In Brief

Julius Rebek Jr. Elected to The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Julius Rebek Jr., professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and director of the TSRI Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, has been elected to The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences as a Foreign Member in its Fourth Class for Chemistry, a distinction that recognizes successful research achievements and outstanding services to science.

Rebek’s research examines the basic questions of molecular recognition, self-assembly, catalysis and complementarity by designing novel organic molecular nanocapsules and synthetic receptors.

The Academy, established in 1739, currently has 450 Swedish and 175 foreign members. Those who are elected as members are involved in the Academy’s committees and panels, as well as in the processes of selecting candidates for Academy prizes. Every year, the Academy awards the Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel and a number of other large prizes.

For more information on Rebek’s work, please visit his faculty webpage and lab website.

TSRI Presents 28th Annual Frontiers in Chemistry Symposium on February 3

On Friday, February 3, from 1 to 5:30 PM, the Department of Chemistry will host four distinguished speakers presenting research on molecular sciences at TSRI’s 28th Annual Frontiers in Chemistry Symposium.

The symposium program includes

Tadhg P. Begley, D.H.R. Barton professor of chemistry at Texas A&M University, “New Catalytic Motifs in Flavoenzymology”

George F. Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health, “What the Neurobiology of Addiction Tells Us about the Neurobiology of Emotion”

Ronald T. Raines, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “Diazo Compounds: Versatile Tools for Chemical Biology”

Melanie S. Sanford, Moses Gomberg Distinguished professor of chemistry at the University of Michigan, “Development and Applications of New Fluorination Methods”

Open to the public, the symposium provides an opportunity for TSRI faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and neighboring scientists to hear from some of the world’s best researchers. Since it began in 1989, the symposium has hosted 92 speakers, including 13 Nobel Laureates.

While symposium admittance is free, attendance is limited to 300. Directions to the event, which will be held at The Auditorium at TSRI, and parking details are available at the symposium website or by contacting Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn at mshinn@scripps.edu or Michelle Wilson at chemsem@scripps.edu.

Kudos to CA ScrippsAssists!

This holiday season, ScrippsAssists and generous donors at TSRI collected about 1,000 pounds of food and personal items to benefit the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank. Their Holiday Food Drive also raised $1,065 in cash and online donations, with an additional $500 donation from ScrippsAssists.

Dixon Lecture Featuring Klaus Rajewsky Scheduled for February 23

The 2017 Frank J. Dixon Memorial Lecture, featuring a presentation by immunologist Klaus Rajewsky, will be held Thursday, February 23, 4 PM, at The Auditorium at TSRI.

Rajewsky is a research group leader at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany. His studies focus on mechanisms of normal and malignant development in the immune system. Rajewsky is renowned for his work on B cells and has been honored with several awards, including the Robert Koch Prize and Ernst Jung Gold Medal for Medicine. He is a member of the National Academy of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, has served on various scientific advisory and editorial boards, and has authored more than 400 research articles. Rajewsky will speak on “Cellular competition, surveillance and fitness of normal, virus-infected and malignant B cells.”

The annual lecture honors Frank Dixon, a pioneering immunologist who for many years led the research division of the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation (predecessor organization to TSRI). He passed away in 2008 at the age of 87.

CA ScrippsAssists to Support San Diego Humane Society Walk

ScrippsAssists seeks volunteers to help at the San Diego Humane Society’s (SDHS) 2017 Walk for Animals – North County, held at Kit Carson Park in Escondido on Saturday, February 25.

Fifteen volunteers are needed from 7:30 to 11:30 AM to assist with water stations along the route. This includes setting up and manning the water stations, filling dog bowls and cheering walkers on as they pass by. All volunteers will receive a complimentary volunteer T-shirt to be worn at the event, a pancake breakfast and snacks. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age and comfortable interacting with guests. Volunteers are asked not to bring their own dogs.

To volunteer, contact ScrippsAssists Project Lead Tanya Gresham at gresham@scripps.edu or 858-784-2433 by February 3.

For those interested in walking with a furry friend, please visit the SDHS Walk for Animals website.

CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due January 27

To receive consideration at the next TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety by Friday, January 27, via email to rachellv@scripps.edu. The meeting will be held Wednesday, February 8, 2:30 to 3:30 PM, building 3301, P2 conference room.

CA Onsite Clinic Scheduled for February 15

The next onsite immunization clinic on the California campus will be held Wednesday, February 15, from 9:30 to 11 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: Cellist Edgar Moreau

The La Jolla Music Society will present the next concert in their Discovery Series on January 22 at 3 PM with a performance from award-winning cellist Edgar Moreau. Moreau will play a program of works by J. S. Bach, Franck, Schnittke and Chopin. Tickets are available on the society’s website.

The Auditorium at TSRI is located at 10620 John Jay Hopkins Drive, San Diego, 92121. Directions and parking information are located on The Auditorium’s website.

Send comments to: press[at]scripps.edu

rebek
Julius Rebek Jr., is a professor at The Scripps Research Institute and director of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology. (Photo by Micheal Balderas.)

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