Daily Business Report-Aug. 6, 2018
News media members film seawater temperature measurements at Scripps Pier, Aug. 2, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
Highest-ever seawater temperature
recorded at Scripps Pier
On Aug. 1, researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography logged the warmest sea-surface temperature at the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier since records began in August 1916.
The record of 25.9℃ (78.6℉) followed a string of days in which individual daily records of sea-surface and seafloor temperatures had been set at the pier. It surpassed the previous record of 78.4°F (25.8°C) set on July 30, 1931 during an unusually warm period that year.
Scripps researchers have taken sea-surface temperature and salinity readings at the pier since 1916. In 1925, they began taking seafloor water temperature measurements as well.
Researchers said that the record warmth is consistent with similar records for high temperatures set on land as well as a torrent of extreme weather in 2018. This is how global warming will play out, said Scripps scientists: Records related to heat and intense weather will become easier to break having been given a boost from anthropogenic climate change that has added about 1℃ to ocean temperatures over the past century.
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San Diego State University nets
$135 million in grant funding for 2017-18
San Diego State University netted $135 million in grant funding in 2017-18, an increase over the previous year, demonstrating the university’s continued excellence in achieving support for its research activities, the university reported.
Faculty this year were especially active, submitting 1,215 proposals—up nearly two percent over last year.
Funding reached $25.8 million from the National Institutes of Health—a $6 million increase over the previous year—and $8 million from the National Science Foundation.
“SDSU is recognized for graduating global citizens, ethical innovators and compassionate leaders who impact the San Diego region and beyond,” said SDSU President Adela de la Torre.
Twenty-three grants received in 2017-18 exceeded $1 million to support research on myocardial healing, Latino health, and cancer, among other subjects.
“SDSU researchers, whether they are faculty, graduate students, or undergraduates, are making a tremendous impact on the region and throughout the world through their discoveries and interventions,” said Stephen Welter, vice president for research and dean of graduate affairs. “The university’s strong research performance in 2017-18 and recent years is an important factor in helping SDSU build its research prowess and achieve its goal of becoming a top public research institution.”
The breadth of SDSU research activity—with subject areas ranging from restorative justice in public schools to genetic code modification to star formation in the galaxy and research locations from San Diego to Tijuana to the Arctic—is also key to the university’s research excellence.
The university prides itself on fostering an environment that encourages students to participate in research. In March, 524 students presented their research at the university’s annual Student Research Symposium. Participation in the event has increased more than 60 percent over the last five years.
SDSU Research Funding 2017-18 Quick Facts
• Total funding: $135,033,451
• Total proposals: 1,215 proposals by more than 400 faculty
• Total awards received: 756
• Number of principal investigators: 285
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Settlement agreement finalized in
closure of San Onofre Nuclear Plant
Times of San Diego/City News Service
The settlement agreement for the issues and costs related to the closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is final after San Diego Gas & Electric and other parties notified the California Public Utilities Commission that they accept the commission’s request to remove a provision to fund university-conducted greenhouse gas research, SDG&E announced Friday.
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Hillcrest retail building sold for $1.65 million
A recently renovated retail building in Hillcrest has been sold for $1.65 million to buyer Brock Heckman and will be the future home of LaserAway, a provider of cosmetic laser skin care products. The seller was Chipster Properties Retail LLC. The property is located on a 4,792-square-foot parcel at 3671 Fifth Ave.
Colliers International San Diego Region represented the seller in the transaction. Marcus Millichap represented the buyer.
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Ocean Discovery Institute and San Diego
Zoo Global win environmental awards
The Ocean Discovery Institute in San Diego and San Diego Zoo Global have been named winners of the annual UL Innovative Education Award sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories in partnership with the North American Association for Environmental Education. The nonprofit organizations have made a difference in their communities through their work to advance environmental education, according to the sponsors.
The Ocean Discovery Institute, which receives a $50,000 award, uses the ocean to empower students (third grade through college) from a single urban community to become tomorrow’s scientific and conservation leaders through tuition-free science education.
San Diego Zoo Global, which receives a $25,000 award, spearheads the ‘Alala Reintroduction Community Inquiry Program. It provides Hawaii-based students with the opportunity to help reintroduce the ‘Alala (Hawaiian Crow) that is currently extinct in the wild, while also learning about its ecological significance.
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San Diego Employers Association
hosts Mid-Year Employment Law Update
San Diego Employers Association hosts its Mid-Year Employment Law Update on Aug. 16 from 9 to11:30 a.m. at The Alexandria. Presenters include employment law attorney Chris Olmsted with Ogletree Deakins, who will cover the latest regulations regarding classification of independent contractors, the recent Supreme Court ruling on arbitration agreements and how it impacts employers, new California national origin anti-discrimination regulations, lessons from recent discrimination cases, and proper overtime rate calculations, among other important updates.
Additionally, Dan Dubois with Retirement Benefits Group and Jason Roberts with Retirement Law Group, will present the Top 5 Fiduciary Challenges For Retirement Plan Sponsors.
Click here to learn more and to register.
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SANDAG to preserve nearly 112 acres
of habitat in Carmel Valley
SANDAG has acquired nearly 112 acres of native habitat and old agricultural lands in the Carmel Valley community of San Diego. The old agricultural lands will be restored to wetland habitat and the remaining land will be preserved as open space. The land, referred to as Deer Canyon East, is immediately adjacent to and upstream of the 31-acre Deer Canyon West wetland mitigation site. The acquisition was finalized shortly after the West property was deemed successfully restored by federal and state agencies.
The acquisition of Deer Canyon East is part of the SANDAG TransNet Environmental Mitigation Program (EMP) and represents the last inholding needed to complete the city of San Diego’s Del Mar Mesa Preserve. Restoration of the wetland habitat is anticipated to begin in September.
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Comet Supercomputer operations
at UC San Diego extended into 2021
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at UC San Diego a supplemental grant valued at almost $2.4 million to extend operations of its Comet supercomputer by an additional year, through March 2021. The extension brings the value of the total Comet program to more than $27 million.
Since entering service in May 2015, Comet has established itself as one of the most widely used supercomputers in the NSF’s XSEDE (eXtreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment) program, which connects researchers to an advanced collection of integrated digital resources and services.
