In Brief

Roberto Wins Young Investigator Award from Research Society on Alcoholism
Marisa Roberto of the Department of Neuropharmacology has won the Research Society on Alcoholism's (RSA) Young Investigator Award. This award is given annually to a young scientist who has made seminal findings in the field. Dr. Roberto's research has focused on the effect of ethanol at the cellular and synaptic level in the amygdala, a brain region that has been linked to the motivational effects of drugs of abuse and is considered to be crucial in mediating the behavioral effects of ethanol consumption. She accepted the award in Santa Barbara last week at the RSA's annual meeting and is scheduled to give a plenary lecture at the opening ceremony of next year's RSA meeting in Baltimore.

O’Neill Wins Tobacco-Related Disease Program Grant
Graduate student Bryan O’Neill of the Romesberg lab has won a $60,000 grant from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) in a peer review procedure modeled on the one employed by the National Institutes of Health. The mission of TRDRP is to support research that focuses on the prevention, causes, and treatment of tobacco-related disease and the reduction of the human and economic costs of tobacco use in California.

Hao Xu Awarded BMS Graduate Fellowship in Organic Chemistry
Graduate Student Hao Xu of the Nicolaou lab has been selected for the 2005-2006 Bristol-Myers Squibb Graduate Fellowship in Synthetic Organic Chemistry. According to Bristol-Myers Squibb, fellows are chosen based on "demonstrated academic and research achievements and their potential for significant future accomplishments." As a fellow, Xu is invited to the Unrestricted Grants in Synthetic Organic Chemistry Symposium hosted by Bristol-Myers Squibb in the spring. Xu’s research has focused on the total syntheses of complex natural products with anti-tumor activities: lateriflorone, gambogin, and floresolide.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu