In Brief

Courtney Miller Wins Presidential Early Career Award

Courtney Miller, associate professor on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has been selected to receive a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers.

“These early-career scientists are leading the way in our efforts to confront and understand challenges from climate change to our health and wellness,” President Barak Obama said in a statement. “We congratulate these accomplished individuals and encourage them to continue to serve as an example of the incredible promise and ingenuity of the American people.”

In a process involving 12 federal agencies and coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President, the award winners are selected annually based on two criteria: innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology, and commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, education or community outreach.

The focus of Miller’s lab at Scripps Florida is developing therapeutics for memory disorders, including addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer’s disease, with a focus on synaptic and neuroepigenetic contributors.

She began studying the role of memory and addiction as a graduate student at the University of California, Irvine. In 2005, she moved to the University of Alabama, Birmingham, for postdoctoral work in the then-nascent field of neuroepigenetics, studying the contribution of DNA methylation to memory. There, she made the fundamental discovery that DNA methylation can serve as a rapid and dynamic regulator of memory formation and storage in the brain. She moved to Scripps Florida in 2009.

Miller, who is an associate editor of the Elsevier journal Neuroepigenetics and 2015 Scripps Outstanding Mentor of the Year, has a passion for advancing women in science and is co-founder of the Professional Women’s Nexus, a 400+ member group with a mission to improve the advancement rate of women in academia and industry.

As a Presidential Early Career Award honoree, Miller will receive up to a five-year research grant to further her scientific investigations. The winners will receive their awards at a Washington, DC ceremony this spring.

Previous recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award include TSRI Professors Erica Ollmann Saphire and Marisa Roberto.

Max Ferretti Awarded NRSA Fellowship

Max Ferretti, a fourth-year graduate student in the Karbstein lab at Scripps Florida, has received a pre-doctoral National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The award supports promising doctoral candidates with the potential to become productive, independent investigators in the neurosciences.

A graduate of New College of Florida, Ferretti’s project, “Understanding the basis of mRNA selectivity using ribosomes lacking Rps26,” focuses on deficiencies in ribosome construction that lead to diseases that paradoxically also include both growth defects and cancer.

Inaugural Event Introduces New TSRI Alumni Association

The recent TSRI Alumni Association kick-off event offered a trio of speakers and a networking reception for former—and current—research associates and graduate students at the institute. Presentations by TSRI Professor Phil Baran (Class of 2001); John Hood, chief scientific officer, Samumed (TSRI postdoc 1998-2002); and Alan Ezekowitz, president/CEO Abide Therapeutics, focused on the importance of establishing personal networks for success in academia as well as in industry.

In addition, Alumni Association President Goran Pljevaljcic provided a description of the group’s mission and plans to "connect alumni with each other and the institute to facilitate mutually beneficial relationships.”

To join the association, visit the alumni LinkedIn group. For more information, contact info@alumni.scripps.edu.

alumni board
The TSRI Alumni Association Board includes (left to right) Sheena Sayman, Edward Cho, Goran Pljevaljcic, Debbie Liao, Jack Scatizzi and Geza Ambrus-Aikelin. (Photo by Cindy Brauer.)

TSRI Labs Host San Diego Girl Scouts

Scripps California’s Nemazee, Havran and Ollmann Saphire labs recently hosted a group of San Diego Girl Scouts and their leaders, explaining their work in immunology research. After participating in a session on lab safety and donning safety glasses, gloves and gowns, the Scouts toured the labs, peering through microscopes at skin cells, handling 3D molecular structures of the Ebola virus and learning about science protocols.

The Scouts, ranging in age from 13 to 18, were also introduced to the wide variety of possible careers in STEM and STEAM fields. They declared the lab experiences and tour “cool.”

scouts
TSRI Professor Erica Ollmann Saphire (left) explains the molecular structure of the Ebola virus to visiting Girl Scouts. (Photo by Cindy Brauer.)

CA Career Workshop: Effective Negotiations

Skills in reaching agreements will be taught at an upcoming day-long workshop, “The Art of Effective Negotiation,” scheduled for Friday, March 11, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, on the Scripps California campus.

Covering the fundamentals of negotiations—from one-on-one situations to group settings—the event is sponsored by TSRI’s Society of Fellows and Career and Postdoctoral Services office with the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists (COACh), an international organization promoting the success and impact of female scientists and engineers.

Jane Tucker, consultant faculty for COACh at the University of Oregon, will conduct the workshop. Tucker earned a doctorate in Organizational Development from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and served as faculty for the Looking Glass Program at the Center for Creative Leadership for 34 years. She has published on learning strategies and organization development and has taught negotiation skills to nonprofit and corporate organizations.

Scheduled in the Human Resources Training room, 3050 building, the workshop will include lunch. Reservations are required.

CA Onsite Clinic: February 24

The next onsite immunization clinic on the California campus will be held Wednesday, February 24, 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.

CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due February 26

To receive consideration at the next Scripps California Institutional Biosafety Committee, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety by Friday, February 26, via email to rachellv@scripps.edu. The meeting will be held Wednesday, March 9, from 2:30 to 3:30 PM, in the P2 conference room, Building 3301.

At The Auditorium: Mainly Mozart

The Mainly Mozart Spotlight Series presents program of chamber music featuring the Szymanowski Quartet, founded in Warsaw, and the Attacca Quartet, a young American ensemble, on Saturday, February 27. Music performances will include Mozart’s Divertimento in D Major and String Quartet in G Major and Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-Flat Major. A 6:30 PM wine reception will precede the 7:30 PM concert. Visit the Mainly Mozart website for ticket information.

The Auditorium at TSRI is located at 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, San Diego 92121.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

miller
Associate Professor Courtney Miller has won a Presidential Early Career Award, which will be presented in Washington, DC, this spring. (Photo by James McEntee.)

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