Many, many thanks to our sponsors for their support for last night’s May SDACS meeting. Thanks to all those who were able to attend– hope everyone had a great time!
Special kudos to the WCC members who helped set up, register attendees, clean up, and plan this great event!
CONNECT DATE: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
TIME: 6:00 PM Social Hour, light appetizers and wine
7:00 PM Lecture
PLACE: Keck Amphitheater
The Scripps Research Institute
10550 North Torrey Pines Road
La Jolla, CA 92037
VENUE SPONSOR: The Scripps Research Institute
RESERVATIONS: Monday, May 14, 2012 (by 5:00 pm)
http://sandiegoacsbuttlar2012.eventbrite.com
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Ruprecht von Buttlar is the Vice President, Business Creation & Development, at CONNECT. He directs the execution and development of the Springboard program and the Nearsourcing Roundtable program. Ruprecht serves on the executive boards of CCAT (Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technologies), San Diego Advanced Defense Technology cluster, and the Biomimicry BRIDGE. Springboard, CONNECT’s flagship program, assists innovators and entrepreneurs with the definition of a compelling commercialization strategy through mentoring by seasoned, C-level executives – CONNECT’s Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs). Under Ruprecht’s leadership, Springboard has become an internationally renowned business creation program. Since 2005, more than 200 companies have completed the Springboard process and over 50% of these companies are still in operation. These companies have raised over $310 million in seed-, venture- and debt financing and have created 1000 jobs in San Diego.
Prior to CONNECT, Ruprecht held global chief executive, general management and business development positions in the Internet and communications industries with companies including Motorola, DSC Communications (Alcatel), Nortel Networks, Scientific Atlanta, and Aegis Broadband.
Ruprecht has a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Hamburg and a MBA degree from Loyola College in Maryland.
ABOUT THE LECTURE:
Mr. von Buttlar will discuss the CONNECT model and provide an overview of Springboard, the internationally renowned commercialization program.
PDF version here: May 15, 2012 Flyer – Ruprecht von Buttlar
For many people, Spring brings to mind thoughts of new beginnings, budding flowers, Easter baskets and other such things. But for others, the season is embodied by brightly colored, marshmallow-y, confections known as Peeps. These crazy-sweet treats were everywhere at the grocery store this past weekend. Being a scientist, I started to wonder what other things we could do with Peeps besides eat them.
And a quick google search illustrated I was not alone in this: In 1999, an assistant professor at Emory University turned his attention to the science of peeps:
“Testing consisted primarily of subjecting the Peep to conditions and stimuli and observing its reaction. Among the treatments: submerging the Peep into liquid nitrogen; exposing the Peep to the heat and atmospheric pressure of an autoclave; immersing the Peep in various liquids; and placing the Peep in an airless vacuum.
The solubility testing produced perhaps the most interesting results. Turns out Peeps will not dissolve in water, acetone, sulfuric acid, or sodium hydroxide. The acetone did dissolve a bit of the sugar on the Peep’s surface and turned purple, which was the only noticeable reaction of any kind.” (Text from the article “When Peeps and Science Intersect”)
Upon hearing these solubility (or lack thereof) results, my labmates and I started to wonder what these things are actually made of. According to wikipedia, they are made out of “marshmallow, corn syrup, gelatin, and carnauba wax.” Carnauba wax is composed of “mostly of aliphatic esters (40 wt%), diesters of 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (21.0 wt%), ω-hydroxycarboxylic acids (13.0 wt%), and fatty acid alcohols (12 wt%). The compounds are predominantly derived from acids and alcohols in the C26-C30 range. Distinctive for carnauba wax is the high content of diesters as well as methoxycinnamic acid.” Crazy stuff! 
But enough chemistry, here are some experiments from around the web for your entertainment this weekend:
Can you replicate “literature” precedent: http://www.peepresearch.org/
Peep Jousting from Smithsonian Magazine– involving toothpicks, peeps, the microwave, and the scientific method, all captured on video: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2010/04/a-peep-experiment/
Full of pictures and experiments that sound fun and easy (geared towards kids): http://www.toadhaven.com/Peep%20Science.html
Not sure if you want to join our Spring Book Club discussion of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot? Radiolab (my favorite podcast) covered the story of the HeLa cells in a section of their podcast, called “Totally Tumors.” Click here for the amazing story of Henrietta Lacks and HeLa cells:
http://www.radiolab.org/2010/may/17/henriettas-tumor/
Join us Monday, February 27th at 7 pm to learn more about HeLa! Contact Isabelle (ilerario@gmail.com) for details.
The WCC is group dedicated to celebrating and supporting women in chemistry through conversation, networking, and fun events! Here are the women on the executive board that make this all possible!
Erin Anderson, Ph.D. Candidate
The Scripps Research Institute
edanders@scripps.edu
Erin is from southern Illinois and graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at The Scripps Research Institute with a focus on organic synthetic chemistry. She loves running, comedy and her two border collies and is currently trying to learn to cook.
Erica Conroy, Ph.D.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
ericalconroy529@gmail.com
Erica was born in Livermore, California. After graduating from Cal Poly SLO in 1998 she left to go to graduate school and study organic at the Ohio State University. After graduation she moved back to San Diego to do a post-doc at the Scripps Research Institute. Currently she works at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in La Jolla as a medicinal chemist. Besides chemistry, Erica loves cooking, trying new restaurants, training for half marathons, and most of all- spending time with her husband Aaron and their cat Ellie and new puppy Bailey. In addition to chairing the WCC, Erica is a member of the Younger Chemists Committee.
Katharine Duncan, Ph.D. candidate
The Scripps Research Institute
kkduncan@scripps.edu
Katie was born in Fairfax, Virginia. She attended Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts and graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in chemistry in 2006. She moved to San Diego to pursue a Ph.D. at the Scripps Research Institute. In the lab of Dr. Dale Boger, she works on small molecule synthesis and runs the cytotoxicity assays for the lab. Outside of lab, she enjoys baking, being outside, watching movies, and exploring San Diego. She maintains the WCC blog and Facebook page and manages the book club.
Gulin Erdogan, Ph.D. candidate
University of California, San Diego – San Diego State University
ggulin.erdogan@gmail.com
Gulin was born in Tekirdag, Turkey. She moved to United States for graduate school after receiving her B.S. degree in chemistry from Bogazici University, Istanbul in 2005. She is expecting to complete her PhD program in Spring 2012 with expertise in organometallic chemistry and catalysis. She has been a member of American Chemistry Society since 2006 and joined the Women Chemists Committee in March of 2011. She is the secretary of WCC.
Whitney Fies
Wildcat Discovery Technologies
whitney.fies@gmail.com
Whitney Fies is a green chemist striving to make sustainable energy more prevalent in our world. She graduated from UCSD and is currently working in the interim before graduate school at Wildcat Discovery Technologies discovering new battery materials. After her days at work, she spends most of her time on the trails around San Diego county with her two dogs, in the sun with her face plastered to a fantasy fiction book, or in the ocean surfing with her husband.
Isabelle Lerario, M.S.
Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation
ilerario@gmail.com
Isabelle was born in PƗock, Poland. She received her B.S. degree in biochemistry from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in 2003, and her M.S. in chemistry from San Diego State University in 2009. Currently, she is an associate medicinal chemist at Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation. She has been a member of American Chemistry Society since 2004 and joined the WCC in March of 2011. She maintains the LinkedIn and ACS webpage. Outside of lab, she is an active volunteer for the International Rescue Committee and enjoys photography, volunteering for charities and cycling with her husband, Andrew.
Kathryn Parker, M.S.
kathrynparker01@gmail.com
Kathryn is an environmental chemist who has over 27 years of experience in research, product development, teaching, consulting, project management and public policy. She received her B.S. in Biology from San Diego State University in 1977 and her M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1981. She enjoys the outdoors and is an avid hiker, gardener and athlete. She recently joined the board of the BE WiSE (Better Education for Women in Science and Engineering) program for young women and is the mentoring program coordinator.
Yangli Wang, Ph.D.
ylwang08@gmail.com
Yanli was born and raised in Shandong province, China, the hometown of Chinese thinker and social philosopher, Confucius. Fascinated by science since an early age, she chose chemistry as her major in college. After obtaining her B.S. degree from Shandong University in 1999, she came to the US to pursue a Ph.D. at The University of Toledo, OH. She then went on to work as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemistry and Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University. In 2008, she moved to San Diego with her family and started teaching chemistry in the San Diego Community College District. She loves to interact with students outside of classroom and is active in various community events.
Amanda Wolfe, Ph.D. Candidate
The Scripps Research Institute
alwolfe@scripps.edu
Amanda was born in West Virginia. She graduated summa cum laude with a BS in chemistry from North Carolina State University in 2008. She is currently a fourth year graduate student at the Scripps Research Institute in Dale Boger’s lab, working on small molecule and natural product synthesis. Outside of lab, she is actively involved in elementary through undergrad mentoring and outreach and plans on becoming a professor. Amanda is in charge of WCC membership and is also chairing our mentorship efforts in San Diego.
We’re looking for new members so if you’d like to join us, please email ACSWCCSanDiego@gmail.com or subscribe to this blog! Not limited to women, everyone and anyone who appreciates women in science is welcome to join our meetings and attend events!
Have you ever heard of He-La cells? These immortal cells have led to a multi-million dollar industry and are used in labs around the world (traveled as far as to the moon). Research on these cells are responsible for some of the largest breakthroughs in science, including advances in genetics, the polio vaccine and in vitro fertilization. But have you ever wondered about the origin of He-La cells? Could it be from one human being? If so, how are we celebrating the gift that this admirable celebrity gave to the world?
We will be discussing science, race, education, poverty and ethics in the WCC‘s next Book Club selection, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot.
Whether you’ve finished the book, read one page or are interested in possibly reading it, we would love to have you join our discussion on Monday, February 27th at 7 pm.
Everyone is welcome! E-mail Isabelle (ilerario@gmail.com) for the location.
Hope to see you there!
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Here are some pictures from Sunday’s Komen Race where we joined nearly 15,000 other participants. The 5K walk took place in beautiful Balboa Park and we were lucky enough to avoid the rain and stay dry. Thanks to everyone who came out and donated to our team.A special thanks to our sponsors Chemglass Life Sciences and Intellikine.
Stay tuned for future WCC charity events!!!
I came across this article “Sex and the Citadel of Science” by Michelle Francl in Nature Chemistry http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/v3/n9/full/nchem.1106.html
“One hundred years on from Marie Curie being awarded her second Nobel Prize there has been only a handful of female scientists who have received the call from Stockholm. Why are women still under-represented? A lack of ability or passion, or could it be that we create labs into which women don’t quite fit?”
I thought it was had an interesting perspective/thoughts about the under representation of women in chemistry. What do you think??
Also, you have until noon on Friday, October 28th to register for the Nancy Jackson presentation: http://sandiegoacspresident.eventbrite.com/
Hope to see you there!!
* An interesting article Gulin found in the Harvard Business Review, “Four Ways Women Stunt Their Careers”: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/10/four_ways_women_stunt_their_careers.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
* Crazy/cool science-related article of the day: “Researchers developing a new life form made out of metal” http://dvice.com/archives/2011/09/researchers-dev.php
* Our book club featuring Merchants of Doubt is tomorrow (Tuesday, October 25th) at Isabelle Lerario’s house! We’d love to have you, even if you haven’t read the book because we’ll be talking about everything from acid rain to tobacco smoke to national science policy! Email/facebook/comment for more information
* Just a few more days to register for our rescheduled ”An Evening with Nancy Jackson.” Please register at http://sandiegoacspresident.eventbrite.com/ by Friday the 28th. The event is Tuesday, November 1st, starting at 6 pm.
We have rescheduled “An Evening with Nancy Jackson” for Tuesday, November 1st! Please join us for this very special presentation by ACS President Dr. Jackson. Come learn about the opportunities and challenges of the globalization of chemistry. Celebrate this International Year of Chemistry with complimentary refreshments. Socialize with your colleagues and other local professionals. Please register at http://sandiegoacspresident.eventbrite.com/
DATE: Tuesday, NOVEMBER 1st
TIME: 6:00 PM Social hour (wine and hors d’oeuvres)
7:00 PM Presentation by Nancy Jackson
Reception immediately following (coffee and dessert)
PLACE: La Jolla Woman’s Club
7791 Draper Street, La Jolla, CA 92037
PRICE: No charge (open to the public)
RESERVATIONS: Required by Friday, October 28th
http://sandiegoacspresident.eventbrite.com/
(Must be 21 or older to attend)
DRESS: Business casual
PARKING: Street parking and nearby paid parking garages
kkduncan
ilerario