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In Brief


Peter Thuy-Boun Wins EPA Fellowship

Peter Thuy-Boun, graduate student in the Yu lab, has been awarded an Environmental Protection Agency “Science to Achieve Results” (STAR) Fellowship.

The STAR Fellowship program aims to encourage promising students to obtain advanced degrees and pursue careers in an environmental field and boost excellent research and development that advance the protection of human health and the environment through education. Established in 1995, the STAR program has awarded 105 fellowships for 2012.

Thuy-Boun’s STAR fellowship was granted in the category: "Science & Technology for Sustainability: Green Engineering/Building/Chemical Products & Processes/Materials Development." His research focuses on the study of first-row transition metal C–H functionalization chemistry, with an emphasis on developing nickel chemistry in search of complementary reactivity. The work aims to produce practical, economical, and environmentally friendly tools to enable the construction of more complex molecules.


Annual Benefits Open Enrollment Scheduled for October 24 to November 4

Open Enrollment—offering eligible employees the opportunity make changes to their Scripps Research benefits selections—will be held online through the Benefits website from 8 AM (PST) Monday, October 24, through 5 PM Friday, November 4. In addition during this period, eligible employees may enroll or re-enroll in Health Care and/or Dependent Care Spending Accounts for the 2012 plan year.

Employees are encouraged to review the Open Enrollment booklet for their position title at to determine what alterations, if any, they may want to make to their individual benefits programs. No changes have been made to health plan designs for 2012; however, rising U.S. healthcare costs have compelled the following premium increases in Scripps Research health plans:

  • A $15 per-month payroll deduction for the HMO Plan premium for “Employee Only” coverage
  • An increase to $64 per month in “PPO Employee Only” coverage payroll deduction
  • A small cost increase to all other types of coverage

All individual and institute benefits changes are effective January 1, 2012.

Eligible employees with established Health Care and/or Dependent Care Spending Accounts during 2011 must log on to their Open Enrollment accounts to elect a new deferral amount to re-enroll in 2012. Their 2011 account election will not roll over to 2012, advises the benefits department.

Changes to individual benefits plans, e.g.,  dropping or adding dependents, switching medical plans, or enrolling in or cancelling Supplementary Life Insurance, are made through the Open Enrollment system website. Employees will log into their personal accounts—or establish an account with a password—to initiate their benefits changes.

The online Open Enrollment system is accessible from any work, home, or other computer with Internet access. Eligible employees traveling during Open Enrollment with Internet access can log on to review and make changes to their benefits. Employees travelling without Internet access may contact Human Resources to complete a hard copy enrollment form. Computer kiosks are available for use in Human Resources for employees without work or home Internet access.

Unless an employee experiences a qualified status change at a later date, all 2012 plan year benefits changes (including enrolling in the health care and dependent care spending accounts) must be made through the Open Enrollment online system between October 24 and November 4 or through advance arrangements with Human Resources to complete a hard copy.

For further information, visit the Open Enrollment website or contact Benefits Administration at 858-784-8484, benefits@scripps.edu.


California Campus NWiS to Explore Print and Online Journalism in ‘Science and the Media: Part 2'

Effectively communicating science discoveries and ideas through print and online media is the topic of the California campus Network for Women in Science (NWiS) Coffee Hour, 3 PM, Tuesday, November 2 in the Faculty Club Tennis Room. Part 2 of the NWiS presentation “Science and the Media,” the program will feature Lynn Friedmann, an award-winning freelance writer and science-communications consultant.

A trained journalist and biologist, Friedmann covers a wide range of topics, specializing in basic research, natural history, and workforce issues affecting women scientists. She was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2003 and teaches science writing courses through the University of California, San Diego Extension.

Peet's coffee and snacks will be provided at the coffee hour. NWiS encourages the participation of both male and female colleagues and all faculty members. For details on the series, contact Beth Cisar, research associate in the Rosen lab and the California NWiS administrative manager.

Further information on NWiS activities on the California campus can be found at the organization's webpage.


New Series of English-as-a-Second-Language Classes to Begin

A new series of English-as-a-second-language classes will begin on the California campus Tuesday, October 25. These classes, taught by instructor Cassandra Wadkins, will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 PM every Tuesday in the Immunology Building West Conference Room. The price for three months (12 classes) is $60. Each intermediate-level English class is divided into speaking and listening, idioms and vocabulary, and reading and writing. If you would like to improve your English communication skills and your understanding of friends and colleagues, movies, television shows, and the news, this class is for you. The instructor uses movies, games, television shows, grammar books, songs, drawing, and novels to teach standard American English. Have fun and learn English at the same time! For more information, leave a message at x4-2176.





Send comments to: press@scripps.edu

Science Striders Step Out for Diabetes Cause
diabetes
The Science Striders, a group of scientists from the Jameson lab, participated in the American Diabetes Association’s Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes fundraising event Sunday, October 23 at De Anza Cove in Mission Bay. To kick off its efforts, the group staged a baked goods fundraiser last week on the California campus. Shown here are (l-r) Jameson, Kitty Cheung, Crista Park, and Anne Costanzo. The Jameson lab focuses on researching obesity and type 2 diabetes.