In Brief

Chi-Huey Wong Receives Royal Society of Chemistry Award

Chi-Huey Wong, professor of chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has received the Royal Society of Chemistry’s (RSC) 2015 Robert Robinson Award, recognizing contributions to organic chemistry from a researcher over the age of 55.

Wong was honored for his development of chemical and enzymatic synthesis methods to elucidate the roles of carbohydrates in biology and create new opportunities in medicine.

“It’s always a pleasure to recognise excellence in the chemical sciences and I am pleased to acknowledge the illustrious achievements of our prize and award winners this year,” said Robert Parker, chief executive of the RSC. Headquartered in London, England, the 15,000-member RSC is a nonprofit professional body for chemical scientists that promotes education, industry standards and collaboration.

As a winner of the Robertson award, Wong, who in addition to his position at TSRI serves as president of Academia Sinica in Taiwan, will complete a U.K. lecture tour, speaking on "The Chemistry and Biology of Glycosylation." For additional information on Wong’s research, visit his TSRI faculty webpage and laboratory website.

Saturday Science Event Inspires Students

The third and final Saturday Science event of the academic year drew more than 200 local students to Scripps California from eight high schools to hear biologist Gabe Lander speak on “Viewing the Invisible Nanomachines of Life,” tour TSRI labs, and learn about possible career paths in science from 20 volunteer TSRI postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. The Saturday Science program was funded by an anonymous donor and Gilead Sciences and supported by the efforts of Dawn Eastmond and Laura Wilson in the Office of Graduate Studies, Ryan Wheeler and Jean Branan in the Career, International and Postdoctoral Services Office, the San Diego County of Education and volunteer Shirley King. (Photo by Jean Branan.)

Brunhilde Felding to Participate in Cancer Panel

TSRI Associate Professor Brunhilde Felding will participate on a panel of experts at a special public viewing of the PBS-TV documentary, “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies,” on Wednesday, May 13, 6 to 8:30 PM, at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

Felding, whose lab studies the mechanisms and inhibition of cancer metastasis, will join David Leopold of the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine; Georgia Sadler of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the University of California, San Diego, Moores Cancer Center; and cancer survivor Robin Rady in sharing insights on cancer prevention, detection, treatment and genomic research.

Admission is free. The event, presented by Scripps Health, ACS and San Diego public broadcasting station KPBS, will be held in Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla’s Schaetzel Center, Great Hall, located at 9888 Genesee Ave, La Jolla, 92037. Call (800) 727-4777 to register for the event.

Claudio Joazeiro to Give CA Faculty Lecture May 13

TSRI Associate Professor Claudio Joazeiro will speak at the next Faculty Lecture Series presentation on Wednesday, May 13, 5 to 6 PM, in the Timken Amphitheater at the Green Hospital in La Jolla, California. Joazeiro’s lecture is entitled “Ribosome-Associated Protein Quality Control and Neurodegeneration” Following the lecture, a reception will be held in the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Building, first floor. For further information, see the Faculty Lecture Series webpage. The series is supported by an endowment from the Cochrane-Cartan families, established by TSRI Professor Emeritus Charles G. Cochrane.

SoF to Hold Vendor Show May 19

Products and services from more than 100 international biotech companies will be showcased on the Scripps California campus at the 23^rd annual Society of Fellows (SoF) Vendor Show on Tuesday, May 19, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Open to the public, the event is one of the largest life sciences industry shows in the area.

“The Vendor Show is a rare chance to network with exhibitors, learn about new technology, try reagent samples and pick up fun freebies,” said Lynda Groocock, research associate in the Boddy lab and co-chair of this year’s event with Ana Wang, graduate student in the Wolan lab.

Exhibits will be staged on the Immunology building plaza and atrium and in the Beckman building galleria. Free parking is available in the south employee parking lot and at the Molecular and Experimental Medicine building; see map.

Attendees may enter the show’s raffle—grand prize is $1,000—each time they leave their contact information with an exhibitor. To double the chances of winning a raffle prize, show visitors can leave contact details with at least two vendors in all three show sites or with a featured vendor: Cell Signaling Technology, MédiMabs Inc, InvivoGen, SGI-DNA, Electron Microscopy Sciences. LI-COR Biosciences, Magritek, Adipogen International Inc., Agena Bioscience, Click Chemistry Tools, SBI, Worthington Biochemical, Innovative Cell Technologies, Genescript, eBioscience, lllumina, Advanced Targeting Systems, PeproTech Inc., Chemglass Life Sciences and ValueGene Inc.

Proceeds from the show fund SoF’s extensive calendar of professional development and social events. For more information on the SoF Vendor show, visit the organization’s website.

Reboot of Library Advisory Committee

On May 5, the Kresge Library reinstated the Library Advisory Committee to help guide the development of library resources and services. For the first time, Florida members attended via video-conferencing. Librarians gave short presentations about journals, outreach and support for compliance with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy. The faculty, research associates and graduate students in attendance offered thoughtful questions and comments. The committee approved the addition of a Nature Communications license; library staff hope to announce access in June.

The Kresge Library strives to support the research and educational missions at TSRI, and library staff invite members of the community on both campuses to send them comments and suggestions about how to best accomplish this goal. If you’d like to keep up-to-date about library resources and services, consider subscribing to the Library News blog. You may contact the Kresge Library at (858) 784-8705 or the Elizabeth M. Fago Library at (561) 228-2929 or email helplib@scripps.edu.

TSRI Campuses Promote ‘Pedal Power’ May 15

TSRI is promoting commuting to work by pedal power during National Bike Month in May.

Peter Norris, chair of the Scripps Florida Green Team, notes Scripps Florida accommodates eco-friendly bicycle commuting throughout the year with ample bike racks at each of the campus’s three buildings.

Members of the Scripps California community can participate in Bike-to-Work Day, Friday, May 15, joining cyclists throughout San Diego attempting to log 25,000 miles by bike—the equivalent of a trip around the world and one million calories burned.

Scripps California Bike-to-Work Day participants who pledge online through iCommute can drop by one of the 100 pit stops to pick up a free t-shirt and snacks. A list of stops and resources offered is available on Google Maps.

All commutes by bike during the month of May, including Bike-to-Work Day, can be logged on the iCommute TripTracker to win prizes, including a new bike from Bicycle Warehouse, gift cards and San Diego Zoo passes. Participants can also win prizes by sharing their bike commute experiences on the iCommute Facebook page, tagging a tweet with @iCommuteSD or #GObyBIKEsd on Twitter, or post a photo on Instagram using #GObyBIKEsd and @SANDAGregion.

For more information on Bike Month 2015 activities, visit the Bike Month webpage, call 511 and say “iCommute” or email biking@sandag.org.

CA Onsite Clinic: May 27

The next onsite immunization clinic on the California campus will be held Wednesday, May 27, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, in the Hazen Theory building, rooms 203/205. 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.

CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due May 27

The TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, June 10, from 2:30 to 3:30 PM, in the P2 conference room, Building 3301. To receive committee consideration, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety via email to rachellv@scripps.edu by Wednesday, May 27.

At the Auditorium: Mainly Mozart

Mainly Mozart’s Spotlight Series continues Saturday, May 16, with a 6:30 PM reception and a 7:30 PM concert featuring violinist Sheryl Staples, violist Cynthia Phelps, cellist Carter Brey and pianist Shai Wosner. The group will perform Mozart’s Duo No. 2 in B-Flat Major for Violin and Viola, K. 424 and Dvorak’s Piano Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 87. Additional program and ticket details are available on the Mainly Mozart website.

The Auditorium at TSRI is located at 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, San Diego 92121.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

wong
Professor Chi-Huey Wong has received the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2015 Robert Robinson Award.

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