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In Brief


Gabriel Lander Named 2014 Pew Scholar

Gabriel Lander, assistant professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has been chosen as one of just 22 2014 Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences, a select group that will receive flexible funding from the Pew Charitable Trusts to investigate some of the world’s most pressing problems.

“We are pleased to welcome the newest class of scholars to a community that continues to yield extraordinary findings in the field of bioscience,” said Rebecca W. Rimel, president and CEO of Pew.

Launched in 1985, the program supports top U.S. scientists at the assistant professor level to seed innovation at the start of their independent research careers. More than 180 institutions were invited to nominate Pew Scholar candidates. Scholars are selected, based on proven creativity, by a national advisory committee composed of renowned scientists, including committee chair Craig C. Mello, a 2006 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine and a 1995 Pew scholar.

Lander and his team are using electron microscopy to study the structure of dynein, a motor complex important in clearing toxic protein aggregates from neurons. Obtaining high-resolution, dynamic “snapshots” of this protein complex could help pinpoint the molecular triggers that lead to diseases such as Huntington’s, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and pave the way for new treatments for these diseases.


Xin Zhang Wins Burroughs Wellcome Career Award

Xin Zhang, research associate in the Kelly lab, has received a Burroughs Wellcome Career Award at the Scientific Interface (CASI), a five-year grant intended to bridge advanced postdoctoral training and the first three years of faculty service.

Supported by the independent private foundation Burroughs Wellcome Fund, CASI grants foster the early career development of researchers who are trained in physics, engineering, mathematics, chemistry and computation sciences and now are answering biological questions.

Zhang’s research focuses on proteins whose defective folding causes common enzyme deficiency disorders and cancers to find treatment for these diseases by improving the quality of cellular folding. The CASI award, said Zhang, “allows me to develop new chemical methodologies to scrutinize the cellular and molecular mechanisms that create and maintain the functional proteome.”


Career Workshop: Research and Teaching Opportunities

Postdoctoral fellows and graduate students interested in a career in academia are invited to attend the next Academic Careers Roundtable, “Research and Teaching Opportunities in a Clinical Science Department,” on Wednesday, July 2, noon to 1 PM, in the graduate office conference room, 3377 building, suite 300.

Amanda MacLeod, senior research associate in the Havran lab, will conduct the roundtable. MacLeod, who earned an MD, magna cum laude, from Heinrich Heine University in Germany, will join Duke University Medical Center as an assistant professor in September.

Academic Careers Roundtable events, sponsored by the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office, are held in a small group discussion format. Lunch will be provided. Registration is required.


SoF to Host World Cup Finals Party

The Scripps California community is invited to share the global excitement of soccer’s 2014 World Cup Finals at a special viewing party hosted by the Society of Fellows (SoF) on Sunday, July 13, 11:15 AM, at the Offshore Tavern & Grill in San Diego’s Bay Park, 2253 Morena Blvd., 92110.

Encouraging attendees to wear their favorite team jerseys, SoF has reserved the restaurant’s large patio area with several television screens for World Cup enthusiasts from TSRI and other local institutions, including UC San Diego. Two free drink tickets and appetizers will be offered to the first 80 TSRI employees who arrive (with ID for drinks).

Details on other SoF activities and resources are available on the group’s website.


Walk or Run for San Diego Blood Bank

Register free for the upcoming San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) 5K Walk/Run annual fundraiser, to be held on Sunday, August 3, at 8 AM, at Embarcadero Marina Park North.

“The blood bank has offered TSRI this special registration as a thank-you for hosting our recurring blood drives on campus,” said ScrippsAssists project lead Leslie Madden. In addition, a $10 “friends-and-family” registration fee is available to TSRI participants’ family members and friends.

Beginning and ending at Embarcadero Marina Park North in San Diego’s Seaport Village, the scenic walk/run course will offer views of the bay, cruise ships, U.S. Navy ships and the classic sailing craft, the Star of India. Other event features include a family fun zone and a beer garden.

SDBB provides 10,000 units of blood and a wide range of blood bank services each month to hospitals throughout Southern California. Details on future blood drives on the California campus and other ScrippsAssists projects are available on the volunteer group’s website.

Register online for the walk/run at the SDBB website. TSRI participants should use the promotion code “SRI”; family and friends the “SRIFF” promotion code.


CA Onsite Clinic Scheduled for July 16

The next onsite immunization clinic on the California campus will be held Wednesday, July 16, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, in building 3366, room 150. 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.

TB testing is provided for employees who, in the scope of their TSRI positions, provide human health care, such as registered nurses, or who work with human subjects. For further details, contact Rachel Longville, rachellv@scripps.edu or x4-8457.


San Diego Symphony Offers Discount Tickets to Pops Concerts

Scripps California employees can purchase a three-concert mini-pack at subscriber prices for the San  Diego Symphony’s 2014 Ashford University Summer Pops outdoor concert series, scheduled from June 17 to August 30 at Embarcadero Marina Park South.

The 10-concert season features performers Boz Scaggs, Vanessa Williams and Ozomotli, plus tributes to the Beatles, Elvis, ABBA and Ray Charles. The concert schedule is available at the symphony’s website

For additional information or to purchase tickets, contact Jane Wyman at the San Diego Symphony at (619) 615-3918 or jwyman@sandiegosymphony.org.


At the Auditorium: Pianist Gustavo Romero

The Athenaeum Music and Arts Library continues its traditional Summer Festival with pianist Gustavo Romero on Sundays, July 6 and 13, at 4 PM. A San Diego native, Romero graduated from the Julliard School of Music and was the 1989 winner of the prestigious Clara Haskil Piano Competition. His Athenaeum festival performances will feature piano sonatas by Beethoven, including “Hammerklavier,” the “Tempest,” “The Hunt” and “Waldstein.” For ticket information, visit the library’s website.

The Auditorium at TSRI is located at 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, San Diego, 92121. Directions and parking information are located on the auditorium’s website.





Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

lander
Assistant Professor Gabe Lander has been selected as a Pew Scholar. (Photo by Cindy Brauer.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Visitors Tour Scripps California
malaysia
Visiting TSRI’s La Jolla campus recently were overseas visitors from Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Russia, Korea and Uruguay. In town for the BIO International Convention, more than 150 guests in all toured the facilities, including the Yang, Law, Cherezov and Zhu labs and the electron microscopy suite. Shown above is Professor Xiang-Lei Yang (left) with Malaysian government officials. (Photo by Cindy Brauer.)