In Brief

Faculty Promotions: Floyd Romesberg, Ryan Shenvi, Lisa Stowers, Anton Maximov, Brian Paegel, Sathya Puthanveettil, Andrew Ward

Seven faculty promotions were announced at a recent meeting of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) Board of Trustees.

Floyd Romesberg is now professor in the Department of Chemistry. Romesberg’s research seeks to understand and evolve novel protein function by expanding the genetic code, to use principles of evolution to identify and develop novel antibiotics, and to use femtosecond laser pulses to probe protein dynamics. For more information, see Romesberg’s faculty page and laboratory website.

Ryan Shenvi is now associate professor with tenure in the Department of Chemistry. His lab develops synthesis routes to medically relevant, complex molecules, with an emphasis on the development of new chemical methods and the identification of new biological targets or mechanisms of action. For more information see Shenvi’s faculty page and laboratory website.

Lisa Stowers, a member of the Dorris Neuroscience Center, has been promoted to associate professor with tenure in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. The Stowers lab studies the ligands, neurons and brain nuclei that initiate social behavior using molecular genetics and genomics; her work is determining the rules that generate the information coding of neuronal networks. For more information, see Stowers’s faculty page and laboratory website.

Anton Maximov, a member of the Dorris Neuroscience Center, has been promoted to associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. The Maximov lab combines genetic, biochemical, optical and electrophysiological methods to study synapse development and function in the central nervous system. For more information, see Maximov’s faculty page and laboratory website.

Brian Paegel is now associate professor in the Department of Chemistry. The Paegel lab studies the controlled assembly of phospholipid vesicles, emulsions, microfluidic circuit design, protein engineering and evolution, and drug discovery technology development. For more information, see Paegel’s faculty page and laboratory website.

Sathya Puthanveettil is now associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience. The Puthanveettil lab uses an integrated approach that combines high-throughput biology, electrophysiology and behavior, investigating the molecular and cellular basis of long-term memory storage and cognitive disorders. For more information, see Puthanveettil’s faculty page and laboratory website.

Andrew Ward has been promoted to associate professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology. The Ward lab uses structural and biophysical techniques to study viral envelope protein complexes from HIV, Ebola and influenza. For more information, see Ward’s faculty page.

Dixon Lecture to Feature Noted Immunologist Max Cooper

The 2015 Frank J. Dixon Memorial Lecture, featuring noted immunologist Max D. Cooper, will be held Monday, February 23, 4 PM, at The Auditorium at TSRI. The event is open to the San Diego science community.

Cooper is a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and member of the Emory Vaccine Center and the Center for AIDS Research at the Emory University School of Medicine. His work focuses on ontogenetic and phylogenetic studies of the adaptive immune system in parallel with the analysis of immunological diseases in humans. He will speak on “The Evolution of Lymphocytes.”

An editor of several immunological journals, Cooper is also past president of the Clinical Immunology Society, the American Association of Immunologists and the Kunkel Society. Among his many awards is the Robert Koch Prize, widely regarded as the leading international scientific prize in microbiology, for a major discovery in biological science.

A reception will be held immediately following the lecture in the TSRI Faculty Club. For directions and additional details, contact vogtadm@scripps.edu.

Scholarship Applications for Female Scientists Now Open

Female postdoctoral fellows and Scripps California graduate students are invited to apply for scholarships offered by L’Oreal USA and the San Diego chapter of the Association for Women in Science, respectively. Both scholarships support women pursuing research in science, technology, engineering and mathematic fields (STEM).

Association for Women in Science, San Diego

Eligible applicants must be female students actively engaged in a degree program in the 2014-2015 academic year who have earned a minimum 3.0 GPA. The $1,000 scholarship can be used for educational expenses including tuition, books, housing or research. The application deadline is Tuesday, February 24. Application instructions and forms can be downloaded from the AWIS-SD website.

L'Oréal USA for Women in Science

The 2015 L’Oréal USA for Women in Science fellowship program will recognize five U.S.-based female researchers. Recipients receive up to $60,000 each for their postdoctoral research. The program's U.S. partner, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), will manage the peer-review and selection process. The application deadline is March 20. Information and application details are available on the L’Oreal for Women in Science website.

CA SoF Travel Award Application Deadline March 1

Applications for the spring cycle of postdoctoral travel awards offered by the Scripps California Society of Fellows (SoF) are due Sunday, March 1, 5 PM, Pacific time.

Up to three $1,000 travel grants will be awarded to full-time Scripps California research associates to cover conference-related costs (e.g. travel, housing, registration). A committee of five TSRI postdoctoral fellows will review the applications.

Postdocs who have yet to attend a meeting to present their current work, previous applicants and those with outstanding financial need are encouraged to apply in this round of grants; past travel award winners are not eligible. Eligibility, specific application procedures and proposal guidelines can be found on the travel award webpage. Applications can be submitted securely online.

Volunteers interested in serving on the selection committee are asked to email cpso@scripps.edu.

Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due February 25

The TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, March 11, from 3:30 to 4:30 PM, in the P2 conference room, Building 3301. To receive committee consideration, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety via email to rachellv@scripps.edu by Wednesday, February 25.

At the Auditorium: The Symphony, Mainly Mozart

Members of the San Diego Symphony and the San Diego New Music (SDNM) organizations offer a program of music highlights from the past two decades on Tuesday, February 24, 7:30 PM. Presentations include music by John Cage and additional works by living American composers Mohammed Fairouz, Amy Beth Kirsten, Christopher Adler, David Lang and John Luther Adams. Additional program and ticket information is available on the symphony’s website.

A Mainly Mozart concert is scheduled for Friday, March 6, 7:30 PM, featuring violinist Nadja Salerno and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott with the Miami String Quartet performing works by Schuloff and Chausson. A reception will be held at 6:30 PM. Visit the Mainly Mozart website for program and ticket details.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

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