Daily Business Report-Feb. 24, 2020
SDSU senior Citlayi Villaseñor conducts research in biochemistry professor Tom Huxford’s lab. (Photo: Kellie Woodhouse)
Student Research Symposium at SDSU
teaches budding scientists confidence
by Kellie Woodhouse | SDSU
Many of biochemistry professor Tom Huxford’s students first believe science is something confined to the lab, restricted to a series of hypotheses, experiments and data sets.
“They think a scientist is somebody who needs to be smart, who knows experimental techniques,” Huxford said. “The truth is, that is not big enough.”
It’s Huxford’s job to teach students to think more broadly. Science starts with simple curiosity and critical thinking, he said, and isn’t fully realized until the results are shared in the public arena, where they can be questioned, debated and expanded upon.
That’s the reason Huxford encourages students to attend and participate in San Diego State University’s Student Research Symposium (SRS).
“You have to communicate your results to the world and open yourself up to feedback,” Huxford said. “Every opportunity that students have to stand up in front of a new group of people and communicate how they interpret the results of their carefully measured experiment is immensely beneficial.”
SDSU’s 12th annual SRS will take place Friday and Saturday, Feb 28-29, at Montezuma Hall in the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union.
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Romi Neustadt to Speak at Women’s Week 2020
You Can Have it All, Just not at the Same Damn Time
Ambitious career goals, a thriving marriage, flourishing kids, a tidy home, and a kick-ass bod—it’s no wonder so many women are overworked, exhausted, and abandoning the dream of “having it all.”
Drawing on her own experience and the wisdom she’s collected from working with corporate execs, working-out-of-home and stay-at-home moms, new college grads, and retired empty nesters, Romi shares the tools and mindset a woman needs to figure out what to focus on, what to let go of (and why), and how to live the life she really wants to live and become the person she really wants to be.
San Diego Women’s Week events are March 16 -20. Everyone is invited, and tickets can be purchased at www.sdwomensweek.com.
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Wiliot gets $20 million for Bluetooth tracking tech
San Diego-based startup Wiliot, which develops tiny Bluetooth stickers for tracking everyday items, raised $20 million from PepsiCo and Verizon’s venture capital arm. With the new cash, the startup will ramp up production to fulfill orders.
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Neuropore Therapies receives $500,000
grant from the ALS Association
San Diego-based Neuropore Therapies Inc. has been awarded a $500,000 grant from The ALS Association to support the preclinical evaluation and development of its ALS treatment. The grant was made through the Association’s Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Drug Development Program.
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Cal State San Marcos dean dismissed
after review of fraudulent spending
by Kirk Mattu | The Coast News Group
On the eve of Cal State San Marcos’ audit on executive officials misappropriating university funds, the university severed ties with two officials in the spotlight of the review: Michael Schroder, the former dean of extended learning and associate vice president for international programs, and his wife Beth Schroder, the senior director of philanthropy. The university announced they were no longer employed as of Feb. 12.
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Women in STEM – March 8 & 10
Starting March 8, the Women in STEM program kicks off with an interactive exhibition hour where companies and STEM organizations can showcase their work alongside high school, middle school, and college-aged students. The highlight of the event is a panel of women leaders in STEM, from CEOs of biotechnology companies, to award-winning engineers, and beyond. The event is from 1 to 4 p.m. at the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park.
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Del Mar philanthropist and volunteer donates
$200,000 to Barrio Logan College Institute
Each week for over 20 years, Del Mar resident Andy Achterkirchen drives to the San Diego neighborhood of Barrio Logan as a volunteer tutor. He has helped hundreds of students who are on their quest to be among the first in their families to enroll in college.
The students are members of Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to break the cycle of poverty by preparing underserved students to be the first in their families to go to college.
Besides volunteering, Achterkirchen helps financially, donating $200,000 to the organization.
From third grade through college completion, BLCI provides specialized tutoring sessions, field trips, workshops and introductions to career pathways. Students attend workshops and meet with BLCI specialist after their traditional school day ends, participating in activities that are age appropriate and culturally relevant. The results have been remarkable, receiving local, statewide, and national recognition. Even more impressive are the individual lives they affect – 100 percent of their students go to college.
Achterkirchen is one of BLCI’s longest serving volunteers providing expertise in the classroom and in the board room. “I tutor high school students one night a week, mostly in mathematics, pre-calculus and calculus, as well as in chemistry and physics,” says the retired engineer who worked on communication systems for spacecraft and aircraft. Achterkirchen serves on the BLCI Advisory Committee, which provides input to the nonprofit’s management team on additional opportunities that BLCI may consider doing to better prepare the BLCI students for college. And now, Achterkirchen is helping the organization with the funding that is needed to move into their permanent home.
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Jamul Indian Village tribal leaders to speak
at 2020 Women in Tribal Gaming Symposium
Jamul Indian Village will have a major role at the upcoming Tribal Game Protection Network’s 2020 Women in Tribal Gaming Symposium Feb. 25-27 at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, Calif. The symposium is an annual gathering of tribal government and gaming industry leaders from around the country. Presentations, offered in a wide variety of topics, are designed for gaming professionals committed to developing themselves professionally and leading their organizations
Jamul Indian Village Chairwoman Erica M. Pinto will offer the keynote address titled “Leading Change and Overcoming Challenges” on Feb. 26, 2020 from 9:15 – 10:15 a.m.
Additional tribal leaders will also be speaking on panels throughout the conference.
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Law Offices of Sarah T. Schaffer changes
name to Schaffer Family Law Group APC
The Law Offices of Sarah T. Schaffer APC recently changed the name of the firm to Schaffer Family Law Group APC.
“Our firm is growing, and our new name and logo reflect that growth and solidify our commitment to continue to provide effective results and excellent service to our clients,” said Sarah T. Schaffer, founder and managing partner of the firm.
The newest member of the Schaffer Family Law Group team is attorney Leslie Ryland, who has represented clients in a wide array of family law matters and has a special interest in custody issues.
Although she has litigated complex financial matters as well as highly contested custody cases, Ryland prefers helping parties to either negotiate a mediated settlement or participate in a collaborative divorce. Ryland was admitted to the bar in 1989 and in 2006 earned the designation as a Certified Legal Specialist in Family Law from the California Board of Legal Specialization.
More information can be found at www.schafferfamilylaw.com.
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John Desco joins Brixton Capital
as executive vice president
Brixton Capital, a private real estate investment firm, has hired John Desco as executive vice president to oversee leasing, operations, marketing and redevelopment of Brixton’s regional shopping centers.
Over his career, Desco has been responsible for operations, management, leasing, redevelopment and value-creation for over 25 million square feet of retail and office properties, which have all thrived and grown under his direction.
Prior to joining Brixton, Desco was the chief operating officer for Vintage Capital Group LLC, a Los Angeles privately held investment group, where he was responsible for the growth, management, leasing and eventual disposition of the firm’s shopping center and office portfolio.
Before joining Vintage, he served as the executive vice president of asset management for Coyote Management LP in Dallas, where he spent 15 years overseeing acquisition, management, leasing, redevelopment and disposition of Coyote’s portfolio of enclosed and open-air shopping centers.
Desco received both his Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University, with concentrations in Corporate Finance and Real Estate Finance.
