In Brief

Matthew Disney Named Scripps Florida Outstanding Mentor

Professor Matthew Disney has been named the 2017 Outstanding Mentor at Scripps Florida. The award, announced at Research Fest on Oct. 27, was based on a Scripps Florida Society of Research Fellows (SF-SRF) mentor survey of graduate students and research associates. SF-SRF presented Disney with an engraved plaque at ResearchFest on Oct. 27.

The award honors the considerable dedication of faculty who consistently and enthusiastically serve as effective mentors to graduate students and postdocs. Previous winners include faculty members Laura Niedernhofer, Christoph Rader, Courtney Miller and Derek Duckett.

Disney has been a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry since 2010. In the survey, his mentees described him as “supportive” and “encouraging.”

“Anyone who knows Matt knows how passionate and excited he is about science not only in his own lab but in all of the labs here at Scripps,” said TSRI Graduate Student Alicia Angelbello. “This passion and enthusiasm is exactly what makes him such a good mentor and is why he constantly pushes all of us to do the best science that we can do.”

Disney’s research focuses on finding new ways to intervene in diseases previously thought to be “undruggable” or hard to treat. His lab’s research has led to new strategies for treating ALS, triple negative breast cancer, myotonic dystrophy type 2 and more.

Disney said he tries to lead by example in the lab. “Every day I try to have each person in lab answer a question and do that rigorously,” he said. “Frankly, I just try to learn from the students and our collective experiences and be ourselves. Science is hard and I am pretty intense, but the lab is a lot of fun.”

“Science is amazing and what a wonderful opportunity we have here at TSRI to do ground breaking science, and that’s because of the people," added Disney.

Disney’s previous awards include the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry and the Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award. For more information on his research see: https://disney.florida.scripps.edu/.

CA Lunch & Learn: Overcoming Shyness

All staff, students and scientists on the TSRI California campus are invited to the next Lunch & Learn: “Breaking Out of Your Shell: How to Overcome Shyness,” scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 29, noon to 1 PM. This presentation will be given by Daphne Lurie, director of TSRI’s Counseling and Psychological Services Center (CAPS).

By the end of this workshop, the audience will learn:

What shyness is and where it comes from
Some of the benefits of shyness
How to manage or overcome your shyness

The event, arranged by CAPS, will be held in the Beckman building’s Keck Amphitheater. View the flyer. For information on other CAPS services and resources, visit the department’s website.

CA Blood Drive to be Held Dec. 7

Don’t miss the final CA Blood Drive of the year on Thursday, Dec. 7, from 9 AM to 2:30 PM, on behalf of the San Diego Blood Bank.

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.

Support Home Start this Holiday Season

The holiday season is quickly approaching and CA ScrippsAssists is again teaming up with Home Start to support Home Start’s annual Adopt-A-Family Campaign, Toy Drive and Holiday Drive.

For many struggling families, serving a special holiday meal or providing gifts to their children is beyond their reach. However, with the support from compassionate San Diegans like you throughout our region, Home Start is able bring smiles to the faces of many children and their parents.

There are three ways to participate:

Adopt-A-Family Program: you will be matched with a deserving Home Start family and given a list of desired gifts. This is a great option for whole labs or groups of friends!
Holiday Toy Drive: Host a lab-wide or individual toy drive. Your donation of gifts will benefit clients and children who are in need. ScrippsAssists will be holding an institute-wide toy-drive later in November,as well, if you are interested in contributing without committing to a full family.
Holiday Funds Donation: If you are more comfortable with a cash donation, Home Start seeks financial donations to fund services that put an end to family violence, assist child victims of abuse, and prevent future occurrences.

If you would like to participate, please contact Jess Sheu-Gruttadauria at jgruttad@scripps.edu or ext. 4-7569 (MacRae lab, ask for Jess). The deadline for sign-up is Nov. 16. You will receive family assignments and wish-lists shortly thereafter so that you can do your holiday shopping over Thanksgiving.

CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due Nov. 22

To receive consideration at the next TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) meeting, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety by Friday, Nov. 22, via email to rachellv@scripps.edu. The meeting will be held Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2:30 to 3:30 PM, building 3301, P2 conference room.

CA Onsite Clinic Scheduled for Dec. 20

The next onsite immunization clinic on the California campus will be held Wednesday, Dec. 20, from 9:30 to 11 AM, at 3040 Science Park Road, Room 105 (located within the Normal Blood Donor Services suite- Room 101). 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.

Send comments to: press[at]scripps.edu

Professor Matthew Disney (Photo by Andrii Monastyrshyi)

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