In Brief

TSRI Receives Top '4-Star' Charity Rating

Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest evaluator of charities, has announced that The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has received a “4-star” rating for sound financial management and commitment to accountability and transparency.

The assessment places the institute among only 25 percent of all U.S. charities that receive the 4-star rating. Charity Navigator uses a numbers-based rating system to analyze the performance of more than 8,000 U.S. charitable organizations.

In the letter of notification, Charity Navigator President and CEO Michael Thatcher wrote, “Attaining a 4-star rating verifies that The Scripps Research Institute exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in your area of work. This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets The Scripps Research Institute apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness.”

A summary of TSRI’s rating information is available on the Charity Navigator website.

Jeffery Kelly Selected to Receive Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award

Jeffery Kelly, chair of the Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine and the Lita Annenberg Hazen Professor of Chemistry at TSRI, has been selected to receive the 2016 Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine, which recognizes scientists whose work has outstanding content and significant practical consequences in the biomedical sciences.

Kelly was cited for his “profound and paradigm-shifting contributions to our understanding of protein folding mechanisms and protein misfolding diseases.” His work advances new approaches for combatting conditions including amyloid diseases, Gaucher’s disease, cystic fibrosis and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Sponsored by the Jacob and Louise Gabbay Foundation and administered by the Rosenstiel Center at Brandeis University, the annual award includes a $15,000 cash prize and a medallion. Kelly will deliver the award lecture on “The Chemistry and Biology of Adapting Proteostasis for Disease Intervention” at Brandeis in September.

For additional information on Kelly, visit his faculty web page and lab website.

Erica Ollmann Saphire Wins Microbiology Society Research Award

TSRI Professor Erica Ollmann Saphire has won the American Society for Microbiology’s (ASM) Eli Lilly and Company-Elanco Research Award, ASM’s “oldest and most prestigious award for fundamental research of unusual merit in microbiology or immunology by an individual on the threshold of his or her career.”

Saphire and her colleagues combine x-ray crystallography, biochemistry and immunology to analyze proteins that play key roles in the pathogenesis of Ebola and other viral hemorrhagic fevers; structures of these proteins provide templates for vaccine design to enable rapid response to newly emerging forms of the viruses.

She will deliver an award lecture, titled “The Molecular Tool-kit of Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers,” this month in Boston at a meeting of the ASM, an organization with membership comprising more than 47,000 scientists and health professionals worldwide.

For more information on Saphire, see her faculty page and lab website.

Kristian Andersen Named Pew Scholar

TSRI Assistant Professor Kristian Andersen has been named a 2016 Pew Scholar.

“For more than 30 years, The Pew Charitable Trusts has proudly supported outstanding biomedical researchers at the start of their careers, encouraging the kind of creativity that leads to remarkable discoveries,” said President and CEO Rebecca W. Rimel. “The members of this exemplary group join a community of scientists that they will learn with, and learn from, for the rest of their lives.”

Andersen uses infectious disease genomics to investigate the interaction between the human host and highly pathogenic viruses such as Zika, Ebola and Lassa to explore how these viruses evolve in response to selection pressures imposed by the host immune system, with the goal of developing new vaccines and therapeutics for these and other emerging pathogens.

For additional information on Andersen and his research, visit the his faculty web page and lab website.

Anna Phan Wins Early-Career Fellowship

Anna Phan, a research associate in the Davis laboratory at Scripps Florida, has been awarded a two-year fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The competitive award provides recognition and funding for academic researchers early in their careers.

Phan joined TSRI in September 2013, a few months after graduating with a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Guelph in Canada, where she worked in the laboratory of Elena Choleris studying the effects of estrogens on learning and memory, dendritic spines and glutamate neurotransmission in mice.

The new fellowship will support Phan’s current research, which is aimed at identifying how a gene known as a risk factor for schizophrenia affects cognitive processing, neural connectivity and neuron function.

Next ResearcHERS Event to Feature Katja Lamia

The next ResearcHERS event will feature TSRI Assistant Professor Katja Lamia, speaking on the “Fascinating World of Circadian Rhythms,” on Wednesday, June 22, from 4 to 6 PM.

Hosted by the Female Faculty Group at TSRI, the ResearcHERS lecture series aims to provide the institute’s friends and donors a behind-the-scenes look at biomedical research and the work of women in the field.

Lamia’s research investigates the molecular basis for the circadian control of metabolism, DNA damage response and tumorigenesis to enable novel therapies for treating metabolic diseases and cancer.

Open to the public, the event will be held at the Auditorium at TSRI, with complimentary parking. A reception will follow the lecture. Reservations are requested; contact Chelsea Luedeke at (858) 784-7083 or cluedeke@scripps.edu.

FL Academic Career Roundtable: Undergraduate Institutions

The next Scripps Florida Academic Career Roundtable, “Applications to Teaching-Intensive, Primarily Undergraduate Institutes,” is scheduled for Friday, June 17, noon to 1 PM. Crystal Young-Erdos, assistant professor of biochemistry at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, will lead the discussion.

Sponsored by TSRI Career and Postdoctoral Services, the event will be held in room B252. Lunch will be provided; RSVP required.

Funding Fest: Non-Federal Fellowship Opportunities

The final event of the 2016 Funding Fest in San Diego, a workshop open to postdoctoral fellows and graduate students on fellowship opportunities with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, will be held Monday, June 20, from 1 to 2 PM.

The event will be held in the TSRI Graduate Office, first floor, Hazen Theory building. Reservations required.

Scripps CA: New Construction Phase June 17 to 26 to Increase Commuter Delays

Scripps California commuters are advised to avoid the I-5/Genesee Avenue interchange from June 17 to 26 as crews construct new freeway on- and off-ramps and move traffic to the newly built north-side bridge. Motorists can expect reduced lanes during the day and intermittent lane closures at night on Genesee Avenue between Science Center Drive and Scripps Hospital.

During the weekend of June 24 to 26, the on- and off-ramps to the I‑5 will be closed intermittently during the day and night. Once traffic has been switched to the new north-side bridge, crews will begin demolition of the old Genesee Avenue Bridge and construct the second half of the new structure.

To view the schedule of the planned closures and associated detours, visit the “Keep San Diego Moving” website. Commuters are advised that construction schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions.

Ten Tips: Coping with Tragedy

Daphne Lurie, a clinical psychologist and director of TSRI’s Counseling and Psychological Services Department, offers suggestions for coping during the aftermath of the Orlando shooting.

Her recommendations include:

Gathering reliable information and focusing on facts, rather than rumors or opinions
Showing support for the victims, their families and community by giving blood, donating money or reaching out in other ways
Seeking professional support, such as available through the TSRI’s Counseling and Psychological Services Department, if you are feeling overwhelmed or are having difficulty concentrating or getting enough sleep

The complete Ten Tips article is posted on the department's website.

Employee Health Care Account Claims Deadline: June 30

TSRI employees participating in the Healthcare Spending Account (HCSA) or Dependent Care Spending Account (DCSA) programs during the 2015 plan year must submit claims for 2015 by June 30.

Claims are submitted online to the Tri-Ad website at www.tri-ad.com by clicking on “Employee/Participant Login.” First-time user can follow the prompts after clicking “register now.”

Contact TSRI’s Benefits Administration with questions or for further information at (858) 784-8487 or benefits@scripps.edu.

San Diego County Fair Tickets Available

The TSRI Human Resources office offers a limited number of tickets to the San Diego County Fair, currently under way until July 4 at the Del Mar fairgrounds.

Tickets and prices are:

Discounted Unlimited Fair Admission Pass: $16, a $10 savings.
Child One-Time Use Admission (ages 6 to12): $9. Children under age 5 are free.
Senior One-Time Use Admission (age 62+): $9
Value Pack: $67. Includes one parking pass, four one-time use admissions, four drink coupons, 20 ride coupons and one “Passport to Savings” coupon book voucher
25-Ride Coupon Sheet: $15
20-Game Coupon Sheet: $12

The tickets are available at the HR front desk, second floor, 3050 Science Park Road. Checks or exact cash are accepted. Once sold, no refunds or exchange of tickets will be made. For information about the San Diego County Fair, visit the fair’s website.

ScrippsAssists Seeks Volunteers for San Diego Food Bank Benefit

The Scripps California community is invited to support the San Diego Food Bank’s Food 4 Kids backpack program for local children in need by volunteering at the San Diego County Fair’s Gospel Festival benefiting the San Diego Food Bank (SDFB) on Saturday, June 25.

The backpack program provides supplies of food to elementary school students living in poverty and facing hunger at home during weekends and summer vacation. In San Diego County, more than 130,000 children experience food insecurity.

ScrippsAssists volunteers will collect donations from 6 to 8:30 PM at the festival. Admission to the fair will be provided; free parking and a direct shuttle from the Solana Beach train station will be available. To volunteer, contact ScrippsAssists Project Lead Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn at mshinn@scripps.edu.

CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due July 1

To receive consideration at the next TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety by Friday, July 1, via email to rachellv@scripps.edu. The meeting will be held Wednesday, July 13, 2:30 to 3:30 PM, in Building 3301, P2 conference room.

At the Auditorium: Summer Festival with Schumann

Athenaeum Music & Arts Library will open its 18^th Summer Festival four-concert series featuring piano classics of Robert Schumann on Sunday, July 10, 4 PM. Virtuoso pianist and San Diego native Gustavo Romero will perform. Ticket and additional program information is available on the Athenaeum’s website.

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

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

kelly
TSRI Professor Jeffery Kelly has received the 2016 Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine for his “profound and paradigm-shifting” research on protein misfolding diseases.

eos
Professor Erica Ollmann Saphire has won the American Society for Microbiology’s Eli Lilly and Company-Elanco Research Award.

Assistant Professor Kristian Andersen has been named a Pew Scholar in biomedical science.

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