In Brief

British Newspaper Ranks TSRI Most Influential
The British newspaper The Guardian has ranked The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) the most influential institution in the world in the physical sciences, which includes the fields of chemistry and physics. The rankings were based on how many papers faculty publish and how often those papers are cited in other publications. The data used in the study was provided by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), the Philadelphia-based company that runs the Science and Social Science Index. For more information, see the Guardian article at:
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,9865,503412,00.html.


TSRI Graduate Student Wins BMS Fellowship in Synthetic Organic Chemistry
TSRI's Danielle Soenen, a graduate student in the Boger lab, has won a 2001 Bristol-Myers Squibb Fellowship in Organic Chemistry. Her research focuses on the synthesis of ningalin B, a marine natural product, and its analogues to study their activity as multi-drug resistance reversing agents.


Research Associate Wins Lady Tata Memorial Trust Fellowship
Research Associate Youzhong Yuan of the Molecular and Experimental Medicine Department has won a fellowship from the Lady Tata Memorial Trust, which gives international awards for research in leukemia. This fellowship was awarded to Yuan for a project investigating mutations in t(8;21) associated with acute myeloid leukemia.


Elvis to Rock at TSRI Picnic July 13
Famous Elvis Presley promoter and former carnival barker Colonel Tom Parker promised a reporter that Elvis will bring down the roof next month at TSRI.

"Elvis will sing at the picnic," Barker told the Las Vegas area reporter. "And I can tell you that it's going to be the greatest show on earth."

Elvis is expected to return for the TSRI picnic, the Roof Top Sock Hop, which will be held from 3:30 to 7:30 PM on Friday, July 13, on the roof of the Immunology building.

This year's crazy team competitions, which carry prizes for first, second, and third places, will feature giant tricycles, bowling, human hamster wheels, and a giant slide. Team signups must be submitted no later than Friday, July 6. Registration forms are available from Tina Dostalek, x4-8438, and from the picnic website.

Tickets to the event will be sold from 12:30 to 1:30 PM each day from Monday, July 2 to Wednesday, July 11, in the lobbies of the Molecular Biology/Skaggs Institute and Immunology buildings. From Monday, July 9 to Wednesday, July 11, they will also be sold in the lobbies of the Beckman and CVN (Chemistry, Vascular Biology, Neuropharmacology) buildings. On Tuesday, July 10 and Wednesday, July 11, tickets will be sold in the Molecular and Experimental Medicine building. Tickets must be purchased in advance; no tickets will be sold at the gate.

See the picnic website for more information on the gourmet catered food, games for children and adults, prizes for the most authentic 1950s attire, raffles, palm readings, balloon sculptures, hula hoop competition... and the Elvis Presley look-alike contest.


Seventeen Employees Graduate from Energy Efficiency Class
On Wednesday, June 27, 17 Facilities Services employees graduated from the in-house training class entitled "Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (HVAC/R) and Boiler Efficiency Improvement" taught by Manager Mariano Albano.

The graduation ceremony was held in the Beckman Building. Director of Facilities Services Clyde Brown was the master of ceremonies and Vice President of Facilities Services Ben Morris handed out the certificates. Graduating employees were: Teddy Jordan, Scott Evans, Ernie Noriega, Maurice Williams, Clarence Bond, Nikky Celestial, Shawn Owen, Joseph Parsons, Kurt Erlandson, Neil Switzer, Pal Biro, Dan Long, Jon Fink, Dan Schrokosch, Jerry Skeie, Loi Liang, and Hernan Esendencia.


Building's Energy Consumption Decreases 43.8 Percent
Thanks to energy conservation by employees who work in 3301 North Torrey Pines Court and efforts of Facilities Services staff to run TSRI buildings more efficiently, the energy consumption of TSRI's Administrative Building is down 43.8 percent from a month ago and 45.3 percent from a year ago.

"I was very happy that the last SDG&E bill showed such a large decrease in energy consumption for this building," says Manager Mariano Albano, who is in charge of energy management for the institute. "It shows what we can do when we all work together."


Enter News&Views Photo Contest
News&Views invites submissions to its Summer Photo Contest. Categories include:

  • TSRI campus;
  • 2001 picnic;
  • Science at TSRI;
  • People at TSRI;
  • San Diego and surrounding area.

Submit photos in any format, with a description of the subject and the category(ies) you are entering, to Kevin Fung, e-mail kevin@scripps.edu or mail drop TPC-20. The deadline is Friday, July 20. Winners will receive Padres tickets or tickets to San Diego's Natural History Museum. Winning photos will be published in News&Views.


Benefits Department Hosts Financial Awareness Week
The Benefits Department will be hosting Annual Financial Awareness Week from Monday, July 16 through Friday, July 20. There will be presentations for all—beginning investors as well as advanced ones—which will include: "Evaluating your Credit," "Beginning Investing," "Getting Financially Organized," "Advanced Asset Management," "TSRI Retirement Plans," and "Evaluating the Market Temperature."

Look for information on the topics of the day, and their time and place of presentation, to arrive by mail and e-mail over the next two weeks.


Lunch and Learn: "Change the World, Volunteer!"
 Barbara Whitesides, corporate and public relations manager for the Volunteer Center of San Diego County, will present "Change the World, Volunteer!" as part of the onging Lunch and Learn seminar series, on Wednesday, July 18, noon to 1 PM, in the W.M. Keck Amphitheater in the Beckman Building. The seminar will cover volunteerism in the workplace, the Volunteer Center of San Diego County, and its annual mobilizing event Hands On San Diego. No registration is necessary. For more information, contact Jan Hill, x4-2950.


Look for next News&Views July 16
Look for the next issue of News&Views Monday, July 16. The deadline for submissions to News&Views, which is published weekly during the academic year and every other week during the summer, is Wednesday at noon for the following Monday's publication.

 

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