In Brief

Report: TSRI and Other Research Institutes Contribute $4.6 Billion to San Diego Economy

The San Diego Regional Economic Development Committee has released a report on the economic impact of local research institutes, showing their impact totals $4.6 billion annually—the equivalent of four San Diego Convention Centers, six aircraft carriers, 33 US Open Golf tournaments or 34 Comic-Cons. TSRI is the largest research institute in the region.

The findings were introduced at an event October 13 that featured political figures including San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer, California State Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, Congressman Scott Peterson and Councilwoman Sherri Lightener.

President-Elect Steve Kay represented TSRI in a panel discussion with other leaders in the area.

“The San Diego region is truly a powerhouse for research,” said Kay. “Part of the reason The Scripps Research Institute has been so successful as an innovation engine—with more than 50 spin-off companies and nearly 1,000 US patents—is the regional ecosystem that supports discovery, collaboration and entrepreneurship.”

The report, initiated the mayor, involved advisors from TSRI, The J. Craig Venter Institute, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, CONNECT, The Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, Biocom, The Gary and Mary West Foundation, West Health Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies and UC San Diego Extension.

The study was supported by Gary & Mary West Foundation, UC San Diego Extension, TSRI, the Salk Institute and Alexandria.

The full report, “Driving San Diego’s Innovation Economy,” is available on the EDC website. For a sampling of the news coverage of the event, see KNSD-TV and KPBS.

Matthew Disney Wins Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award

Matthew Disney, a professor on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TRSI), has won the prestigious 2016 Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award for Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry.

The award, which was created in 2005 by Tetrahedron Publications, is given to just two individuals each year who have exhibited “exceptional creativity and dedication” in the fields of organic synthesis and bioorganic and medicinal chemistry, respectively.

“I’m honored to be recognized by Tetrahedron for our laboratory’s work,” Disney said. “The award serves as a reminder that persistence pays off. I am especially grateful to all of my co-workers who have worked diligently to push our science forward to tackle some difficult problems.”

Disney added that he is especially appreciative of the award because of his admiration for previous winners, who include TSRI’s Chair of the Department of Chemical Physiology Ben Cravatt and the late Professor Carlos Barbas III.

Tetrahedron Award winners each receive an invitation to present a plenary lecture at the annual Tetrahedron Symposium, which will be held next June in Sitges, Spain.

This latest award comes on the heels of the coveted Pioneer Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which Disney received earlier this month. The Pioneer Award, which carries with it a five-year grant of $4.8 million, is intended to enable scientists to develop groundbreaking approaches with a significant impact on broad areas of biomedical science.

Tetrahedron publishes experimental and theoretical research results in the field of organic chemistry and its application to related disciplines, especially bioorganic chemistry. Areas covered by the journal include the many facets of organic synthesis, organic reactions, natural products chemistry, studies of reaction mechanisms and various aspects of spectroscopy.

TSRI Team Conquers 115-Mile Relay Trail

relay
The “Scripps-onites”—an eight-member team representing TSRI—recently completed the 115-mile Ragnar Trail Relay at Vail Lake, California. Running on rigorous mountain trails through 90-degree heat and 55-degree cold, the team finished in 23 hours and 27 minutes, placing in the top 16 percent of their division. On the team were (left to right) Candice Contet; Marsida Kallupi, Giordano de Guglielmo, Jesse Gavette, Kelly Edwards, Sue Teodecki, Amanda Roberts and Carol Akita.

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. A MacArthur Fellow, Rhodes Scholar and a National Institutes of Health Director’s Pioneer Award winner, he also 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.

Career Workshops: Getting the Job

Searching for employment and preparing for job interviews are topics in upcoming career workshops sponsored by Career and Postdoctoral Services on the Scripps California and Florida campuses.

Florida

An “Ace the Interview” workshop, scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, from 3:30 to 4:30 PM, will cover the basics of interviewing, including sample questions, response strategies, body language and interview etiquette.

Briana Konnick, Career and Postdoctoral Services program coordinator, will conduct the session, to be held in room B159. Reservations are required.

California

The “Getting From Job Ad to Interview” workshop, scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, from 2 to 3:30 PM, will provide training on how to effectively target industry positions by highlighting accomplishments, structuring a winning resume, writing compelling cover letters and developing an online professional profile.

This workshop is designed for postdocs and graduate students interested in industry and other non-academic positions. Led by Jean Branan, Career and Postdoctoral Services program coordinator, the session will be held in the Graduate Office seminar room, Hazen Theory building first floor. Reservations are required.

CA Academic Careers Roundtable: Jason Young, UC San Diego

The next Scripps California Academic Careers Roundtable, featuring Jason Young, assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, will be held Monday, October 19, noon to 1 PM.

Young will lead a discussion on “Biomedical informatics research, service and teaching in an academic setting.” His research focuses on the development of open-source informatics tools for clinical research/trials data management, visualization and mining.

The event will be held in the Graduate Office dining room, Hazen Theory building first floor. Sponsored by TSRI Career and Postdoctoral Services, the Academic Careers Roundtable is a professional development series featuring guest faculty discussion leaders on a variety of topics. Reservations are required.

CA Workshop Offers Training in Leadership Styles

Understanding and implementing effective leadership methods is the focus of the “Developing Your Leadership Style” workshop, sponsored by TSRI Career and Postdoctoral Services on Tuesday, November 10, from 11 AM to 2:30 PM.

Diane Klotz, director of the Office of Training and Academic Services at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP), will conduct the workshop. A former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Services’ Office of Fellows’ Career Development, Klotz oversees graduate and programming training policies at SBP’s California and Florida locations.

The workshop will cover individual leadership management strengths and challenges, personal motivations, responses to conflict, stress triggers, problem solving and effective interaction with team members. Using the DiSC assessment tool, participants will develop a draft action plan for practicing their leadership and management skills.

The session will be held at the Graduate Office seminar room, Hazen Theory Building first floor. Lunch will be provided. Reservations are required.

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. RSVP to dscovill@scripp.edu.

Cyber Awareness Workshop: Creating and Storing Unique Passwords

The often-vexing task of creating and remembering passwords for a multitude of secure online accounts and websites is the topic of a bicoastal workshop, “Managing Complex Passwords: How to Create and Store Unique Passwords,” presented by TSRI IT Services on Wednesday, October 21, and repeated Wednesday, October 28.

The workshop will be held from noon to 1 PM Pacific time in the Keck Amphitheater in the Beckman Building on the Scripps California campus and video livestreamed from 3 to 4 PM Eastern time in room B159 on the Scripps Florida campus. Light refreshments will be offered.

David Matusiak, TSRI information security manager, will conduct the session, which will present three ways to generate strong passwords as well as password management software.

2015 Rideshare Challenge Passes Midpoint

It’s not too late to join the Scripps California Rideshare Challenge team. Faculty, staff and students are invited to help TSRI once again win the iCommute 2015 Corporate Challenge by using and tracking work-commute alternatives to driving solo during the month of October.

In the competition against other San Diego organizations, TSRI participants can carpool, bike, walk or take public transit to and from campus until October 31 and log their trips on iCommute’s TripTracker website. Commuters who log eligible trips online are automatically entered in a drawing to win prizes each week, including two Zipcar memberships and driving credits, $100 Bicycle Warehouse gift cards, a $100 eLiveLife.com gift certificate and car2go and DecoBike memberships. The grand prize—a $450 adult bike from Bicycle Warehouse—will be awarded at the conclusion of the challenge.

The Rideshare Corporate Challenge is a program of the San Diego Association of Governments to promote work-commute alternatives.

ScrippsAssists to Hold CA Blood Drive November 3

The San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) needs at least 350 components of blood every day to serve the region’s blood supply requirements. Scripps California faculty, staff and students can help fill that need through the next ScrippsAssists quarterly blood drive, scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, from 9 AM to 2:30 PM.

Eligible donors are asked to make an appointment on the SDBB website. Walk-in donors will be welcomed. Guidelines and eligibility requirements are also listed on the blood bank website. Donors should bring photo identification, a record of medications they currently take and a list of locations visited outside the United States in the past three years.

The SDBB bloodmobile will be located in the parking lot adjacent to the Skaggs/MBB building, 10596 N. Torrey Pines Road.

All donors will automatically be entered into a prize raffle. For further information on the blood drive, contact project coordinator Leslie Madden at lmadden@scripps.edu.

CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due October 28

To receive consideration at the next TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety by Wednesday, October 28, via email to rachellv@scripps.edu. The meeting will be held Wednesday, November 11, 2:30 to 3:30 PM, in the P2 conference room, Building 3301.

At the Auditorium: Chamber Music and Jazz Master

The San Diego Symphony’s next Chamber Concert Series presentation will feature the Ehnes Quartet on Monday, October 19, 7:30 PM. Quartet members include violinists James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti with violist Richard O’Neill and cellist Robert DeMaine. For additional program and ticket purchase information, visit the symphony’s website.

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library’s 2015 Fall Jazz Series continues Tuesday, October 20, 7:30 PM, with the Charles Lloyd Quartet. 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

President-Elect Steve Kay (left) and Mayor Kevin Faulconer attended the event introducing the new report—the first of its kind for the region—on the economic impact of research institutes. (Photo by Madeline McCurry-Schmidt.)

disney
As a Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award winner, Professor Matthew Disney will present a plenary lecture at the annual Tetrahedron Symposium next year in Spain.

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