In Brief

Tina Izard, Priya R. Banerjee, Bernard Kok Receive 2015 AHA Awards

Tina Izard, associate professor at the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), and Research Associates Priya R. Banerjee and Bernard Kok of TSRI’s California campus each has received 2015 American Heart Association (AHA) awards.

Izard won a two-year grant-in-aid for her project “Structure and function of cardiomyopathy-associated metavinculin mutant.” A crystallographer and cell biologist, Izard studies the structural dynamics of signaling mediators of adhesion junctions. For more on her research, visit Izard’s faculty webpage and lab website.

Banerjee, a member of the Deniz lab, and Kok, a member of the Saez lab, received AHA postdoctoral fellowships. Banerjee’s project is “Mechanism of amyloid and apoptosis regulation as a potential cardioprotective role of Hsp27 at the single-molecule level.” Kok’s project is titled “An integrated approach to establish the role of LYPLAL1 in diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

Bicoastal Workshop: Working Effectively

Author and international instructor Jean-luc Doumont will present tips on how to work effectively at a bicoastal workshop on Monday, November 23. The session will be held at Scripps Florida from 4 to 6 PM, Eastern time, in room A116, and live-streamed to Scripps California from 1 to 3 PM, Pacific time, in the Beckman building’s Keck Auditorium.

Presented by the Scripps Florida Graduate Student Committee with support from the Graduate Program, the workshop will cover managing priorities and expectations and developing desirable and achievable outcomes. Reservations are required.

CA Lunch & Learn: An Attitude of Gratitude

Can a grateful attitude lead to greater life happiness? The next Scripps California Lunch & Learn presentation will explore research that suggests the answer is “yes.” The session, “Why Thank You! The Many Gifts of Gratitude,” will be held Wednesday, November 18, noon to 1 PM, in the Beckman building’s Keck Amphitheater.

Daphne Lurie, director of the TSRI Office of Counseling and Psychological Services, will present the latest research on gratitude, the connection between personal well-being and gratitude, and ways to cultivate personal thankfulness.

Information on resources offered by Counseling and Psychological Services, including archived Lunch & Learn presentations, are available on the department’s website.

CA ScrippsAssists Supports ‘Pie in the Sky’ Fundraiser

Scripps California faculty, staff and students can purchase tasty pies this Thanksgiving season while supporting ScrippsAssists community partner Mama’s Kitchen, a local nonprofit that provides free home-delivered meals and food pantry resources to San Diego residents whose lives have been impacted by cancer or AIDS.

The annual “Pie in the Sky” bake sale offers a selection of traditional and Dutch apple, pumpkin and pecan pies baked and donated by top San Diego pastry chefs, caterers and bakeries. Each pie is $25 ($15 of each is tax-deductible). A “Love-A-Client” option to donate a pie to a Mama’s Kitchen client is also available for $25; for each Love-A-Client order, the purchaser is entered into a drawing to win an iPad.

Pies can be ordered online until midnight on Sunday, November 22, by visiting the ScrippsAssists/TSRI team webpage. Click on “Buy Pies from Holly,” select “Pick up at a private site” and enter the location number “51” and location name “TSRI.”

To pay by cash or check, visit ScrippsAssists project lead Holly Wheeler in the TSRI Counseling Center in the 3300 building (Faculty Club) or Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn in BCC-405, Beckman building.

For more information on the project, contact Wheeler at x4-7297 or hollyw@scripps.edu. Information on Mama's Kitchen can be found at on the organization’s website.

ScrippsAssists Fair Showcases Handcrafted Creations

A wide variety of handcrafted wares, from clothing and chocolate truffles to artwork and sports gear, will be available for holiday gift-giving and festivities at the 2015 California campus ScrippsAssists Craft Fair and Raffle, scheduled for Thursday, December 3, 11 AM to 2 PM, in the Immunology building galleria.

Proceeds from the annual event fund ScrippsAssists charitable projects supporting San Diego community organizations in need.

Among the products offered by new and returning crafters this year will be wood, glass and metal artwork; finger-woven infinity-loop scarves; jewelry; dolls; gourmet cookies and candies; home decor; fashion accessories; African dolls, sandals and bags; skateboards; hiking sticks; gift cards and more.

This year’s raffle grand prize is a Southwest Airlines gift card worth $750 in airfare. Other prizes include gift certificates to San Diego restaurants; whale-watching and bay-cruise passes; a museum package of passes to San Diego’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Natural History Museum, Museum of Art and the History Center; a Brewery Tour for two; and a golf package including a putter, Oakley sunglasses and four golfing passes to Riverwalk Golf Club.

Starting Monday, November 23, raffle tickets will be available for $1 each at the following locations:

Beckman: BCC405 from Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn or NMR Facility from Dee-Hua Huang
Counseling Office: UF-1 (upstairs from Faculty Club) from Holly Wheeler
Science Park 3030: 3030 1150 from Pam Cryer
Hazen Campus: Theory Bldg, TRY-21 (upstairs from Grad Office) rom Lorraine Lathrop

Visit the ScrippsAssists website for updated Craft Fair exhibitor and raffle prize information.

CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due November 25

To receive consideration at the next TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety by Wednesday, November 25, via email to rachellv@scripps.edu. The meeting will be held Wednesday, December 9, 2:30 to 3:30 PM, in the P2 conference room, Building 3301.

CA Onsite Clinic Scheduled November 18

The next onsite immunization clinic on the California campus will be held Wednesday, November 18, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, in the Hazen Theory building, rooms 203/205. Appointments are not needed.

Conducted by Sharp Rees-Stealy staff, the clinic will provide hepatitis B vaccination free of charge to all TSRI employees. Environmental Health & Safety Occupational Medicine must pre-authorize all other procedures based on the employee's working conditions. These procedures include tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccines and other titers, immunizations and procedures.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

Lerner Lab Image Appears as ‘Biomedical Picture of the Day’
lerner
Biomedical Picture of the Day, a nonprofit website showcasing contemporary biomedical research, has featured an image from the Lerner lab’s recent findings. This scanning electron microscopy image shows a natural killer cell (left)—created from a leukemia cell by antibody treatment—attacking another leukemia cell. For more information, see the News&Views article or PNAS paper.

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