Science Gala on Nov. 22
Save the Date: BIOCOM’s Igniting the Passion for Science Education Gala
November 22, 2008
The San Diego Air & Space Museum
Many of today’s scientists were inspired by ground-breaking missions to space. In San Diego’s quest to become the world leader of biotechnology, our community has recognized that the International Space Station is a unique environment for breakthrough biotechnology discoveries and educational experiences. The San Diego Air & Space Museum will be the perfect backdrop to celebrate NASA’s 50th anniversary and to announce a new biotechnology space research alliance.
BIOCOM has a long record of serving the local community. As we launch a new Institute to support science education, we are building on these foundations and creating pioneering opportunities for students, teachers to work with the life science industry. The mission of the Science Education Gala is to raise awareness of the BIOCOM Institute and its proceeds help to expand the science education opportunities offered to students, teachers and workers throughout Southern California.
Science literacy is an important component to the future growth of the life science industry. It has never been more important to support science education in our community. Young people and their teachers represent the keys to future scientific advances. Your support and participation help make for an extraordinary evening. Inspiration and guidance are all at your fingertips.
For sponsorship opportunities and additional information regarding the Gala and please contact: Shaye Exner, events director at shaye.exner@biocom.org
Helicon Therapeutics: Featured Company on the BIOCOM Career Center
Helicon Therapeutics, Inc., is a privately held Company formed to discover therapeutics to treat disorders of cognition through an understanding of the genetic basis of long-term memory formation. Helicon has four open positions:
Senior Research Associate, Behavioral Neuropharmacology
Research Associate, Behavioral Neuropharmacology
Please click here to see the featured company job posting. For more information about how you can post a job on the BIOCOM Career Center please email: karanaz@biocom.org
High Tech High Travels to Tanzania
In 2005, High Tech High biotechnology teacher Dr. Jay Vavra and Dr. Oliver Ryder of the Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES) division of the Zoological Society of San Diego began a course on species identification through DNA barcoding at High Tech High.
Students applied DNA isolation, amplification, sequencing, and alignment techniques to identify unmarked meat samples. The group quickly took that work outside of the classroom, and applied species identification to their student produced publication, “San Diego Bay: A Call for Conservation.”
High Tech High biotechnology students, with the support of Invitrogen and other partners, now look to utilize similar techniques to combat the African bushmeat crisis. Rivaling habitat destruction as Africa’s chief ecological threat, the “bushmeat crisis” describes the unsustainable killing of African wildlife. Countless animal populations face local extinction due to the commercial trade, including many endangered species. Many of the disappearing species are also key agents of seed dispersal—a vital process for a variety of African flora. A second class of risks associated with the trade is immediate to humans, as the consumption of primates is linked to spread of infectious diseases—namely Ebola, Foot and Mouth disease, and HIV/AIDS.
A group comprised of nine High Tech High students, their biotechnology teacher and Biotech Educator of the Year—Dr. Jay Vavra, a founder of the high school and an infectious diseases specialist, will work to implement its solutions in Tanzania. Student participants have specialized roles on the expedition including: a photographer, an artist, a videographer, naturalists, script writers, bloggers, and more. The group hopes to foster international partnerships dedicated to resolving the African bushmeat crisis.
The African Bushmeat Expedition group recently displayed its approach and plans for the expedition in an engaging display at the Invitrogen booth in the BIO 2008 International Convention. During the expedition, the students will maintain an online report of their experiences. Upon returning to San Diego, they will create a documentary that will demonstrate how a collaboration within the San Diego community between biotechnology, academia, and conservation research can help solve this environmental crisis. To learn more, please visit the group’s website, www.africanbushmeat.org.
Preschool California Helps Kids Learn
High-quality preschool gets kids ready to learn and ready to read. When done right, it is a proven investment in school success. In fact, 95 percent of California kindergarten teachers say their students who attended preschool are better prepared for kindergarten in both social and academic areas. Research shows that children who attend high-quality preschool are more likely to perform better on standardized achievement tests in reading and math, and less likely to repeat a grade or require expensive remedial education. Preschool California is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to increase access to high-quality preschool for all of California’s children, starting with those who need it most. For more information about Preschool California and the work we are doing on behalf of California’s families and schools, visit www.preschoolcalifornia.org.
Life Sciences Summer Institute Celebrates Fourth Year
BIOCOM and the San Diego Workforce Partnership are excited to announce the start of the fourth consecutive year of the Life Sciences Summer Institute (LSSI) student internship program and teacher externship program. Thanks to the support of our local industry partners; the Amgen Foundation, Biogen Idec Foundation, Genentech, Gen-Probe, Invitrogen, Pfizer Foundation, and the Southern California Biotech Center at Miramar College (SCBC), the LSSI program is continuing its success this summer in the absence of federal grant funding.
On June 9, 2008 the first of three groups of students began the Introduction to the Biotech Lab “Boot Camp,” held at the SCBC. The program is put on to help high school and college students prepare for summer internships at local biotech companies and research institutions. Throughout the one-week boot camp training, the students refine their lab skills using the AMGEN-Bruce Wallace Biotechnology Laboratory Curriculum. The curriculum is designed to parallel some of the important steps the biotechnology industry uses to create novel therapeutic proteins and develop products. In addition, industry volunteers join the students to discuss the importance of soft skills such as effective communication, workplace expectations, and teamwork in their future careers.
These students, from area high schools and universities, will be going on to work at life science companies such as Arena Pharmaceuticals, Cibus LLC, Dow Chemical, and Pfizer while others will be conducting research on the mesa at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, The Scripps Research Institute and Salk Institute for Biological Studies. To date, the LSSI program has trained and placed more than 170 students.
The LSSI Teacher Externship Program is schedule to begin on July 10 at Biogen Idec in their state-of-the-art Community Lab. During the 12-day Institute, 18 teachers from across San Diego County will gain insight into the biotech and medical device industry, participate in laboratory experiments that can be replicated in their classrooms, as well as have the opportunity to tour and interact with local scientist from companies such as Accumetrics, Conatus Pharmaceuticals, Gen-Probe, Invitrogen and Senomyx. These teachers will then bring these new science skills and knowledge of the life science community back to their classrooms where their impact on students will be much greater.
If you would like more information regarding the LSSI or having your company host students or teachers or for other ways to get involved, please contact biotech@workforce.org.
Grant Opportunities for Life Science Companies
Department of Defense
Dept. of the Army -- USAMRAA
DOD Ovarian Cancer Translational Research Partnership Grant
Due Date: 07/02/2008
Click here for more information.
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Integrated Preclinical/Clinical Program for HIV Topical Microbicides (U19) Grant
Due Date: 07/17/2008
Click here for more information.
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Rare Diseases Clinical Research Consortia (RDCRC) for the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (U54) Grant
Due Date: 08/20/2008
Click here for more information.
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Silvio O. Conte Digestive Diseases Research Core Centers (P30) Grant
Due Date: 11/28/2008
Click here for more information.
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
PHS 2008-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42]) Grant
Due Date: 01/7/2009
Click here for more information.
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
PHS 2008-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44]) Grant
Due Date: 01/7/2009
Click here for more information.
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Established Investigator Award in Cancer Prevention and Control Modification 3
Due Date: 01/07/2010
Click here for more information.
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
NLM Express Research Grants in Biomedical Informatics (R01) Grant
Due Date: 05/7/2011
Click here for more information.
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Functional Links between the Immune System, Brain Function and Behavior (R21) Grant
Due Date: 05/16/2011
Click here for more information.
These grant opportunities have been provided by Grants.Gov and the County of San Diego Office of Resource Development. Should you win an award please email Kristie Grover at kgrover@biocom.org so that she can send feedback on the effectiveness of these services and its value to the community.