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In Brief


Jin-Quan Yu Wins Sackler Prize

Jin-Quan Yu, the Frank and Bertha Hupp Professor of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has been awarded the 2013 Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in the Physical Sciences for Chemistry from Tel Aviv University. He shares the prize—intended to encourage dedication to science, originality and excellence by rewarding outstanding young scientists—with Melanie S. Sanford, professor of chemistry at the University of Michigan.

Yu and Sanford were cited for “for their seminal contributions to the catalytic functionalization of carbon-hydrogen bonds, development of practical methodologies for applications in the synthesis of complex organic molecules and mechanistic understanding of metal-based organic transformations,” according to the award announcement.

Yu’s work focuses on the development of new strategies and tools to accelerate catalytic C-H activation reactions. These reactions selectively convert the targeted C-H bond among many in molecules into a functional group that bestows the desired biological activity to a drug candidate.

TSRI Professor Phil Baran also won the Sackler Prize for chemistry in 2009.


Organic Letters Highlights Contributions of Valery Fokin, Carlos Barbas, William Roush

TSRI faculty members Valery Fokin and Carlos Barbas were corresponding authors on two of the top-10 most frequently cited papers in the more than 18,000 papers published by the journal Organic Letters since 1999. The journal’s 15th anniversary issue also highlighted the numerous contributions of TSRI Professor William R. Roush.

The journal listed as its second-most cited paper a 2004 publication authored by Timothy R. Chan, Robert Hilgraf , K. Barry Sharpless, and Fokin, “Polytriazoles as Copper(I)-Stabilizing Ligands in Catalysis.”

The ninth-most cited paper was a 2001 publication by Juan M. Betancort and Barbas, “Catalytic Direct Asymmetric Michael Reactions:  Taming Naked Aldehyde Donors.”

Roush, who is also executive director of Medicinal Chemistry and associate dean of graduate studies at Scripps Florida, was listed as the seventh-most prolific author with the publication.


Meet the Alumni Events Slated for California and Florida Campuses

“Meet the Alumni” events, featuring former TSRI graduate students and postdocs now working in industry and academia, will be held on both the California and Florida campuses during March. Each event offers a casual setting and discussion format, covering such topics as career influences, transitions and options.

CA Campus: Kurt Breitenkamp of Startup Leadership Program

Kurt Breitenkamp, COO of Startup Leadership Program and consultant with Onset Innovations, is the featured speaker at the Tuesday, March 5, Meet the Alumni presentation, scheduled from 4 to 5 PM in the Faculty Club Library. The presentation is sponsored by the California campus Network for Women in Science and the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office.

Trained as a polymer scientist, Breitenkamp founded Intezyne Technologies, a biotechnology company focused on the development of advanced, synthetic nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery. In 2009, after selling his stake in the company, he joined M.G. Finn’s lab at TSRI as a research associate, continuing his work in nanoparticles. He now serves as a consultant to the life sciences, materials science and high-tech industries. At Startup Leadership Program, a training program for current and aspiring startup CEOs, Breitenkamp supervises the operations of 20 program chapters throughout the world.

Light refreshments will be served. Reservations are required.

FL Campus: Ian Thorpe of the University of Maryland Baltimore County

Ian Thorpe, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, is the guest speaker at the Meet the Alumni event to be held Tuesday, March 19, from 12:15 to 1:15 PM in Classroom B159.

A TSRI alumnus, Class of 2005, Thorpe’s research on the fundamental physical principles that govern the interplay of protein structure, function and dynamics aims to answer biological questions with a tangible, positive impact on societal problems. He also teaches university undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in physical chemistry, biochemistry and molecular modeling.

The event is sponsored by the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office and the Graduate Office, Florida campus; reservations are required.


NWiS and SOF Welcome New Faculty

The Network for Women in Science (NWiS), the Society of Fellows (SOF), and the TSRI graduate program will welcome recently arrived faculty members to the California campus at their joint annual “New Faculty Happy Hour” on Thursday, March 14, 5 PM in the Faculty Club Tennis room.

Open to the entire TSRI community, the event provides an informal setting for interaction and networking. Faculty expected to attend include:

  • Associate Professor Bill Schief
  • Assistant Professor Said Eshaghi
  • Assistant Professor Gabriel Lander
  • Assistant Professor Yuxing Li
  • Assistant Professor Maria Cecilia Marcondes
  • Assistant Professor Remi Martin-Fardon
  • Assistant Professor Andrew Ward
  • Assistant Professor Dennis Wolan

Refreshments and Amazon gift card raffle prizes will be offered; no RSVP required. New faculty members interested in attending are asked to contact Laurie Gay at ljgay@scripp.edu or x4-2720.





Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

yu
TSRI Professor Jin-Quan Yu has won the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize, intended to encourage dedication to science, originality and excellence by rewarding outstanding young scientists.

 

 

24th Frontiers in Chemistry Draws Crowd
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Four distinguished chemists offered inspiring lectures to an audience of more than 300 at the recent 24th Annual Frontiers in Science Symposium, according to hosts TSRI Professors Dale Boger and Phil Baran. Shown above, Boger (right) speaks with presenter Tom Muir of Princeton University. Other lecturers included Christopher Walsh and Yoshito Kishi, both of Harvard University, and Nobel laureate Roger Tsien of the University of California, San Diego. (Photo by Cindy Brauer.)