Daily Business Report-Dec. 4, 2017
The littoral combat Ship USS Coronado during exercise CARAT in Thailand on June 3, 2017, before engaging in operations off the coast of Guam in August. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Deven Leigh Ellis)
USS Coronado Returning Home
Tuesday from 18-Month Deployment
Littoral combat ship USS Coronado and the “Wildcards” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron will return home to San Diego from an 18-month deployment on Tuesday. The helicopter squadron will fly off the ship earlier in the day, returning to their homeport of Naval Air Station North Island.
Coronado participated in and conducted various operations during her deployment in the Navy 7th Fleet.
Her crowning achievement was successfully launching a harpoon over-the-horizon missile utilizing the Northrop Grumman-built MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle as a targeting system off the coast of Guam during Pacific Griffin 2017, a bilateral exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy to enhance the capabilities of both navies to ensure maritime security and stability.
Coronado also conducted a coordinated patrol with the Philippine Navy to enhance both navies’ ability to respond to piracy and transnational criminal activity in the Sulu Sea. Coronado also worked alongside 16 other nations in 18 different exercises around the region.
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State Stem Cell Agency Awards Grants
to Researchers for New Leukemia Therapies
The Independent Citizens Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine unanimously approved two grants worth a total of almost $8 million to University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers investigating novel stem cell-based treatments for acute myeloid leukemia or AML.
The first grant for $5.15 million was awarded to Dan Kaufman, professor of medicine in the Division of Regenerative Medicine, to advance clinical translation of natural killer cells derived from human embryonic stem cells into a standardized treatment for treating, and possibly curing, AML and other leukemias.
The second grant for $2.7 million was awarded to Catriona Jamieson, deputy director of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center and director of stem cell research at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, in collaboration with Michael Burkart, professor in the UC San Diego Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Leslie Crews, assistant professor in the Division of Regenerative Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. The funding will support testing of a novel therapeutic splicing modulator approach targeting cancer stem cells in AML.
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Broadcom Escalates Takeover Battle, Asks
Qualcomm Shareholders to Replace Board
Broadcom today escalated it’s $130 billion fight to take over Qualcomm, asking shareholders to replace the San Diego company’s board of directors. The company said it will seek the election of 11 new board members at Qualcomm’s next annual meeting on March 6. Qualcomm confirmed it had received the nomination of a slate of candidates, calling it a “blatant attempt to seize control of the Qualcomm board in order to advance Broadcom’s acquisition agenda.”
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NASSCO Starts Construction on First
of Two-Ship Containership Contracts
General Dynamics NASSCO has started construction on a Kanaloa-class containership for Matson Navigation Company Inc. as part of a two-ship contract. The 870-foot-long, 3,500 TEU containership design provides the capability to transport containers, automobiles and rolling stock, including trailers.
Representatives from NASSCO and Matson gathered in San Diego for a brief ceremony to cut the first pieces of steel, signifying the start of construction for the first of two vessels for Matson. Construction of the first ship is scheduled to be complete in 2019. A second Kanaloa-class containership for Matson will begin construction in 2018 with delivery in 2020.
“We’re honored to advance the Matson fleet with two large, modern vessels reflecting the highest standards of design and energy efficiency,” said Kevin Graney, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. “The construction we began today, and the contracted work for several additional U.S. Navy ships, require additional manpower at our San Diego shipyard. NASSCO will soon begin hiring to continue our reputation of delivering high quality ships on schedule.”
NASSCO partnered with Daewoo Ship Engineering Company to provide Matson with state-of-the-art ship design and shipbuilding technologies.
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USD Institute for Peace and Justice to Hold
Inaugural Event for Women Waging Peace Network
The University of San Diego’s Kroc School’s Institute for Peace and Justice will hold a Dec. 6 inaugural event to celebrate the launch of the Women Waging Peace Network, now housed at the Kroc IPJ.
Founded by U.S. Ambassador Swanee Hunt, the Women Waging Peace Network is a global network of more than 1,000 women peacemakers from conflict areas around the world. The Network was launched in 1999 to connect these women with each other and with policy shapers.
Members of the Network, are leaders among women peacebuilders, many of whom are elected and appointed government officials, directors of non-governmental organizations and trailblazers within civil society, scholars and educators, business people, representatives of multilateral organizations, and journalists.
Members of the Network will join Hunt in a dialogue on the most pressing issues related to women’s rights and peacebuilding across the world.
The event is at 6 p.m. at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies Theatre.
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Scientists Aim to Fight Climate
Change With Super Plants
Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego launched a new initiative to improve on the ability of plants to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it deep in the soil. They call it “Harnessing Plants.” “There are a lot of geoengineering efforts to come up with ways of pulling carbon dioxide out of the air,” said Joseph Noel, a chemical biologist at Salk who is working on the project. “Plants do this anyway, so why not try a biological solution as well.”
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U.S. Marine Teams Form Tactical Air
Direction Center at Camp Pendleton
ExecutiveGov
Teams from the U.S. Marine Corps have formed a tactical air direction center located at Camp Pendleton. Established Oct. 28, the center was made to carry out majority of Marine tactical air command tasks; integrate air and ground systems; and serve as a location wherein maritime command centers and ships can access the Marine air command and control system, the Marine Corps said.
The TADC was inaugurated as part of Exercise Dawn Blitz 2017 which aims to prepare Expeditionary Strike Group 3 and 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade to engage in amphibious missions. The USS Essex was used to integrate with the Global Command and Control System to improve connectivity in support of the center.
Aviation combat element commanders can use the TADC as a communications medium to conduct U.S. Navy and Marine joint operations with command and control assets. During the Dawn Blitz exercise, the center was used as a communications medium between MTACS-38 Marines and the Essex’s ACE commander.
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Personnel Announcements
Brian McBee Receives ACHCA Certification
Brian D. McBee of Tierrasanta, administrator of St. Paul’s McColl Nursing and Rehabilitation, has been awarded a professional certification by the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) for his leadership at St. Paul’s McColl Nursing and Rehabilitation.
The ACHCA professional certification is an exam-based process that tests for advanced knowledge gained through experience and continuing education. The completed credential recognizes administrators as leaders in health care with dedication to high professional standards and best quality care.
“I am honored to receive this recognition,” said McBee. “Working with seniors is not just a job for me and the St. Paul’s team; it’s a commitment to improving their quality of life. Our nurses have passion, they focus on every single resident’s specific needs so they can rehabilitate and go home. That’s where they want to be. The ACHC certification has increased my professional knowledge so I can fill my role more effectively.”
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Jim Mosquera Joins General Atomics
Jim Mosquera has joined General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems as vice president and chief technology officer. Mosquera will be responsible for achieving strategic technical, business and financial objectives in support of technology, platform, and next generation product development. He will lead the development and management of technology roadmaps that execute growth opportunities in the markets served by the company.
Mosquera has held director and program management positions as a federal civilian and naval officer working for the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (Naval Reactors), a joint program of the Navy and Department of Energy responsible for the application and oversight of nuclear reactor power and propulsion for approximately 80 warships, 100 reactor plants, and other projects. As program manager of Advanced Technology Development, Mosquera worked with senior Navy and Department of Defense leadership to set priorities through the end of the 21st century, guiding science, technology, and research and development strategies focused on at-sea experimentation, undersea platforms, and manned and unmanned systems.
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Scripps Research Institute Welcomes Amalio Telenti
The Scripps Research Institute announced the appointment of Amalio Telenti as professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology. Telenti will also serve as chief data scientist at the Scripps Translational Science Institute, providing leadership in developing and implementing large-scale analyses of medical, sensor, and genomic data.
Telenti is a leading data scientist and genomic researcher whose research experience include human genomics, as well as infectious disease research. He has an extensive background in irecting scientific research and operations that spans academia and private sectors over three decades and multiple countries.
Prior to joining TSRI, Telenti served as chief scientific officer at Human Longevity Inc. He also held faculty appointments at the University of Lausanne and University of Bern in Switzerland. As a clinician with over 25 years of experience, Telenti led the outpatient clinic at the University Hospital in Lausanne, specializing in infectious diseases and microbiology.
