In Brief

Julius Rebek Receives Honorary Doctorate from Spanish University

Julius Rebek, professor and director of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has received an honorary doctorate in recognition of important contributions to the fields of science and technology from the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló de la Plana, Spain.

A Guggenheim Fellow at the Universitat Jaume I in 1985, Rebek maintains several collaborations with the university’s faculty and with other Spanish research institutions. Additionally, his lab has hosted 17 postdoctoral fellows from Spain, many of whom are now professors.

Rebek’s research examines the basic questions of molecular recognition, self-assembly, catalysis and complementarity by designing novel organic molecular nanocapsules and synthetic receptors. Additional information is available on Rebek’s faculty page and lab website.

Sandra Encalada and Michael Petrascheck Win Glenn Award

TSRI’s Sandra Encalada, the Arlene and Arnold Goldstein Assistant Professor, and Michael Petrascheck, assistant professor, have received the Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging, merit awards from the Glenn Foundation For Medical Research that provide unsolicited funds to researchers investigating the biology of aging.

Using a variety of approaches, Encalada studies the mechanisms of intracellular transport in aging neurons, as well as how defective intracellular transport leads to neurodegeneration in models of aging diseases such as Alzheimer’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), prion diseases and transthyretin amyloidosis. More information on Encalada’s research is available on her faculty webpage and lab website.

The Petrascheck lab uses a diverse toolbox of genetics, drug screening, imaging and study of the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) nematode to determine the mechanisms underlying the aging process, focusing on how the nervous system modulates aging and how the nervous system itself is affected by aging. For further information on his research, visit the Petrascheck faculty webpage and laboratory website.

Salome Murinello Awarded American Diabetes Association Fellowship

Salome Murinello, research associate in the Friedlander lab, has won an American Diabetes Association (ADA) Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, designed to support high-quality training for early-career researchers in disciplines and topics relevant to diabetes.

The highly competitive, three-year ADA fellowship also includes an invitation to the organization’s annual two-day Career Development Symposium for scientists, which offers peer-to-peer learning and a forum for open communication between young professionals and senior scientists/clinicians in diabetes research and clinical care.

Murinello’s research focuses on diabetic retinopathy, a complication of both type I and type II diabetes and the leading cause of blindness in working-age American adults. Specifically, her project, “FAAH and NAAA regulation of erucamide-mediated retinal neuroprotection and angiogenesis in diabetic retinopathy,” seeks to elucidate the regulation of retinal levels of a molecule—erucamide—important for proper blood vessel health in the retina.

Three TSRI Graduate Students Named ARCS Scholars

TSRI graduate students Rigo Citron-Colon, Danielle Grotjahn and Daisy Johnson have received Scholar Awards from the San Diego chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Students (ARCS) Foundation, a national nonprofit organization advancing science and American competitiveness through grants to academically outstanding students pursuing degrees in science, engineering or medical research.

Citron-Colon, a second-year graduate student in the Conti lab, is working on a physiology research project titled “Nutrient and Temperature Homeostatis.”

Grotjahn, a third-year graduate student in the Lander and Encalada labs, focuses her research at the intersection of cell biology and structural biology; her project is titled “Ultrastructural analysis of motor protein conformations and regulation.”

Johnson, a second-year graduate student in the Havran lab, is pursuing a research project in immunology titled “Enhancing wound healing through the activation of γδ T cells.”

ARCS Scholars are selected annually by qualifying departments of science, engineering and medical research within the ARCS Foundation's 54 academic partner universities.

CA Academic Career Roundtable: Private Nonprofit Universities

The next Scripps California Academic Career Roundtable will explore careers at private, nonprofit universities on Friday, December 11, noon to 1 PM.

Veronica Ardi, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at National University, will lead the session. Ardi is a former TSRI postdoctoral fellow (2005 to 2009) and professional scientific collaborator (2009 to 2013).

The workshop will be held in the Graduate Office dining room, first floor, Hazen Theory building. Lunch is provided; reservations are required.

Sponsored by TSRI Career and Postdoctoral Services, the roundtable series offers bimonthly professional development sessions for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, featuring an informal conversational setting with guest faculty speakers.

FL Career Workshop: How to Set Up a Lab

Guidance on setting up a research lab will be offered in a workshop scheduled for Thursday, December 10, from 10 to 11:30 AM in classroom B159 on the Scripps Florida campus.

Designed for senior postdoctoral fellows seeking an academic career—but also of potential benefit to junior faculty members and other grant applicants—the training session will focus on budget development and start-up negotiations.

Damien Wilpitz, a consultant to early-career scientists transitioning to their own independent labs, will conduct the workshop.

Reservations are required.

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.

ScrippsAssists’ Annual Holiday Toy Drive Under Way

Scripps California faculty, students and staff are invited to brighten the holidays for local children in need by participating in the ScrippsAssists annual Holiday Toy Drive, supporting community partner Home Start, a San Diego nonprofit agency dedicated to child abuse prevention and family strengthening services.

New and unwrapped toys for children of all ages—many of whom face homelessness or other serious crises—can be dropped off by Monday, December 14, at specially indicated boxes in the lobbies of the Molecular Biology, Immunology, Beckman (in the graduate lounge area), MEM and Hazen buildings. Toys will be removed to a secure location every other day.

For a list of suggested age-appropriate gifts, contact ScrippsAssists project lead Jess Sheu-Gruttadauria at jgruttad@scripps.edu or x4-7569.

CA Onsite Clinic: December 16

The next onsite immunization clinic on the California campus will be held Wednesday, December 16, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, in the Hazen Theory building, rooms 203/205. Appointments are not needed.

Conducted by Sharp Rees-Stealy staff, the clinic will provide hepatitis B vaccination free of charge to all TSRI employees. Environmental Health & Safety Occupational Medicine must pre-authorize all other procedures based on the employee's working conditions. These procedures include tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccines and other titers, immunizations and procedures.

At the Auditorium: A Chamber Music Series Debut

The San Diego Symphony’s Chamber Music Series will feature a series-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

rebek
Professor Julius Rebek has received an honorary doctorate from the Universitat Jaume I in Spain recognizing his contributions to science and technology.

TSRI Cheers Breast Cancer Walk Participants

With encouraging words, banners and balloons, some two dozen Scripps California volunteers, organized by TSRI’s Department of Philanthropy, cheered on participants in the recent San Diego Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk for breast cancer research. (Photo by Madeline McCurry-Schmidt.)

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