In Brief

Erica Ollmann Saphire Wins Antiviral Research Award

Erica Ollmann Saphire, professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has received the William Prusoff Young Investigator Award from the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR). The award recognizes outstanding dedication and excellence and the potential of future contributions by a scientist under the age of 45.

Saphire received the award, which is endowed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, during ISAR’s recent 28^th International Conference on Antiviral Research in Rome, Italy. The award’s namesake, William H. Prusoff, was a pharmacologist at the Yale School of Medicine who, with a colleague, developed an effective component in the first generation of drug cocktails used to treat AIDS. Following the award presentation, Saphire spoke on “Remodel, Repurpose, Rearrange: Essential Forms and Functions Created by the Hidden Viral Proteome.”

Saphire studies hemorrhagic fever viruses, which include some of the most lethal viruses know to humankind. Her lab combines x-ray crystallography, biochemistry and immunology to analyze proteins that play key roles in the pathogenesis of Ebola and other viruses; structures of these proteins provide templates for vaccine design and enable rapid responses to newly emerging forms of the viruses.

For additional information on her research, see the News & Views feature, “Outsmarting Viruses: A Profile of Erica Ollmann Saphire,” and her laboratory website.

SoF Vendor Show Scheduled for May 19

The 23^rd annual Society of Fellows (SoF) Vendor Show—showcasing products and services from more than 100 international biotech companies—will be held 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 La Jolla area.

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 vendor show, visit the SOF website.

Career Workshop: Non-Federal Fellowship Sources

A workshop for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, “Fellowship Opportunities from Non-Federal Sources,” is scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, 1:30 to 3 PM, in the Beckman building’s Keck Amphitheater.

Speakers from the American Chemical Society, American Heart Association and the Susan G. Komen organization will describe their groups' funding practices, outline grant and fellowship opportunities, share grant-writing tips and detail grant review processes.

The session is part of the 2015 Grantsmanship and Funding Fest, presented by the Torrey Pines Training Consortium, a collaboration of TSRI, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Sanford–Burnham Medical Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego.

Additional information is available on the TSRI Career and Postdoctoral Services website.

SRF Supports Palm Beach Habitat for Humanity

A 20-member Scripps Florida team, organized by the Society of Research Fellows (SRF), will participate in a Habitat for Humanity home build on Saturday, May 23, from 8 AM to 3 PM.

Working with the Palm Beach County chapter of Habitat for Humanity, volunteers will perform a variety of tasks—from painting and gardening to framing—to help construct or renovate a safe, decent and affordable home for a low income family in Jupiter. Habitat for Humanity volunteers work alongside recipient family members, who are required to invest a minimum of 400 “sweat equity” hours of their own labor on Habitat homes.

Participants must be at least 16 years of age. SRF will provide lunch and special event-day T-shirts for Scripps Florida volunteers. Contact SRF Events/Activities Co-chair Jenny Morgenweck jmorgenw@scripps.edu for further information.

CA Onsite Clinic Scheduled for 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 Spotlight Series

Mainly Mozart’s Spotlight Series continues Saturday, May 16, with a 6:30 PM reception and 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.

Another Mainly Mozart Spotlight Series concert will be held Saturday, May 30, 7:30 PM, featuring violinists Steven Copes and Alexander Kerr, violist Jonathan Vinocour, cellist Efe Baltacigil and pianist Jon Kimura Parker. They will perform Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546, Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4 and Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 44. Program and ticket information can be found on the Mainly Mozart website.

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

News&Views Observes Memorial Day

News&Views will not be published Monday, May 25, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. The newsletter will begin its summer biweekly publishing schedule with the June 1 issue.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

saphire
Professor Erica Ollmann Saphire has won the William Prusoff Young Investigator Award from the International Society for Antiviral Research.

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