In Brief

John Yates Ranked #1 on ‘Power List’ of Analytical Scientists; Kurt Wüthrich Among Top 100

John Yates III, professor in the Department of Chemical Physiology at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has been ranked number one on The Analytical Scientist Power List 2013, published by online and print publication The Analytic Scientist. In addition, Kurt Wüthrich, Nobel laureate and the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Professor of Structural Biology at TSRI, was among the list’s top 100 most influential analytical scientists.

The list recognizes role models and thought leaders who have inspired change in their fields, according to Richard Gallagher, The Analytical Scientist’s editorial director. A panel of respected scientists and the publication’s editorial team determined the list’s members—an international array of noted researchers and CEOs—from nominations by the scientific community.

Yates developed software methods to search tandem mass spectrometry data for sequence databases, an accomplishment that also enabled the development of shotgun proteomics, which allows large-scale analysis of proteomes. Yates discussed his research in a News&Views feature. Additional information lab is available on Yates’s faculty webpage and lab website.

Wüthrich was cited for determining the first protein structure in solution. His 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for development of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for determining the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules in solution. For further information on Wüthrich's research, visit his faculty webpage and lab website.

The complete 2013 Power List is available on the publication’s website.

Research Fest Showcases Scientific Talent, Recognizes Top Presentations

Research Fest 2013, the Scripps Florida Society of Research Fellows’ (SF-SRF) fourth annual Scientific Symposium and Vendor Show held October 24, provided the opportunity for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students to showcase their scientific work. Attended by 250 faculty members, students and staff from TSRI, Max Planck Florida Institute, Palm Beach State College and Florida Atlantic University (FAU), the event included five oral and 35 poster presentations and exhibits by more than 40 vendors.

Awards for distinguished presentations went to:

Guillaume Mousseau, Valente lab, “Potent Suppression of Tat-dependent HIV transcription by didehydro-Cortistatin A prevents latent HIV reactivation” (postdoctoral seminar category)
Homa Ghalei, Karbstein lab, “The casein kinase 1d homolog Hrr25 regulates 40S ribosome assembly by promoting the dissociation of the assembly factor Ltv1” (postdoctoral poster category)
Jing Zhao, Robbins lab, “The role of NF-κB in driving DNA damage-induced cellular senescence and aging” (graduate student seminar category)
Thu Ha Truong, Carroll lab, “Characterizing the role of Cys797 in redox-based regulation of EGFR” (graduate student poster category)

Research Fest organizers were Sietse Jonkman (SF-SRF president), Maria Mavrikaki (scientific symposium chair), Sarah Iqbal and Marsha DSouza (vendor show chairs) and Vanessa Paulman and Cheryl Marra. Following the symposium, FAU students had the opportunity to attend a special lecture by TSRI Professor John Cleveland on the connection between medical practice and basic science.

Sandelman Travel Award Winners Selected

The Career and Postdoctoral Services Office has announced recipients of the 2013 Robert M. Sandelman Award for Scientific Excellence, which supports travel expenses to scientific conferences.

Winners of a $1,500 award to attend an international conference are:

Suzanne Rzuczek of the Disney lab, presenting at the RNA Society Conference in Quebec City, Canada
Kristen Scott of the Cleveland lab, presenting at the Keystone Symposium, Tumor Metabolism, in Whistler, Canada

Receiving a $1,000 award to attend a domestically hosted conference are:

Devrishi Goswami of the Griffin lab, presenting at the 2014 American Society of Mass Spectroscopy, in Baltimore, Maryland
Travis Hughes of the Kojetin lab, presenting at the Joint Keystone Symposia, G-protein-Coupled Receptors & Frontiers in Biology, in Snowbird, Utah
James Robinson of the McDonald lab, also presenting at the Joint Keystone Symposia, G-protein-Coupled Receptors & Frontiers in Biology, in Snowbird, Utah
Beena Kadakkuzha of the Puthanveettil lab, presenting at the Gordon Conference on Cell Biology of the Neuron in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
Reji Nair of the Bannister lab, presenting at the American Chemical Society Meeting in Dallas, Texas
Laura Rosenberg of the Duckett Lab, presenting at the American Association for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston, Massachusetts

Recognizing outstanding scientific achievement and accomplishment, the awards were funded through the Boca Raton, Florida-based Sandelman Foundation, established by sales promotion pioneer Robert Sandelman, who founded the first sales promotion agency in the United States and created the American Express Gold Card.

Scripps Consulting Club to Hold Project Management Workshop

The Scripps Consulting Club (SCC), a new career resources organization for TSRI staff, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, will hold its first workshop, “Project Management: Executing Your Goals Effectively and Efficiently,” on Tuesday, November 5, 1 PM, on the CA campus.

Eric Morfin, founder of BioPharmaPM, a professional association of life science project managers, will conduct the workshop. Morfin’s background includes project management, operations and data management positions at Merck, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche.

The session will cover applying research skills to strategic project management and relating results to business goals. Networking opportunities and light refreshments will be provided.

To register for the workshop, scheduled in the Beckman Building’s Keck Amphitheater, visit http://www.scripps.edu/california/scc/register.html or the SCC website. Contact sccadmin@scripps.edu for further details.

Benefits: Open Enrollment Ends November 8

Don’t forget that Open Enrollment—the annual opportunity for TSRI employees to make changes or update their benefits selection—will end Friday, November 8, at 5 PM Pacific time. To log into the Open Enrollment system, go to https://openenrollment.scripps.edu.

Note that participants in the Healthcare or Dependent Care Spending Accounts in 2013 must log on and elect a new deferral amount to participate in 2014. Employees’ 2013 election WILL NOT roll over to 2014.

A schedule of other Open Enrollment events is available at http://www.scripps.edu/hr/calendar/california_events.html for the California campus and at http://www.scripps.edu/hr/calendar/florida_events.html for the Florida campus Participants with questions regarding Open Enrollment can also contact Human Resources at the Benefits Line, (858) 784-8487 or benefits@scripps.edu.

CA ScrippsAssists Launches 2013 Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program

To help brighten the holiday season for San Diego families facing poverty, ScrippsAssists has launched its annual Adopt-A-Family Campaign in coordination with long-time ScrippsAssists community partner Home Start, a nonprofit agency serving at-risk children and families.

In the campaign, individuals or groups volunteer provide holiday meals and children’s gifts to families in need identified by Home Start counselors. For guidance, donors receive a family description and wish list.

Nearly 123,000 children in San Diego live below the federal poverty line and are at risk for child abuse or violence, a preventable illness and poor access to health care, according to Home Start.

The sign-up deadline is Friday, November 15. For details, contact ScrippsAssists project lead Jessica Sheu-Gruttadauria, graduate student in the MacRae lab, at x4-7569 or jgruttad@scripps.edu.

Oktoberfest BBQ Raises Funds for Blood Cancer Research

The tantalizing aroma of sausages on the grill and TSRI Associate Professor Karsten Sauer’s noted homemade sauerkraut drew some 100 guests to the third annual California campus Oktoberfest Bratwurst BBQ, which supported the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Light the Night Walk campaign. Sauer and TSRI Professor Wendy Havran—both current or former LLS Scholars and Trustees—organized the fundraiser on behalf of their Light the Night team (The Mission Team Researchers) with help from their lab members, Gareth Morgan of the Society of Fellows and sponsors Rock Bottom Brewery and Bisher Meats, Poway.

The event raised $1,600, bringing the team closer to its $5,000 fundraising goal.

Continuing the effort to support LLS blood cancer research and patient and family programs, the team will participate in the LLS Light the Night Walk at PetCo Park in San Diego on Friday, November, 4 PM. Everyone is welcome. Sign up to participate or donate at http://pages.lightthenight.org/sd/SanDiego13/MissionTeamResearchers.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

yates
TSRI Professor John Yates placed first on a list of most influential analytical scientists. (Photo by BioMedical Graphics.)

reseearch fest
Serving as a judge for Research Fest 2013, Mike Cameron, TSRI assistant professor and associate scientific director in the Translational Research Institute, listens as Jing Wang, research associate in the Guo lab, reviews her poster presentation. (Photo by Jeremy Pyle.)

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