripps Florida’s Briana Konnick, program coordinator for Career and Postdoctoral Services, the workshop will cover the fundamentals of poster design, creation and communication. Specific topics include:

The importance of poster layout
Rules for textual content
Effective data and graphics
Best practices in poster presentation.

Florida

A day-long training workshop, “Insights to Industry from SciPhD,” to be held on Wednesday, December 9, from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM, will address how to adapt to the values and skills of a job in industry.

The workshop will introduce 24 business competencies valued in industry, relate them to postdoctoral research experiences and demonstrate how to identify those competencies and relate them to job ads and descriptions. Randy Ribaudo of SciPhD, a training provider to prepare scientists for careers in industry, will lead the workshop.

The final session of the day, which is open to all, is designed to examine communications skills required to succeed in industry. Attendees can bring job descriptions, CVs and resumes to target specific questions and concerns.

Space for the event, which will be held in room B159, is limited; reservations are required.

ScrippsAssists Craft Fair Raffle Tickets Available November 23

With prizes including a $750 Southwest Airlines gift card, ScrippsAssists Craft Fair Raffle tickets will be available Monday, November 23. Winners need not be present at the Craft Fair, scheduled for Thursday, December 3, 11 AM to 2 PM, in the Immunology building galleria.

Other prizes include gift certificates to San Diego restaurants; whale-watching and bay-cruise passes; a museum package of passes to San Diego’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Natural History Museum, Museum of Art and the History Center; a Brewery Tour for two; and a golf package including a putter, Oakley sunglasses and four golfing passes to Riverwalk Golf Club.

Raffle tickets will be sold at the following locations:

Beckman building, room 405, from Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn or NMR Facility from Dee-Hua Huang
Counseling Office, 3300 North Torrey Pines Court, second floor (above the Faculty Club), from Holly Wheeler
Science Park 3030, room 1150, from Pam Cryer
Hazen Campus, Theory Building, room 21 (upstairs from the Graduate Office), from Lorraine Lathrop
Administration Building, 3301 North Torrey Pines Court, room 340, Office of Philanthropy, from Kelsey Dale or Chelsea Luedeke

The annual Craft Fair features a wide variety of handcrafted products, including clothing, jewelry, home décor, sports equipment, artwork and gourmet foods. Proceeds from the annual event fund ScrippsAssists charitable projects that support San Diego community organizations in need.

A few exhibitor spaces are still available. Interested crafters can contact ScrippsAssists at sagroup@scripps.edu.

CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due November 25

To receive consideration at the next TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety by Wednesday, November 25, via email to rachellv@scripps.edu. The meeting will be held Wednesday, December 9, 2:30 to 3:30 PM, in the P2 conference room, Building 3301.

FL Biosafety Meeting Scheduled for December 2

The next meeting of the Scripps Florida Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) will be held on 2 December 2, 2015, from 9:30 to 1130 AM, in the Building B Founders room. RSVP required to Galina Judge, gjudge@scripps.edu.

At the Auditorium: A Chamber Music Series Debut

The San Diego Symphony’s Chamber Music Series will feature a debut performance by violinist Karen Gomyo on Tuesday, December 8, 7:30 PM. Gomyo is the recipient of the prestigious 2008 Avery Fisher Career Grant. The program will feature Stravinsky’s “Three Pieces for String Quartet” and Franck’s “Piano Quintet in F Minor.” For ticket and additional information, visit the symphony’s website.

The Auditorium at TSRI is located at 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, San Diego 92121.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

shenvi
Associate Professor Ryan Shenvi has been selected for the Royal Society of Chemistry's Nature Product Reports 2016 lectureship. (Photo by BioMedical Graphics.)

SEARCH NEWS & VIEWS

Team Discovers New Compounds with Potential to Treat Persistent Tuberculosis

Researchers Unveil Critical Mechanism of Memory Formation

Scientists Find Surprising Trait in Anti-HIV Antibodies

Team Awarded $1.6 Million Grant to Bring Heroin Vaccine Closer to the Clinic

Prominent Biochemist Peng Wu Joins TSRI