In Brief

New California Postdoctoral Travel Award Program Launched
The Society of Fellows (SOF) and Career and Postdoctoral Services office is pleased to announce the newly instated Scripps Research Society of Fellows Postdoctoral Travel Award Program for California postdocs.

The goal of this initiative is to provide Scripps Research postdoctoral associates in California an opportunity to present scholarly activities at a scientific national or international conference. A maximum of six grants of up to $1,000 each will be awarded for conference related costs (e.g. travel, housing, registration) incurred within the September 1 to August 31 calendar year.

Eligibility, specific application procedures and proposal guidelines can be found on the SOF webpage. Applications are due by March 1, 2011.

David Hosfield to Speak in "Meet the Alumni" Series
Scripps Research alumnus David Hosfield, currently director of biology and strategic research alliances at Affinity Pharmaceuticals, will lead a relaxed discussion on Monday, December 13, from 4 to 5 PM as part of the Career & Postdoctoral Services "Meet the Alumni" series, this time cosponsored by the Network for Women in Science. The series provides an opportunity to get to know alumni in a casual setting while learning about specific career options, hearing what opportunities influenced their decisions, and seeking advice for your next career transition. At Affinity, Hosfield directs the company's cell biology and in vivo pharmacology efforts to support its pipeline of tumor-activated pro-drugs. Prior to Affinity, Hosfield worked as a principal scientist for drug discovery and development at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and as senior scientist for Syrrx Inc., a Scripps Research-based structure-based drug-discovery startup. The event will be held in the Faculty Club, where coffee and light snacks will be provided. RSVP required at: http://hris.scripps.edu/training/.

Wanted: Care Package Items for U.S. Troops
Employee volunteer group ScrippsAssists has partnered with Standing Tall Together, a non-profit organization that benefits U.S. soldiers before they deploy and while they are gone. The groups are asking that you donate items for care packages before December 15, so they can be sent to troops this holiday season.

Much-needed items include:

• Baby wipes, Baby powder
• Magazines—new and used, for men or women (favorites are gossip and car magazines)
• Chapstick
• Sunscreen (SPF 45+), protective scarves or handkerchiefs
• Beef jerky, etc. (hot, sweet, spicy, plain…)
• Candy
• Books, letters, cards (for men or women)
• Aspirin, acetaminophen, and other pain relief products
• Powdered vitamin/supplement drinks (eg. Airborne or Emergen-C)
• Multivitamins (bottles or individual packs)
• Mouthwash (no bigger than 5 oz.)
• Toothpaste
• Coffee (ground or instant)
• Shampoo, conditioner, anti-bacterial soap (3-5 oz. travel size)
• Packaged snacks: power bars, nuts, granola bars, raisins, fruit snacks, potato crisps, etc.
• Powdered drinks: energy drinks, hot cocoa
• Calling cards
• One SPECIALTY item needed is "Smart Wool" socks (regular cotton socks will not hold up in the extreme conditions in Afghanistan); these are available through the Standing Tall Together registry at REI (for information, see http://www.rei.com/GiftRegistryDetails/GR1951974?cm_mmc=gift_reg-_-Other-_-announce-_-13Sep2010).

You may send donations via interdepartmental mail to Meghan Munden at mail code IMM-8. For larger items, please contact Meghan or deliver to her in Immunology Room 303. You can also make a cash donation and specify what items or how many pairs of socks ($20 each) you would like your donations to support. Make checks payable to "Standing Tall Together." All donations are tax-exempt. To receive an official receipt for tax purposes, please include your mailing address with your check or contact Meghan for itemized donations. For more information, please contact Meghan at (858) 699-5040 or mmccann44@gmail.com or stop by Immunology Room 303.

Deposit Holiday Cheer with the Food Bank
The ScrippsAssists food drive for the San Diego Food Bank has begun. Look for marked red bins for collecting food donations at the following locations:

• Beckman Building Lobby (2nd Floor)
• Immunology Building
• DNC Building (formerly ICND)
• 3377 Human Resources Building (2nd Floor)
• MB Building (1st Floor)
• 3030 Science Park Building
• 3040 Science Park Building (outside the cafeteria)
• CIMBio/CarrB Building
• 3301 Administration Building
• San Diego County Credit Union Building
• Gluck Childcare Center
• MEM Building (lobby)

Most-needed items include: canned meat and tuna, canned meals (chili, stew, ravioli, etc.), tomato products, canned fruits and vegetables (especially corn and green beans), canned soups and beans, peanut butter, dry cereal, powdered milk, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, and rice.

The food bank can only accept non-perishable items labeled with ingredients and expiration dates. Due to food safety regulations, the food bank is unable to accept: home canned or baked products, glass containers, baby food in glass jars, or cans that are leaking or bulging.

MONETARY DONATIONS
Let ScrippsAssists do the shopping for you! For the challenge, volunteers will convert monetary donations into pounds. Every dollar converts into 10 pounds of food and enables the team to distribute enough food for three meals:

• $10 converts into 100 pounds of food, which provides enough for 30 meals
• $100 converts to 1,000 pounds of food, which provides enough for 300 meals

For further information, please contact: Taylor Cohen, at taycoh@scripps.edu. Checks should be made out to the San Diego Food Bank and sent to Taylor at BCC169. If you would prefer to make a donation with a credit card, watch for updates with information on the Virtual Food Drive.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu