Daily Business Report-June 18, 2015
The UC San Diego chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space were able to successfully test the latest version of their 3D-printed rocket engine. (Photo by Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego Publications)
Rocket Away!
UCSD Students Aim to Break World Record
For Longest Flight of 3D-Printed Rocket Engine
On a hot, dusty Friday evening in May, a caravan of five cars packed with UC San Diego students rolled onto FAR site in the Mojave Desert – a 10-acre property established by the Friends of Amateur Rocketry, Inc. to safely test and launch rockets. It took three tries, but the UC San Diego chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space were able to successfully test the latest version of their 3D-printed rocket engine.
Now that the engine is ready, the team will finish building the rocket it will power and take it to the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association’s Intercollegiate Engineering Rocket Competition from June 25 to 27 in Green River, Utah.
“We’re going to break the world record for the longest flight of a 3D-printed rocket engine,” said Darren Charrier, SEDS business manager and first-year engineering student at UC San Diego. “We’re aiming for our rocket to fly 10,000 feet in the air. We all watched the first record being set a few weekends ago – the first 3D-printed rocket engine went 60 feet in the air.”
The first world record was established by Bagaveev Corporation, which subsequently donated $2,600 to the SEDS crowdfunding campaign.
The UC San Diego engine was sponsored by GPI Prototypes, a 3D printing company in Chicago, which subsequently printed the engine. SEDS is also sponsored by NASA’s Marshal Flight Space Center, which helped to finance the fabrication of the test stand. Behind NASA, SEDS UCSD has a whole host of sponsors such as Lockheed Martin, XCOR, The Gordon Center, Gantner Instruments, and many more.
The engine is about 10 inches long and weighs about 10 lbs. It is designed to generate 750 lbs of thrust and is made of a high-grade alloy.
Airport Expects Less Traffic
With New Rental Car Building
San Diego International Airport officials Tuesday celebrated completion of the 2 million-square-foot building that will house the Rental Car Center.
The center — which is scheduled to open in January 2016 — will be used by most of the rental car companies serving the airport.
Currently most rental car companies are located in a number of buildings off North Harbor Drive. Consolidating all the rental car services in one place is expected to greatly reduce rental car traffic on Harbor Drive as well as the number of shuttle buses competing with passengers getting to and from the airport.
“This particular project will greatly improve the customer experience for the traveling public who rent cars at San Diego International Airport,” said Robert Gleason, board chair of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
The number of rental car shuttles is expected to be reduced from 81 to 16 with the opening of the center, according to the airport authority. The shuttle buses will use a newly built interior airport roadway to reduce traffic around the airport. The airport also revealed the new shuttle buses will exclusively use alternative fuels.
Ten rental car companies representing 16 brands will operate out of the building, which has room for more than 5,000 cars. The project is estimated to cost $316 million.
— City News Service
Research Shows AIDS Vaccine Candidate
Successfully ‘Primes’ Immune System
New research led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and The Rockefeller University shows in mice that an experimental vaccine candidate designed at TSRI can stimulate the immune system activity necessary to stop HIV infection. The findings could provide key information for the development of an effective AIDS vaccine.
The research, published June 18 in concurrent studies in the journals Cell and Science, represents a leap forward in the effort to develop a vaccine against HIV, which has so far struggled to elicit antibodies (immune system molecules) that can effectively fight off different strains of the virus.
“The results are pretty spectacular,” said Dennis Burton, chair of the TSRI Department of Immunology and Microbial Science.
The Science study was co-led by Burton, TSRI Professor and IAVI NAC Director of Vaccine Design William Schief, and TSRI Professor David Nemazee. The Cell study was co-led by Schief and Michel Nussenzweig, professor at The Rockefeller University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.
The researchers’ long-term goal is to design a vaccine that prompts the body to produce antibodies that bind to HIV and prevent infection.
Dietary Trans Fat Linked to Worse Memory
Higher consumption of dietary trans fatty acids (dTFA), commonly used in processed foods to improve taste, texture and durability, has been linked to worsened memory function in men 45 years old and younger, according to a UC San Diego School of Medicine study published Wednesday in PLOS ONE.
Researchers evaluated data from 1,018 men and women who were asked to complete a dietary survey and memory test involving word recall. On average, men aged 45 and younger recalled 86 words; however, for each additional gram of trans fats consumed daily, performance dropped by 0.76 words. This translates to an expected 12 fewer words recalled by young men with dTFA intake levels matching the highest observed in the study, compared to otherwise similar men consuming no trans fats.
“Trans fats were most strongly linked to worse memory in men during their high productivity years,” said Beatrice A. Golomb, lead author and professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “Trans fat consumption has previously shown adverse associations to behavior and mood — other pillars of brain function. However, to our knowledge a relation to memory or cognition had not been shown.”
After adjusting for age, exercise, education, ethnicity and mood, the link between higher dTFA and poorer memory was maintained in men 45 and younger.
“As I tell patients, while trans fats increase the shelf life of foods, they reduce the shelf life of people,” said Golomb.
Co-authors include Alexis K. Bui of UC San Diego.
Allergan to Acquire Kythera for $2.1 Billion
Allergan will acquire Kythera Biopharmaceuticals for about $2.1 billion in cash and stock, adding to its portfolio the first non-surgical treatment for double chins, the companies said.
That treatment, Kybella (deoxycholic acid, formerly ATX-101) is a cytolytic drug that physically destroys the cell membrane when injected into fat tissue. Kybella won FDA approval on April 29, indicated “for improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe convexity or fullness associated with submental fat in adults.”
Kythera has submitted Kybella for approvals in Switzerland, Canada, and Australia.
Ascent Real Estate and Lee Mather Company Merge
Ascent Real Estate Inc. and Lee Mather Company have entered into a merger agreement of their real estate sales operations.
Lee Mather Company Realtors, located in Coronado, was founded by Lee Mather, a World War II veteran, in 1953. Ascent Real Estate, which has seven offices in the county, was founded in San Diego in 2005.
“The union of Lee Mather Co. and Ascent Real Estate will present our clients with expanded opportunities to buy, sell or invest in real estate throughout San Diego County,” said Debbie Riddle, president and managing broker of Lee Mather Company.
Penny Nathan is president and CEO of Ascent Real Estate, which is located in La Jolla.
Lee Mather Company will continue with the independent operation of its property management company and will join the Ascent brand in luxury home and property sales.
SDSU Alumni Rank High
In Service to the Peace Corps
San Diego State University ranks as a top national volunteer-producing Hispanic-Serving Institution for the Peace Corps. SDSU tied Humboldt State University for the No. 5 spot this year, each with 25 alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps.
Aztec alumni are serving in 21 of the 64 host countries where Peace Corps works. They are serving different areas of the Peace Corps’ job sectors, including education, environment, health, community economic development and youth development. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, nearly 1,200 alumni from SDSU have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers.
“Peace Corps have a focus on improving communities throughout the world by combining an entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to collaborate with diverse groups of peoples and cultures. For this reason, the Peace Corps is an excellent career option for Aztecs,” said James Tarbox, executive director of SDSU’s Career Services. “Our campus has a strong tradition of making a difference through service in the Peace Corps — many of our alumni often go back into Peace Corps after retirement.”
Career Cast Identifies Best
Jobs for Millennials 2015
CARLSBAD — High growth career positions such as data scientist, social media manager, civil engineer, computer systems analyst and physical therapist are among Career Cast’s best jobs for millennials in 2015. Advertising account exec, financial planner, market research analyst and statistician also made the list.
The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures estimate that there are 4.5 million 16-to-19-year-olds, 13.6 million 20-to-24-year-olds and 31.2 million 25-to-34-year-olds currently employed. Smart companies know that unless they start hiring these young employees soon, their future is bleak.
“Finding creative ways to hire and retain the millennial generation — the largest generation in the workforce — is essential for companies to succeed through the rest of this decade and beyond,” said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast. “That’s especially true for companies looking to fill jobs in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) sector, where demand is outpacing supply.”
For millennials still in college, majoring in a STEM field is the single best way to guarantee a strong return-on-investment after graduation. And while completing a STEM degree requires a lot of hard work, there are many career paths to choose from.
Personnel Announcements
Freedom Meditech Hires CEO
San Diego-based Freedom Meditech Inc., a medical device company, has appointed John Gerace as chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors.
Gerace will lead the company’s fundraising efforts to expand commercialization of the ClearPath DS-120, an FDA-cleared non-invasive tool used by eye care professionals, diabetologists and health care practitioners for the measurement of autofluorescence in the eye.
Gerace has more than 25 years of industry experience. He spent six and a half years at Life Technologies (acquired by Thermo Fisher in 2014) leading the Applied Sciences division. He also served as vice president and general manager of the PCR Systems business unit within Life Technologies.
The company also announced that it raised $4.8 million in a Series C financing. The company seeks to raise additional capital and has raised a total of $14 million since founded.
Robert Hoffman to Leave Arena Pharmaceuticals
Robert E. Hoffman, senior vice president and chief financial officer for Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., has decided to leave the company after nearly 18 years of service, to pursue other opportunities in the biotechnology industry. Hoffman is expected to remain in his current role at Arena until July 10.
Following Hoffman’s departure, Jennifer K. Bielasz, Arena’s vice president, accounting and controller, will continue to play a key leadership role in the finance department, the company said.
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International Boat Show Opens Today
The annual San Diego International Boat Show gets under way today at the Sheraton Marina on Harbor Island.
More than 120 vessels, from entry-level family cruisers and personal watercraft to sailboats and super yachts will be docked in the marina and parked on land for visitors to browse and board. The show continues Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The boat show also provides visitors of all ages boating chance to get their feet wet with a variety of activities including Stand-Up Paddleboarding and free sailing lessons aboard the Sailing Simulator. Boaters can also sharpen their skills with boating and sailing lessons on the water or through complimentary seminars at Fred’s Shed Interactive Learning Center and the new Sportfishing Pavilion.
A variety of eats from the area’s popular food trucks, beverages and live entertainment are also available.
Boat show hours:
Today and Friday: noon to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday, June 18 and Friday, June 19–Noon to 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 20–10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 21– 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission is $12 for adults (16 and older); free for children 15 and under, and active military, fire and police.
