In Brief

Lerner Honored by New York University Biotechnology Study Center
Scripps Research Institute President Richard A. Lerner, has been selected to receive the prestigious DART/NYU Biotechnology Achievement Award from the Biotechnology Study Center of the New York University School of Medicine. He is being cited for his discoveries in the field of immunochemistry.

The Dart/NYU Biotechnology Achievement Awards recognize the role of leaders who pursue pure science in the development of pharmaceuticals, and particularly honor those scientists whose work has led to major advances at the bedside.

Lerner pioneered catalytic antibodies, simultaneously with Scripps Research Professor Peter Schultz, as well as combinatorial antibody libraries. Today, about 55 percent of all new drug applications are antibodies.

Lerner graduated from Northwestern University and Stanford Medical School. He served as chair of the Department of Molecular Biology from 1982-86 at the Research Institute of Scripps Clinic (later renamed The Scripps Research Institute) prior to assuming the organization’s presidency. Lerner has received numerous awards and honors, including the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the California Scientist of the Year Award, the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, and election to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

In addition to directing the scientific activities of Scripps Research, Lerner is Lita Annenberg Hazen Professor of Immunochemistry, Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Chair in Chemistry, and a member of The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at Scripps Research.

Charles Cochrane Retires
A dinner April 6 honored Charles G. Cochrane, who will become professor emeritus this month after more than four decades at Scripps Research. Cochrane was one of the five young scientists who came to La Jolla from the University of Pittsburgh in 1961 to found the Department of Experimental Pathology at what was then known as the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation.

The celebratory events began with Cochrane's lecture in the Timken Auditorium. Cochrane’s final lecture before his retirement was, appropriately enough, part of the Faculty Lecture Series, a longstanding series of scientific talks he ran for many years. After the lecture, dozens of friends, family, former trainees, and colleagues gathered in the Beckman Atrium for a dinner in his honor. Those giving tributes to Cochrane included Scripps Research Chair of the Board Alice Sullivan, President Richard A. Lerner, and Department of Immunology Chair Richard Ulevitch.

A video presentation honoring Cochrane touched on highlights of his distinguished career—including his discovery of KL4, which is being developed as a drug to treat certain types of respiratory distress in infants and adults, and his mentoring of many young scientists.

For more information, see the Cochrane faculty page, or go to the Endeavor article "Forty-One Years and Counting".

Lunch & Learn: "Moving from Rainy Argumentation to Sunny Communication"
Professional speaker Chris Kaiffer will share the four secrets to overcoming your fear of public speaking in "Moving from Rainy Argumentation to Sunny Communication" on Wednesday, April 20 from noon to 1 PM as part of the ongoing Lunch & Learn seminar series. Kaiffer will also share communication strategies for shifting the focus from yourself to the other party, acknowledging the feelings of others, and matching energy levels. The seminar, which was arranged by the Scripps Outstanding Speakers (SOS) Toastmasters and the Scripps Research Counseling Department, will be held in the W.M. Keck Foundation Amphitheater of the Beckman Center.

Discount Movie and Sea World Tickets on Sale in Human Resources
The front desk of Human Resources has movie and Sea World tickets for sale at discount prices. The prices are as follows:

• Movie Theaters: AMC Gold (no restrictions) - $7.00; AMC Silver - $5.50; Regal Premiere Blue (no restrictions) - $7.00; Regal VIP Red - $5.50; UltraStar - $4.00
• Sea World: Adult Admission - $37.50; Child Admission - $32.50

Payment is by check only. Checks should be made out to "TSRI." For more information, contact Benefits Administration, x4-8487.

Upcoming Onsite Clinics
On Monday, April 18, Wednesday, April 20, and Friday, April 22, personnel from Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group will be onsite to conduct TB screenings, Hepatitis B immunizations, serum draws, and tetanus immunizations. The clinics will be conducted at the CVN Building in Room 209, 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.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

Charles G. Cochrane will become professor emeritus this month after
more than four decades at Scripps Research.