In Brief

TSRI Receives More than 1,000 Online Contributions in FY2015

For the first time, The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has received more than 1,000 online gifts in a year. From October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015, TSRI received 1,189 online gifts through its philanthropy website, a 34-percent increase over the previous year.

“We are grateful to the many generous donors who support The Scripps Research Institute’s mission to improve human health by tackling the toughest challenges,” said Chris Lee, director of philanthropy. “Online and social media enable us to reach a different set of donors than tradition philanthropy and help us to build a broad base of support for TSRI scientists’ critical work.”

The gifts totaled $162,849, a one-percent increase over the previous year. In addition to organic website traffic and searches, giving was spurred by electronic newsletters and appeals, search-engine marketing, lightboxes and social media.

Not included in these figures are two crowdfunding campaigns. Professor Erica Ollmann Saphire’s online drive for Ebola research brought in 845 gifts and $107,211 (plus an additional $100,000 family foundation gift). Best-selling novelist Tess Gerritsen’s “War on Alzheimer’s”—which launched in July and ends in November—brought in 72 gifts and $5,272 during FY2015; Gerritsen will match up to $25,000.

To learn more about giving to TSRI, see the institute’s philanthropy website http://www.scripps.edu/philanthropy/index.html or go directly to the donation page.

SOF Distinguished Lecture Series to Present Bioengineer James Collins

The Scripps California Society of Fellows (SoF) Distinguished Lecture series will present James Collins, Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), on Wednesday, October 21, from 3:30 to 4:30 PM, in the Timken Amphitheater at Scripps Green Hospital.

Collins’s MIT research group works in synthetic biology and systems biology, with a particular focus on using network biology approaches to study antibiotic action, bacterial defense mechanisms and the emergence of resistance. He is a MacArthur Fellow, Rhodes Scholar and a National Institutes of Health Director’s Pioneer Award winner. In addition, he has won several undergraduate teaching awards and launched a number of companies.

A reception with Collins will be held after the lecture in the Beckman building first-floor galleria. Refreshments will be served.

To request to join Collins for lunch or dinner, contact Elie Diner, research associate in the Romesberg lab, at ediner@scripps.edu.

Travel Award Applications Due October 16

Applications for the Society of Research Fellows (SoF) Travel Award fall cycle are due Friday, October 16 at midnight, Pacific time. The awards, open to full-time Scripps California postdoctoral fellows, provide recipients the opportunity to present scholarly work at a national or international conference.

Up to three grants of $1,000 each will be awarded for scientific conference-related costs, including travel, housing and conference registration. A selection committee will review applications based on scientific merit, quality of scientific communication, financial need and the overall qualifications of the applicant.

Award eligibility and criteria and the application form are available online. For additional information, contact David Guimond, SoF treasurer, at dquimond@scripps.edu or x4-9062.

Scripps Florida Wellness Workshop: Procrastination

The hard-to-conquer habit of putting off important tasks is the focus of a Wellness Workshop presentation, “Procrastination: Everything You Wanted to Know but Put Off Finding Out,” scheduled for Thursday, October 22, noon to 1 PM, in room C 312 on the Scripps Florida campus.

Dana Scoville, licensed staff counselor with the TSRI Counseling and Psychological Services office, will offer practical advice and tactics to overcome procrastination. Participants will learn:

Why people procrastinate
Personal procrastination triggers
Strategies to manage procrastination

RSVP to dscovill@scripps.edu. Information on other resources provided by Counseling and Psychological Services is available on the department’s website.

Onsite Clinic October 14 on CA Campus

The next onsite immunization clinic on the California campus will be held Wednesday, October 14, 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.

At the Auditorium: NEA Jazz Master Charles Lloyd

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library begins its three-concert 2015 Fall Jazz Series with the Charles Lloyd Quartet on Tuesday, October 20, 7:30 PM. A National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, Lloyd will perform on tenor sax and flute with pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Rueben Rogers and drummer Kendrick Scott. The New York Times wrote “Lloyd is the rare jazz artist whose every appearance qualifies as an event.” For ticket and additional program information, see the Athenaeum website.

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

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

Event Opens New Views into the Cell
vmcc

TSRI’s Professor Art Olson (right) and University of California (UC) San Diego’s Rommie Amaro were among those coming together for the kickoff of the new Visible Molecular Cell Consortium. The event included plenary talks, networking breaks and lightning talks to encourage collaborations between TSRI and UC San Diego labs to map cells in space and time. (Photo by Madeline McCurry-Schmidt.)

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