In Brief

Erica Ollmann Saphire Honored by Girl Scouts as ‘Cool Woman’

Erica Ollmann Saphire, professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), is one of 12 honorees celebrated as “Cool Women of 2016” by the Girl Scouts San Diego, a distinction spotlighting “exemplary women whose personal and professional lives make them consummate role models for girls.”

Cited for her work in Ebola research, Saphire was feted at a recent ceremony with other female leaders in business, philanthropy, education, technology, fashion, the arts and the U.S. Navy.

“These Cool Women make the world a better place as they balance work, family, friends and community service,” said event co-chairs Joye Blount and Julia Brown.

For additional information on Saphire and her research see the News&Views article, “Outsmarting Viruses: A Profile of Erica Ollmann Saphire,” or her faculty webpage.

Bindu Raveendra, Supriya Swarnkar Awarded Young Investigator Scholarships

Senior Research Associate Bindu Raveendra and Research Associate Supriya Swarnkar of the Puthanveettil lab at Scripps Florida have been awarded Young Investigator Scholarships by the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, a nonprofit agency that supports promising, diverse international research projects to develop new drugs for Alzheimer's and related dementias.

Raveendra is currently screening compound libraries to find activators of axonal transport, which potentially can be used to develop novel therapeutics for memory disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Swarnkar is focusing on the role of kinesins in sub-regions of the hippocampus in memory

In CELLebration of Science

Hundreds of children and their parents swarmed through The Gardens Mall on March 5 to learn about Scripps Florida’s science at the annual CELLebrate Scripps Florida Science Day. Dozens of the institute’s scientists were on hand to show (and explain) what goes on every day in the laboratories on the Jupiter campus.

The displays featured work from the institute’s departments including Cancer Biology, Metabolism and Aging, Neuroscience, Immunology, Chemistry and Molecular Therapeutics, as well as the robotic technology group, which had a robotic arm on display.

Although the adults were fascinated by the exhibits, the day belonged to the children—who crowded around tanks of brightly colored zebrafish and rust-colored sea slugs and stared in wonder as tiny worms slid around under microscopes.

Some of the exhibits were slightly more hands-on than others, such as the chemistry booth, where smashing frozen fruit with a mallet remained a perennial favorite for young and old. The crowds also learned about healthy eating, witnessed 3-D printers in action, filled in 1,536 plates with liquid and played with plush replicas of all kinds of cells, including bacteria and viruses.

All in all, a good day for science.

Celebration of Life: Kerri Anne Mowen (1976-2016)

Members of the TSRI community are invited to a Celebration of Life in honor Kerri Anne Mowen (1974-2016) on Saturday, March 19 at 11 AM.

The event will be held at the Great Hall at the University of California, San Diego International House; free parking is available at the Pangea Parking Structure. A reception will follow at the Rivard home, 521 Verbena Court, Encinitas, CA 92024.

In lieu of flowers, organizers ask that you consider supporting The Kerri Mowen Memorial Scholarship. For more information on Mowen, see the letter from Ben Cravatt in News&Views

Scripps California to Host Transition-to-Industry ‘Bootcamp’

Scripps California will host a one-day workshop, “Transition to Industry: SciPhD Bootcamp,” presented by The Torrey Pines Training Consortium, on Friday, March 18, 7:30 AM to 5 PM.

Conducted by Randall Ribaudo, cofounder of Human Workflows, and Larry Petcovic, executive communications coach, the workshop will focus on skills scientists from academia need to succeed in industry. Participants will learn how to:

Identify and find the type of jobs they seek
Analyze a job ad and identify the critical technical, business and social skills required to qualify for an interview
Develop a competitive, targeted resume
Apply industry project management best practices to scientific research projects and job searches
Evaluate the financial health of companies of interest
Leverage communications techniques to build their networks, acquire company intelligence and perform well in behavioral-based job interviews

The Torrey Pines Training Consortium is a collaboration of TSRI, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Sanford–Burnham Medical Research Institute and UC San Diego.

The workshop will be held at The Auditorium at TSRI, 10620 John J. Hopkins Drive. Registration is required. Details, including speaker bios and registration form, can be found on the Eventbrite website

The program fee is eligible for the course reimbursement program offered by the Scripps California Society of Fellows.

CA Career Workshop: Social Media for Scientists

Effective use of social media is the focus of a Scripps California career workshop, “LinkedIn and Social Media for Scientists,” scheduled for Wednesday, March 23, from 2 to 3:30 PM.

Conducted by Jean Branan, program coordinator for TSRI’s Career and Postdoctoral Services, the session will cover:

Creating an effective LinkedIn profile
Building and maintaining professional relationships via social media
Constructing a professional online presence on different social networking sites

Open to the entire Scripps California community, the workshop will be held in the Graduate Office Seminar Room, first floor, Hazen Theory Building. Reservations are required.

SoF Travel Award Applications Due March 18

The application deadline for the Society of Fellows (SoF) Postdoctoral Travel Award Program spring cycle for full-time California postdoctoral fellows is Friday, March 18, at midnight, Pacific time. Three grants of up to $1,000 each will be awarded for conference-related costs, such as travel, housing and registration.

Award eligibility, application procedures, proposal guidelines and the application form are available on the secure SOF website. Previous travel award applicants are encouraged to reapply; however, former award winners are not eligible.

A selection committee comprising postdoctoral fellows and non-scientist representatives will review award applications. Top candidates will be invited for a short interview with the committee. Winners will be announced by April 18.

SoF also seeks judges to evaluate this cycle’s travel award applications. To volunteer, contact SoF Career Development Chair Celine Loriot at cloriot@scripps.edu.

FL ScrippsAssists Runs 5K for Brain Cancer Research

cancer run
The Florida ScrippsAssists team celebrates after finishing the recent Brain Cancer 5K, an event to raise funds for cutting-edge brain cancer research. The TSRI team included a group from the Guo lab sporting “MINion” t-shirts. Hosted by Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure, some 1,200 supporters participated in the early-morning run at John Prince Park in Lake Worth.

CA ScrippsAssists Supports Food Bank Gala

ScrippsAssists is collecting silent auction donation items for the Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank’s April 30 “Foodtasia Gala: Chefs Cork & Craft” fundraiser. Gala proceeds will support critical hunger-relief programs, including the Food 4 Kids Backpack Program, which provides weekend backpacks of food to school children living in poverty.

Suggested donations include gift cards from local grocery and retail stores, restaurants, spas, golf courses and local attractions, as well as travel and vacation accommodations, specialty products, concert/entertainment tickets, etc. Gala sponsorships are also available.

For further information, contact ScrippsAssists Project Lead Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn at mshinn@scripps.edu. Visit the food bank’s website for additional details on the gala.

At the Auditorium: Chamber Music, Jazz

The San Diego Symphony’s Chamber Series presents internationally known harpist Yolanda Kondonassis with the symphony orchestra on Tuesday, March 15, 7:30 PM. The program includes the world premiere of Gary Schocker’s Coasting, Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Clarient and Bassoon in D Major, Vincent Persichetti’s Serenade No. 10 for Flute and Harp and Ravel’s Introduction & Allegro. Ticket and program information are available on the symphony’s website.

The Athenaeum Music and Arts Library’s 2016 spring jazz series continues on Thursday, March 17, 7:30 PM, with Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza: Speaking in Tongues, featuring Souza on vocals and percussion, Lionel Loueke on guitar and voice, Gregoire Maret on harmonica, Massimo Biolcati on bass and Kendrick Scott on drums. See the Athenaeum website for additional program and ticket information.

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

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

erica
TSRI Professor Erica Ollman-Saphire is presented a Girl Scouts San Diego “Cool Woman of 2016” award from Georgia Sadler, professor at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. (Photo by Tim Haugh.)

cellebration
Sarah Jamieson of the Miller lab (left) shares some of Scripps Florida’s research advances in neurobiology and memory at 2016 Scripps Florida Science Day. (Photo by Eric Sauter.)

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