Updates

M.G. Finn Receives Humboldt Research Award

M.G. Finn, Scripps Research Institute professor and member of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, has received a Humboldt Research Award from the Germany-based Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Intended to promote collaboration between German scientists and researchers from abroad, the award recognizes researchers whose “whose fundamental discoveries, new theories, or insights have had a significant impact on their own discipline and who are expected to continue producing cutting-edge achievements in the future,” according to the award announcement.

Award winners are invited to spend a period of up to one year cooperating on a long-term research project with specialist colleagues at a research institution in Germany.

Finn was nominated for the award by Professor Horst Kessler of the Technical University of Munich, with whom he has collaborated for several years on the use of integrin-binding cyclic peptides in nanoparticle targeting to various cancer cell types.

Finn will work with Kessler in Germany on expanding preliminary studies to explore the roles of integrin subtype selectivity and different structures of polyvalent display on cell binding and signaling. “We hope that the resulting information will guide the development of more potent and selective cancer diagnostics and anticancer drug delivery agents,” said Finn.

Nicole Schirle Wins Predoctoral Fellowship

Nicole Schirle, a graduate student in the MacRae lab, has been awarded an American Heart Association Western States Affiliate Predoctoral Fellowship. The fellowships are intended to help students initiate careers in cardiovascular and stroke research by providing research assistance and training.

Award criteria include the applicant’s training plan and environment, and the proposal’s significance, approach, and innovation.

Schirle's research focuses on obtaining the crystal structure of human Argonaute2, the catalytic component of RNA interference (RNAi), to ultimately aid the design of novel RNA therapeutics for treatment of heart disease.

Program Offers Ethical Research Training

A seven-session Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) program will be presented in July for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students on Scripps California and Florida campuses. The two-hour sessions will be held on the same dates for both campuses: Monday, July 16; Monday-Friday, July 23 to 27; and Monday, July 30.

Training sessions on the California campus will be held from 3 to 5 PM in the Human Resources training room (3377 Building, Room 205). The session will be video-streamed live to the Florida campus from noon to 2 PM in the A 116 conference room.

Conducted by Michael Kalichman, director of research ethics at the University of California, San Diego, the RCR course is designed as an option for meeting current National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) requirements for training in the responsible conduct of science. Course topics, covered by a combination of lectures, student presentations, web-accessible readings, and class discussion, include:

The rules, issues, options, and resources for research ethics
The purpose and value of ethical decision making

Class space is limited and priority is given to trainees who have received fellowships or hold training grants. The RCR course is available on a pass/fail basis. To receive course credit or to meet NIH or NSF training requirements, participants must attend all seven class meetings, complete assigned readings, prepare and present assigned presentations, and engage in class discussions. A full course description is available at http://sdrec.ucsd.edu/courses/tsri.

For additional information, visit the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office webpage [http://intranet.scripps.edu/postdoctoral/index.html] or contact Ryan Wheeler, x4-9740, or Mike Matrone, x4-9391.

Summer Workshops Provide Career Guidance

The series of job-related workshops and training sessions, presented by the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office, will be available to postdoctoral fellows and graduate students this summer on the Scripps California campus.

Career Transitions Workshop
Wednesdays, July 18, July 25, and August 1
3 to 4:30 PM
Graduate Office Conference Room (Building 3377, Room 300)

A three-session Career Transitions workshop is designed to help postdoctoral fellows and graduate students explore academic and other career options. Co-facilitated by Daphne Lurie, director of Scripps Research Counseling and Psychological Services, and Ryan Wheeler, manager of the Career and Postdoctoral Services office, the workshop will feature a confidential, small-group format to discuss how participants’ values, interests, skills, and goals can aid in establishing a career.

Participants must commit to attending all three workshop sessions. Registration is required.

Moving from the Job Ad to the Interview
Thursday, July 19
3:30 to 4:30 PM
Human Resources Training Room (Building 3377, Room 205)

Ryan Wheeler, manager of the Career and Postdoctoral Services office, will lead this job-search skills workshop. Particularly geared toward postdoctoral fellows and graduate students interested in industry or other non-academic positions, the workshop will cover:

Highlighting accomplishments
Structuring a winning resume
Writing compelling cover letters
Developing an online professional profile

Workshop registration is required.

Interview Practice and Feedback
Thursday, July 26
3 to 4:30 PM
Graduate Office Conference Room (Building 3377, Room 300)

A small-group workshop will provide interview skills training with the help of videotaped mock interviews and feedback sessions based on standard Human Resources screening questions. The workshop is intended to help participants strengthen effective verbal and non-verbal communications skills.

Registration is required.

Meet the Alumni: Christopher Reyes of Eclipse Therapeutics

Christopher Reyes, co-founder / chief scientific officer for Eclipse Therapeutics and former Scripps Research postdoctoral fellow, is the featured speaker at the next Meet the Alumni Fireside Chat presentation, scheduled for Tuesday, July 10 at 4 PM, in the Faculty Club Library on the California campus.

A San Diego-based biotech, Eclipse Therapeutics pursues the discovery and development of therapeutics targeting cancer stem cells and other forms of cancer treatment. Reyes earned a BA in molecular and cell biology, and biophysics at the University of California (UC), Berkeley and a PhD in biophysics from UC San Francisco.

Sponsored by the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office and the Network for Women in Science, the Meet the Alumni Fireside Chat series features a casual setting and discussion format, covering such topics as career influences, transitions, and options. Light refreshments will be served. Contact the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office to register for the event.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

BallenIsles Charities Supports Scripps Florida Education Outreach

The BallenIsles Charities Foundation, a Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, community group, recently presented a $20,000 grant to Scripps Florida’s Education Outreach program to help support its summer research internship program for local high school students, teachers, and undergraduates. Shown above are Marilyn Canis (left) of the BallenIsles Charities Foundation and Deborah Leach Scampavia of Scripps Florida. (Photo by Jack Robbins)

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