In Brief


Paul Kenny to Speak at February 8 Faculty Lecture

Scripps Research Associate Professor Paul Kenny is the featured speaker for the Wednesday, February 8 Faculty Lecture Series presentation, scheduled for 5 PM in the Timken Amphitheater at Green Hospital. Kenny’s lecture topic is “A microRNA Signaling Cascade that Drives Compulsive Cocaine Use.” A reception will follow the lecture in the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Building, first floor. For further information, see the Faculty Lecture Series website.


Award-Winning Chemists Headline 23rd Frontiers in Chemistry Symposium

The Scripps Research Institute will host the 23rd Annual Frontiers in Chemistry Symposium, featuring a Nobel laureate and three other award-winning scientists, on Friday, February 10. Organized by Professors K.C. Nicolaou and Phil Baran, the event will be held at the Neurosciences Institute Auditorium.

Running from 9 AM to 1:30 PM, symposium presenters and lecture topics include:

  • Scripps Research President Michael Marletta, “Oxidative Chemistry in the Degradation of Cellulose”
  • Professor Paul Wender, Stanford University, “Toward Transformative Therapies and the Ideal Synthesis”
  • Professor Paul Alivisatos, University of California, Berkeley, “The Emerging Science of Nanocrystals”
  • Professor Ei-ichi Negishi, Purdue University, 2010 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, “Catalytic Asymmetric C–C Bond Formation with 1-Alkenes of One-Point Binding: ZACA Reaction”

Following the event, a luncheon reception will be held in the Beckman Galleria. Symposium sponsors include Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Genetech, GlaxoSmithKline, Incyte, Lilly, Pfizer, and Takeda.

Admittance at the symposium is free; attendance is limited to 300. Further details are available at http://www.scripps.edu/research/chem/symposium.pdf or by contacting Vicky Armstrong at x4-2400 or vbn@scripps.edu.


NWiS and SOF Happy Hour Welcomes New Faculty

The California campus Network for Women in Science (NWiS) and the Society of Fellows (SOF) will welcome Scripps Research President Michael Marletta and other new faculty members at their annual joint “New Faculty Happy Hour” on Thursday, February 9, 5 PM, in the Faculty Club Tennis Room.

Sponsored by SOF, NWiS, and the Scripps Research graduate program, the event will provide an informal setting for interaction and networking. In addition to Marletta, other faculty expected to attend include:

  • Associate Professor Andrew Su
  • Assistant Professor Candice Contet
  • Assistant Professor Sandra Encalada
  • Assistant Professor Chitra Mandyam
  • Assistant Professor Michael Petrascheck
  • Assistant Professor Luke Wiseman
  • Assistant Professor Dennis Wolan

The Happy Hour is open to the entire Scripps Research community; no RSVP is required. Refreshments and raffle prizes will be offered. New faculty who would like to attend are asked to RSVP to Laurie Gay.


SOF Travel Award Applications Due March 1

Applications for the next round of California Society of Fellows (SOF) Postdoctoral Travel Awards are due Thursday, March 1.

The awards are intended to provide postdocs opportunities to present scholarly activities at scientific national or international conferences, according to Ryan Wheeler, manager of the Postdoctoral Services Office, which administers the program.

A maximum of three grants of up to $1,000 each will be awarded for conference-related costs, including travel, housing, and conference registration. A selection committee of five Scripps Research postdocs will review the applications.

Previous award applicants may apply again, but past award winners are ineligible. Eligibility, specific application procedures, and proposal guidelines can be found on the Career and Postdoctoral Services webpage.

Non-applicants postdocs willing to serve on the selection committee are asked to contact Mike Matrone at matrone@scripps.edu.


Daffodil Days Bloom Again to Aid Cancer Research

ScrippsAssists is now taking orders for “Daffodil Days 2012,” the annual American Cancer Society (ACS) campaign to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. The program offers a selection of fresh daffodil bouquets for donations starting at $10.

To order bouquets, visit the ScrippsAssists Daffodil Days webpage. The order deadline is 5 PM, Friday, February 24. Orders will be available for pickup beginning at 8 AM Wednesday, March 21 from MB105C.

Donation categories include:

  • $10: bouquet of 10 daffodils (no vase)
  • $20: the Sunshine arrangement, 10 daffodils with a 7-inch, clear glass, cylinder vase
  • $35: Vision arrangement, 20 daffodils with a clear glass, 8-inch, multi-use vase
Two additional donation categories—"Bear of Hope" and "Gift of Hope"—offer opportunities to cheer up local cancer patients, according to the ACS. "Gift of Hope" donations, ranging from $25 to $100, underwrite daffodil bouquets anonymously delivered to cancer treatment patients in local hospitals, medical centers, and physician offices. The $25 "Bear of Hope" donations fund delivery of Boyd's teddy bears to pediatric cancer patients at local facilities.

Bouquet images are available on the ACS website.

Proceeds from the Daffodil Days campaign help fund ACS programs in cancer research, education, early detection efforts, advocacy, and patient services.

For further information regarding the Daffodil Days campaign, contact Leslie Madden, Scripps Research senior administrative assistant.





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Book by Eric Topol Highlights Technology's Impact on Medicine
topol
Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, chief academic officer at Scripps Health, and Gary and Mary West Endowed Chair of Innovative Medicine at Scripps Research, explores technology’s impact on the practice of medicine in his new book, The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care (Basic Books, 2012).