Etcetera

James Williamson Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
James R. Williamson, dean of graduate studies and professor of molecular biology and chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute, has been elected as a new member of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

"We are pleased to welcome these distinguished individuals into the academy," said Leslie Berlowitz, chief executive officer and William T. Golden Chair. "We look forward to drawing on their knowledge and expertise to provide practical policy solutions to the pressing issues of the day."

Established in 1780 by John Adams and other founders of the nation, the academy undertakes studies of complex and emerging problems. Its membership of scholars and practitioners from many disciplines and professions gives it a unique capacity to conduct a wide range of interdisciplinary, long-term policy research. Current projects focus on science and technology; global security; social policy and American institutions; the humanities and culture; and education.

The new class, consisting of 229 leaders in their fields, will be inducted at a ceremony on October 9, at the academy's headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

As a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Williamson will join more than 250 Nobel laureates, more than 60 Pulitzer Prize winners, and a number of other Scripps Research faculty members, including Floyd E. Bloom, Dale L. Boger, Gerald M. Edelman, Richard A. Lerner, K.C. Nicolaou, Julius Rebek, Jr., Paul Schimmel, Peter Schultz, K. Barry Sharpless, Peter K. Vogt, Charles Weissmann, Ian W. Wilson, Chi-Huey Wong, Peter E. Wright, and Kurt Wüthrich.

Scripps Research Wins Bio-IT Best Practices Award
The Scripps Research Institute has won a Best Practices Award from Bio-IT World in the IT & Informatics category for the SciQuest procurement system that enables the institute's researchers to acquire supplies quickly and at a lower cost.

"This year's winners include some truly outstanding and innovative examples of new technology and collaboration," said Kevin Davies, editor-in-chief of Bio-IT World.

Established in 2003, Bio-IT World's Best Practices Awards Program recognizes organizations for innovation and excellence in the use of technologies, practices, and business strategies that advance drug discovery, development, biomedical research, and clinical trials. An awards ceremony was held April 22 at the World Trade Center in Boston, MA. The winners will also be profiled in the July/August issue of Bio-IT World.

Claes Wahlestedt Elected Chair of FL CURED, Appointed to Research Advisory Council
Scripps Research Professor Claes Wahlestedt has been elected chair of The Florida Center for Universal Research to Eradicate Disease (FL CURED), a state-wide organization that works to improve coordination, information sharing and reduce duplication within Florida's biomedical research enterprise. Governor Charlie Crist has also appointed Professor Wahlestedt to the Biomedical Research Advisory Council (BRAC) of Florida.

Sandra Schmid to Present NIH Lecture
Sandra Schmid, chair of the Scripps Research Department of Cell Biology, will present a lecture on Wednesday, April 28, 2010, at 3 PM, Eastern time (noon, Pacific time), as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series. The lecture will be broadcast live online and an archived version of the lecture will also be available after the event. Fewer than 40 speakers each year are chosen to come to the NIH campus outside Washington, D.C., as part of this prestigious lecture series. To learn more about the lecture series, visit: http://wals.od.nih.gov/2009-2010/april2010.html. To watch this lecture live, visit: http://videocast.nih.gov.

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