Etcetera

Benjamin Cravatt Wins Gill Young Investigator Award
Scripps Research Institute Professor Benjamin Cravatt has won the 2007 Young Investigator Award from the Linda and Jack Gill Center for Biomolecular Science  at Indiana University, Bloomington.

"Professor Cravatt has made several dramatic field-changing discoveries," says Gill Center Director Michael Walker. "These include the discovery and structural identification of several biomolecules involved in processes as diverse as sleep, thermal sensation, and pain, and the identification of a key enzyme that metabolizes a substance produced by the body that resembles marijuana in its actions."

Cravatt, who is a member of Scripps Research's Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, received the award at the 2007 Gill Symposium held last month in Indiana.

Got "Hot Topz" Tickets?
A dance party and fashion show called Hot Topz, to be held Saturday, June 23 at the downtown San Diego Manchester Grand Hyatt, will raise money for research at The Scripps Research Institute.

Hot Topz, which is being put together by musician and performing artist Kathy Yuhl and cycling tour organizer Jim Knight under the auspices of Desert Rock Productions, will feature a variety of food and entertainment, including three DJs playing high-energy music, a live band "Paradise," samples from a variety of San Diego restaurants, a cigar party, a summer fashion show, and a "Hottest Top" contest for guests. As part of the fundraising effort for the institute, photos of the evening's guests will be developed onsite and made available for donations to the institute. In addition, the event will honor Scripps Research investigators Dennis Burton, Ben Cravatt, and Peter Kuhn.

Tickets to Hot Topz, which are currently being offered at $60 (they'll be $90 at the door), are available at www.desertrock.biz. To take advantage of a special Scripps Research promotion when purchasing tickets online, enter the code "TSRI" and receive a 10 percent discount off ticket prices. The event starts at 8 PM.

Scripps Research Team to Participate in ACS Relay for Life
A team from Scripps Research is coming together to participate in the American Cancer Society's (ACS) signature event, Relay for Life. The team—organized by an American Cancer Society-funded postdoc in the Cravatt lab, Cleo Salisbury—aims to show its appreciation for the American Cancer Society and the research the organization supports.

"We will most likely end up being a team of about 30," says Salisbury, who points to at least seven ACS-funded postdocs at the institute. "We have set a donation goal of $8,000." 

To learn more about the team or to sign up as a sponsor, go to the San Diego Scientists team website at:

http://www.acsevents.org/faf/r.asp?t=12&i=192188&g=1971400.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu