In Brief

National Geographic Show Features Erica Ollmann Saphire

Erica Ollmann Saphire, professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and director of the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Immunotherapeutic Consortium, is featured in the premiere episode of a new National Geographic channel series Breakthrough, scheduled to air on Sunday, November 1, 9 PM Eastern and Pacific, 8 PM Central.

In the episode “Fighting Pandemics,” Saphire describes her Ebola virus research, which provides important “military intelligence” in the war on Ebola.

Saphire studies some of the most lethal viruses known to humankind with a combination of x-ray crystallography, biochemistry and immunology. More information on her research can be found on her faculty webpage and lab website.

More information is available on the National Geographic channel website, both on the Breakthrough series as a whole and the “Fighting Pandemics” episode in particular (including trailer).

Floyd Romesberg to Present TEDMED Talk

TSRI Professor Floyd Romesberg will share his work in developing artificial DNA and its implications for novel protein therapeutics at this year’s TEDMED conference, “Breaking Through,” to be held November 18 to 20 in Palm Springs, California.

Romesberg will appear on the five-member “Techno-Utopia” panel, exploring novel ways technologies can be applied to health and medicine.

Each of TEDMED’s eight stage sessions will be streamed live via TEDMED Live to a global audience that will include teaching hospitals, academic institutions, government organizations, research centers and select nonprofits. Conference speakers will include thought leaders and accomplished individuals from every sector of society, both inside and outside medicine.

Romesberg’s research to expand DNA biology was reported in a News&Views article “Scripps Research Institute Scientists Create First Living Organism that Transmits Added Letters in DNA 'Alphabet'.” Additional information on his research is available on his faculty webpage and lab website.

Details of the TEDMED conference—a health and biomedical offshoot of the popular TED Talks—is available at http://www.tedmed.com/.

Scripps Florida DiVERGE Event Hosts Undergraduate Students

Nineteen undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the U.S. recently received an in-depth look at the Scripps Florida campus during this year’s three-day Diversity Visitation Event for Research and Graduate Education (DiVERGE).

Tailored for students interested in biomedical research careers, the two-year-old DiVERGE program is particularly geared toward recruiting students from underrepresented minority groups and underserved backgrounds, including individuals from low-income families or first-generation college students.

The visiting students toured labs and TSRI High Throughput Screening, Proteomics and Genomics Research Cores, attended faculty presentations, met with faculty members over lunch and participated in workshops that delved into topics ranging from graduate school preparation to career planning. Among the workshops was a career roundtable discussion facilitated by 2008 TSRI alumnus Ricardo Lira, now principal scientist at Pfizer.

Participants were also introduced to TSRI’s highly ranked doctoral program and the institute’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) and Academic Year Research Internship for Undergraduates programs.

Ha Van Dang, a senior at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, said of her DiVERGE experience, “On top of all the facilities and cutting-edge researchers, I was so impressed by the hospitality…from everyone at the institute, from professors to students to staff.”

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Joseph Jablonski (left), research associate in the Valente lab, meets with visiting undergraduate students during the recent DiVERGE event on the Scripps Florida campus. (Photo by Jeremy Pyle)

FL Career Workshops: Mock Interviews, LinkedIn

Career and Postdoctoral Services offers two workshops open to postdoctoral fellows and graduate students on the Scripps Florida campus:

Videotaped Mock Interviews

Communicating effectively during job interviews is the focus of this workshop, scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, from 3 PM to 4:30 PM, in room B393. Facilitated by Briana Konnick, Career and Postdoctoral Services program coordinator, the small-group session will offer participants videotaped mock interviews with standard HR screening questions. Constructive feedback will be provided on participants’ responses and body language. Reservations are required.

LinkedIn Drop-In Hours

Tips on improving LinkedIn pages to build a strong, comprehensive online profile will be offered Wednesday, November 11, from 2 to 4 PM, in room B393. Participants can sign up for a 10- to 15-minute individual session with Konnick. Reservations are required.

CA NWiS Movie Night to Present ‘The Mask You Live In’

The next Scripps California Network for Women in Science (NWiS) Movie Night, scheduled for Thursday, October 29, 6:30 PM, will feature the 2015 documentary “The Mask You Live In,” an exploration of the U.S. culture’s narrow definition of masculinity and its harmful impact on boys, men and society.

Presented in the Beckman building’s Keck Auditorium, the event is open to the entire Scripps California community. Beer and snacks will be provided.

An NWiS coffee-hour discussion of ideas explored in the documentary, including the need for males to join the fight for gender equality, will be held on Monday, November 9, in the Graduate Office Seminar Room, Hazen building first floor.

Employee Benefits: Open Enrollment Ends November 6

Employee Benefits Open Enrollment, which began October 26, ends Friday, November 6, at 5 PM Pacific time. During this annual opportunity, participants can make changes to their TSRI benefit selections and, if eligible, enroll or re-enroll in the Health Care and/or Dependent Care Spending Accounts or the Health Savings Account (if applicable) for the 2016 plan year.

New 2016 plan information is available on the Open Enrollment website [http://www.scripps.edu/hr/benefits/open_enrollment/index.html]. It is important to review the information provided in the Open Enrollment booklet regarding changes for the 2016 plan year.

Eligible participants, who took part in the Health Care and/or Dependent Care Spending Accounts or the Health Savings Account in 2015, must log on again and elect a new deferral amount to participate in 2016. A 2015 election WILL NOT roll over to 2016.

For further information regarding Open Enrollment, contact Benefits Administration at (858) 784-8487 or benefits@scripps.edu.

TSRI Team Runners, Volunteers Needed to Support Anti-Hunger Events

Scripps California faculty, staff, students, family and friends are invited to participate—as TSRI team members or volunteers—in upcoming San Diego fundraising events supporting the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank (SDFB), an anti-hunger agency serving more than 370,000 people every month.

Harley Davidson Turkey Run

ScrippsAssists seeks volunteers to help staff the Harley Davidson SDFB Turkey Run ride on Saturday, November 7, starting 6:30 AM and finishing no later than 2 PM. Volunteers tasks include setup, ride-stop monitoring and tear down along the 73.8 mile motorcycle ride that begins at the Harley Davidson store at 4555 Morena Boulevard and ends at the Harley Davidson store at 5555 Kearny Villa Road. The ride includes turkey collections, game/treasure hunts and rest stops.

A mandatory one-hour volunteer training session and pizza party will be held on Wednesday, October 28, 6 PM, at the Morena Boulevard Harley Davidson store. Volunteer assignments, shift times and other instructions will be provided at the session.

Interested volunteers can contact ScrippsAssists project lead Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn at mshinn@scripps.edu. Further information on the Turkey Run is available on the Harley Davidson website.

Thanksgiving Day 5/10K Run for the Hungry

Runners, walkers, supporters and dogs and their owners are invited to join Team TSRI for the SDFB’s annual Thanksgiving Day 5/10K Run for the Hungry on Thursday, November 26 at 7 AM (10K) and 8:15 AM (5K).

The TSRI team is organized by Associate Professor Amanda Roberts, who promises, “There will be plenty of time to cook once you get home, and you'll feel so energized!”

Attracting some 4,000 participants each year, the Run for the Hungry course travels through the heart of San Diego from Horton Plaza, through the East Village, the Gaslamp District and old downtown and along Tony Gwynn Way.

To register for Team TSRI, contact Roberts at aroberts@scripps.edu. Additional information is available on the SDFB website.

ScrippsAssists volunteers are also needed to help staff the Thanksgiving Day event. For details, contact Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn at mshinn@scripps.edu.

ScrippsAssists to Hold CA Blood Drive November 3

The next ScrippsAssists quarterly blood drive to help supply the 350 components of blood required every day to serve the San Diego region’s blood supply needs will be held Tuesday, November 3, from 9 AM to 2:30 PM.

Eligible donors are asked to make an appointment on the SDBB website. Walk-in donors will be welcomed. Guidelines and eligibility requirements are also listed on the blood bank website. Donors should bring photo identification, a record of medications they currently take and a list of locations visited outside the United States in the past three years.

The SDBB bloodmobile will be located in the parking lot adjacent to the Skaggs/MBB building, 10596 N. Torrey Pines Road.

All donors will automatically be entered into a prize raffle. For further information on the blood drive, contact project coordinator Leslie Madden at lmadden@scripps.edu.

CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due October 28

To receive consideration at the next TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety by Wednesday, October 28, via email to rachellv@scripps.edu. The meeting will be held Wednesday, November 11, 2:30 to 3:30 PM, in the P2 conference room, Building 3301.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

erica
Erica Ollmann Saphire and her work in Ebola virus research are featured in the premiere episode of a new National Georgraphic series, Breakthrough.

TSRI Professor Floyd Romesberg will discuss his research on artificial DNA at the upcoming TEDMED conference in Palm Springs.

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