In Brief

Nicolaou Wins Arthur C. Cope Award
Professor and Department of Chemistry Chair K.C. Nicolaou has won the American Chemical Society (ACS) Arthur C. Cope Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of organic chemistry the significance of which has become apparent within the last five years. Nicolaou, who is the Aline W. and L.S. Skaggs Professor of Chemical Biology and Darlene Shiley Chair in Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute, works on the total synthesis of biologically active natural and designed molecules including anticancer and antibiotic compounds. He also focuses on the development of new synthetic methods and the design and synthesis of combinatorial compound libraries for biological screening.

Previous recipients of the Arthur C. Cope Award, which is sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund, include Scripps Research Professors Albert J. Eschenmoser and K. Barry Sharpless.

Wong Recognized for Creative Work in Organic Chemistry
Professor Chi-Huey Wong was selected as the recipient of the ACS Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry. Wong, who is Ernest Hahn Professor of Chemistry at Scripps Research and Director of the Genomics Research Center at Academia Sinica, Taipei, was recognized for his pioneering work on the elegant fusion of chemistry and biology for organic synthesis, especially of complex carbohydrates, glycoproteins, and enzymes inhibitors. His breakthrough methods and strategies have pointed toward large-scale green methodologies, shaped the development of a new field of chemistry, and influenced approaches to asymmetric synthesis and drug discovery.

Previous recipients of the ACS Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, which is sponsored by Aldrich Chemical, include Scripps Research investigators K. Barry Sharpless, K.C. Nicolaou, and Dale Boger.

Cravatt Wins Arthur C. Cope Young Scholar Award
Scripps Research Professor Benjamin Cravatt has won an ACS Arthur C. Cope Young Scholar Award, which recognizes excellence in organic chemistry among scientists under the age of 35. Cravatt, a graduate of Scripps Research's Kellogg School of Science and Technology, studies the action and regulation of chemical messengers, particularly the fatty acid amides, which mediate physiological phenomena like pain sensation, sleep, and thermoregulation. He also designs and uses chemical probes for activity-based proteomics, the global analysis of protein function.

Previous recipients of the Arthur C. Cope Young Scholar Award, which is supported by the Arthur C. Cope Fund and administered by the ACS, include Scripps Research investigators Dale Boger and Peter Schultz.

Yates Awarded Biemann Medal
Scripps Research Professor John Yates, III, has won the 2004 Biemann Medal, which recognizes a significant achievement in basic or applied mass spectrometry made by an individual early in his or her career. Yates was selected for his pioneering development of methods and software to research protein and nucleotide databases with tandem mass spectrometry data acquired on peptides generated by enzymatic digestion of proteins in complex mixtures—an approach now used in hundreds of laboratories around the world. More recently, his laboratory has combined multidimensional liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to identify proteins in complexes and the proteins of whole cells.

Web Page Memorializes Babior
A new web page pays homage to the late Scripps Research investigator Bernard Macy Babior (1935 – 2004). Available at the site are Babior's research papers, a biography, and video clips and quotes from colleagues. See: http://www.scripps.edu/mem/babior/

New Location for On-Site Clinics
On Monday, September 13, Wednesday, September 15, and Friday, September 17, personnel from Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group will be on-site to conduct TB screenings, Hepatitis B immunizations, serum draws, and tetanus immunizations. Please note that the location for the clinics has changed. The clinics will be conducted at the Administrative Offices (3301 North Torrey Pines Court) on the P2 level in Room 120, from 11 AM to 2 PM. No appointments are necessary.

TB screening requires a 48 to 72 hour follow-up.  Individuals receiving the TB screen on Monday will need to return on Wednesday, and individuals screened on Wednesday, will need to return on Friday. Initiation of the TB screening process will not be available on Friday, but Hepatitis B immunization, serum draws, and Tetanus immunizations will be. To learn more about these programs, see the Environmental Health & Safety Occupational Medicine web page, which includes a map and patient information sheets.

Open Enrollment: A Look Ahead
Open Enrollment will be held via an online system from October 25 through November 12. This is the annual opportunity to make changes to your benefit selections and, if eligible, re-enroll (or enroll) in the health care or dependent care spending accounts for the 2005 plan year.  Benefits Administration will be sending out a series of announcements over the next several weeks with important information you need to know regarding your benefits in 2005. 

This week’s topic: online accessibility during Open Enrollment. The online system is accessible from any computer with internet access whether it is a work, home, or other computer. So, even if you're traveling during Open Enrollment, if you have internet access you'll be able to log on to review and make changes to your benefits. If you will be traveling without internet access during this period, please contact Human Resources to make arrangements to complete a hard copy enrollment form. There will also be computer kiosks available for use in the Human Resources lobby for anyone who does not have internet access at work or at home. Changes to your benefits for the 2005 plan year must be made between October 25 and November 12, 2004. The only exception is if you have a qualified status changes at a later date. 

Look for Next News&Views September 20
News&Views is resuming its weekly publication schedule for the academic year. The deadline for announcement and calendar submissions is Wednesday at noon for the following week's publication.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu