Daily Business Report-March 9, 2020
UC San Diego astronomer Shelley Wright leads the PANOSETI project. (Credit: Photo by Laurie Hatch)
New telescope aims to detect extraterrestrial intelligence
Team of astronomers led by UC San Diego physicist Shelley Wright is depoloying a pair of telescopes that will constantly search the nighttime sky for signals from intelligent life in our galaxy
by Cynthia Dillon | UC San Diego
A team of astronomers led by UC San Diego physicist Shelley Wright is deploying a pair of telescopes that will constantly search the nighttime sky for signals from intelligent life in our galaxy.
Project researchers from UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, University of California Observatories and Harvard University recently installed the two prototype telescopes at Lick Observatory near San Jose. They are the first of hundreds of telescopes planned to be installed as part of a project called Panoramic SETI or PANOSETI, for Pulsed All-sky Near-infrared Optical SETI. Wright, an associate professor of physics at UC San Diego, serves as lead investigator.
When finally assembled, PANOSETI will be the first dedicated observatory capable of constantly searching for flashes of optical or infrared light. Such pulsed signals occurring on nanosecond-to-second time scales, may be from either artificial origin (e.g., extraterrestrial communication) or astrophysical phenomena (e.g., counterparts to fast-radio bursts).
Wright explained that the deployment of the two PANOSETItelescopes offers astronomers a new window into how the universe behaves at nanosecond timescales.
PANOSETI explores the universe at billionth-of-a-second time scales—a time scale that has not been examined well to date, agreed Dan Werthimer, chief technologist at UC Berkeley’s SETI Research Center and co-investigator.
“When astronomers examine an unexplored parameter space, they usually find something surprising that no one predicted,” he said. “PANOSETI could discover new astronomical phenomena or signals from E.T.”
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National Indian Gaming Association issues
health alert in advance of trade show in San Diego
The National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) is preparing for its 2020 trade show in San Diego — scheduled for March 24-27 — and closely monitoring developments on the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to all areas of the country impacted with this situation. Our tribes continue to monitor and prepare as information develops. The National Indian Gaming Association stands ready to assist all tribes with this process,” said Ernie Stevens Jr., chairman of National Indian Gaming Association.
The Indian Gaming 2020 Tradeshow in San Diego will begin March 24 with a golf tournaments at the Sycuan Tribal Nation.
“We strongly advise that all exhibitors and visitors review all updates and bulletins for travel and health notices at the CDC website. Our trade show team is working closely with the San Diego Convention and Tourism Authority, as well as local hotels, to ensure preventive measures are in place to keep our attendees safe and surrounded by the best sanitary conditions available,” Stevens said.
The 2020 Indian Gaming Tradeshow in San Diego is anticipated to be the most successful event yet.
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Arcturus Therapeutics and Duke-NUS Medical
School partner to develop a coronavirus vaccine
San Diego-based Arcturus Therapeutics and Duke-NUS Medical School announced a partnership to develop a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine for Singapore. The development of a COVID-19 vaccine will be based on the company’s STARR technology and will take advantage of a unique platform developed at Duke-NUS allowing rapid screening of vaccines for effectiveness and safety.
The STARR Technology platform combines self-replicating RNA with LUNAR, a leading nanoparticle non-viral delivery system, to produce proteins inside the human body, according to Arcturus. Due to superior immune response and sustained protein expression, Arcturus’ STARR Technology is expected to produce a vaccine response at much lower doses compared to traditional mRNA vaccines.
“Duke-NUS has been on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19, developing the first serological tests for COVID-19 and was among the first groups to isolate and culture the virus. The partnership with Arcturus Therapeutics combines complementary strengths as we work together to fight this global outbreak,” said Professor Thomas M. Coffman, dean of Duke-NUS Medical School.
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Alphatec to acquire EOS imaging
in $121.9 million deal
Carlsbad-based Alphatec Holdings Inc. a medical device company specializing in spine surgery, has agreed to acquire EOS imaging in a deal valued at $121.9 million.
EOS imaging is a leader in outcome-improving orthopedic medical imaging and software solutions, and is globally recognized for its rapid, low dose, biplanar full-body imaging and 3D modeling capabilities, the company said in announcing the acquisition.
“This is a monumental transaction for ATEC,” said Pat Miles, chairman and chief executive officer. “While spine’s large players are investing in enabling technologies, we are thinking differently. We created a conduit to deliver information into the operating room with AlphaInformatiX. This transaction will integrate spine imaging and anatomical modeling onto the platform to actually inform the operative experience.”
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La Mesa’s Serena Vista apartment
complex sold for $34.45 million
Serena Vista, a 110-unit apartment complex in La Mesa, has been acquired by Universe Holdings for $34.45 million, or $331.181 per unit. The seller was 5810 Amaya LLC, an affiliate of Cirrus Asset Management Inc.
Christopher Zorbas and Alexander Garcia Jr. of Institutional Property Advisors represented the seller.
“Serena Vista has had significant interior and exterior upgrades; however, the opportunity exists to make additional enhancements to current and previously renovated units and to expand and improve common area amenities,” said Garcia.
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Chris Anderson receives Realtor
of the Year award from SDAR
The Greater San Diego Association of Realtors (SDAR) has presented Chris Anderson of Coldwell Banker West with the Realtor of the Year award at its recent Circle of Excellent awards event.
Anderson was recognized for her participation with local, state and national Realtor associations, as well as high sales volume and adherence to the Realtor Code of Ethics. It’s the second time Anderson has been honored with the SDAR Realtor of the Year Award. She previously received the award in 2001.
Anderson is currently serving as SDAR president-elect. She will serve as president of the 13,500-member SDAR in 2021. She previously served as SDAR president in 2015.
She has served as a director with the California Association of Realtors (CAR) since 2006. In 2020, she is serving as a National Association of Realtors (NAR) representative to CAR.
Anderson has lived in Ramona since 1985, and has been selling real estate since 1989. She has been active serving with several Ramona community nonprofits, including the Ramona Tree Trust, Ramona H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project, Ramona Outdoor Community Center, Ramona Design Review Board and Ramona Community Planning Group. She is a past president of the Ramona Real Estate Association.
She joined CBW in December 2017, and is a member of the Coldwell Banker Foundation, a nonprofit under management by the San Diego Foundation.
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City of San Diego starts fueling its off-road
vehicles with red-dye renewable diesel
The city of San Diego Environmental Services Department has started fueling its fleet of off-road vehicles and equipment at the Miramar Landfill with red-dye renewable diesel, helping to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and furthering efforts to meet the city’s Climate Action Plan goals.
In 2016, the city became the first municipality in the nation with a large fleet to use renewable diesel in its fleet of 1,125 diesel-powered on-road vehicles. The use of red-dye renewable diesel in the remaining 29 landfill off-road fleet of loaders, dozers, a stacker belt and specialized equipment – which previously ran on red-dye petroleum diesel – completes the city’s switch to renewable diesel in its entire fleet of diesel-powered vehicles and equipment.
Derived from renewable resources including natural fats, vegetable oil, greases and agricultural waste products, renewable diesel is a direct replacement fuel for petroleum diesel. Red dye is added to renewable diesel to indicate its use for off-road vehicles and exemption from state and federal taxes. According to the California Air Resources Board, this low-carbon fuel reduces GHG emissions by up to 80% compared to petroleum diesel.
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Viasat names Jim Dodd, Peter Langkilde,
Krishna Nathan to leadership roles
Carlsbad-based Viasat has appointed Jim Dodd as president of Global Mobile Solutions, Peter Langkilde as vice president and Head of Broadband Services for Europe, Middle East and Africa and Dr. Krishna Nathan as chief information officer to expand its global leadership team..
Dodd brings over 30 years of experience in strategy and business development to Viasat. In his new role, he will broaden Viasat’s mobility opportunities, strategically aligning current and future satellite capabilities with global mobility sector needs.
Prior to joining Viasat, Dodd held a number of senior-level aviation management and engineering roles at The Boeing Company.
Langkilde has a deep understanding of the global mobile sector with over 30 years of experience in the sector. In his position with Viasat, he will supervise the company’s broadband services growth, including residential, business and community internet opportunities across EMEA. He will also oversee launch preparations for ViaSat-3 services in the upcoming years.
Langkilde co-founded Virgin Mobile headquarters across the globe. Additionally, Langkilde co-founded Afrimax Vodafone and served as CEO.
Nathan, Viasat’s new CIO, has more than 25 years of experience, curating her knowledge with Next Generation IT services. In his position, he will lead the company’s digital transformation and platform initiatives, using analytics, customer-experience-centric processes, data-driven decision-making, automation and AI to enable global scalability and quick response to changing market dynamics.
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Tyson & Mendes expands Complex Trial
Team with promotion of four attorneys
Increasing the ranks of its Complex Trial Team, civil defense law firm Tyson & Mendes LLP has promoted four attorneys to partner – Codie Dukes, Reece Román and Morgan Van Buren in San Diego and Michelle Campbell in the Orange County and Los Angeles offices.
Codie Dukes served as senior counsel before being named partner. She brings extensive litigation experience to the Complex Trial Team – having successfully represented individuals and businesses in cases involving personal injury, fraud, property damage and complex trust disputes.
Reece Román, who also previously served as senior counsel in Tyson & Mendes’ San Diego office, focuses his practice on catastrophic personal injury matters, with an emphasis on cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cords injuries and major orthopedic injuries.
Morgan Van Buren’s practice focuses primarily on general liability and high exposure litigation. He has significant litigation experience, including handling matters involving diverse damages claims and potential excess exposure – securing the defense and complete indemnification of clients on multiple occasions.
Campbell was previously senior counsel in the firm’s Los Angeles office, focusing her practice on general liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, and errors and omission, and has served as first or second chair for multiple trials.
