Daily Business Report-Aug. 18, 2020
R/V Bob and Betty Beyster is a 42-ft. scientific workboat with a cruising speed up to 28 knots. (Photos from Summer 2019, courtesy of Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
Scientific workboat expands student
research opportunities at Scripps Institution
If you happened to be standing on the shore when Research Vessel (R/V) Bob and Betty Beyster zipped by, you might think it was a speed boat or pleasure craft. But this 42-foot scientific workboat means business, with capacity for six scientists and a boat operator, a range of 800 kilometers (500 nautical miles), and a cruising speed up to 28 knots.
Owned by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the R/V Bob and Betty Beyster is expanding opportunities for students to study the coastal zone in Southern California.
The new research vessel joined the fleet of Scripps ships in 2019, thanks to a philanthropic initiative that raised more than $1.2 million in honor of the late Dr. J. Robert Beyster, founder of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), and his widow Betty Beyster.
Scientists and students at Scripps have long benefited from a fleet of research vessels to conduct oceanographic research at sea. But there was a need for a vessel with a nearshore range, low daily cost, and adaptability to support advanced research with local and global impact. R/V Bob and Betty Beyster checked all of those boxes.
“This vessel fully realizes our vision for a capable, efficient, and economical scientific work boat that can be used by students and researchers in San Diego’s coastal waters,” said Bruce Appelgate, director of Ship Operations at Scripps. “It perfectly fills a niche between our major oceangoing vessels and smaller dive boats.”
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General Atomics to supply Belgium remotely
piloted aircraft under $189 million contract
General Atomics’ aeronautical systems business has received a $188.9 million sole-source contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide four MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned air vehicles to Belgium as part of a foreign military sales transaction.
The contract also includes the procurement of ground control stations, support equipment and spares, the Department of Defense said.
The AF Life Cycle Management Center is the contracting activity and will obligate $94.3 million in FMS funds at the time of award.
Work will take place in Poway through March 31, 2024.
The MQ-9B SkyGuardian is the latest variant of the Predator B remotely piloted aircraft and equipped with a company-built detect and avoid technology, according to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
Belgium sought to buy RPAs and associated equipment from the U.S. under a $600M FMS agreement the State Department cleared in March 2019.
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UC San Diego probe into Dr. Kevin Murphy
finds multiple violations
Brad Racino & Jill Castellano | inewsource.org
A UC San Diego doctor — who was the centerpiece of an inewsourceinvestigation this year — violated a litany of university policies while developing and researching his experimental brain treatment, according to a recently concluded UCSD and UC Office of the President inquiry.
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Qualcomm and CBN achieve the world’s
first 700 MHz Band 5G data call
Qualcomm Technologies Inc. and China Broadcasting Network (CBN) announced that the two companies successfully achieved the world’s first large-bandwidth 2x30MHz 5G data call demonstration in the 700MHz (Band n28) FDD spectrum band.
This demonstration was operated in compliance with the 2x30MHz technical specifications of CBN’s 700MHz FDD band and utilized a 5G smartphone form factor mobile test device powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System.
The demonstration achieved download speeds of more than 300 Mbps and provides a foundation for further enhancing the spectral efficiency of the 700MHz band and accelerating CBN’s commercial 5G rollouts nationwide.
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New molecule reverses
Alzheimer’s-like memory decline
A drug candidate developed by Salk researchers, and previously shown to slow aging in brain cells, successfully reversed memory loss in a mouse model of inherited Alzheimer’s disease. The new research, published online in July 2020 in the journal Redox Biology, also revealed that the drug, CMS1212, works by changing how brain cells metabolize fatty molecules known as lipids.
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New app helps protect security deposits
of renters who move into new properties
San Diego-based Deposit Defender announced the launch of its app that helps protect the security deposits of renters who move into new rental properties, while also helping landlords prepare those new rental spaces. Developed by experienced property managers, Deposit Defender uses a series of comprehensive checklist and photo-taking protocols that accurately document the condition of a rental property before renters move in.
This information can then be shared, uploaded and stored in a secure database to help ensure a timely return of rental deposits in the future. The tool is also a convenient way for landlords to inspect and document a wide variety of rental properties, all in a single app. Deposit Defender is available for download via the App Store and Google Play.
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Visiting scholar to join California
Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center
The California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC) at Cal State San Marcos has named Eric S. Trevan as a visiting scholar of innovation, business and economic policy for tribal nations.
Trevan is a tenure-track faculty member for the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and was recently awarded an executive leadership fellowship from the Community Development Society. He also works with a variety of businesses and government entities focused on innovation, corporate governance, economic forecasts and business planning.
Trevan has a distinguished history as a national advocate for tribal entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development. He’s a tribal citizen of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe).
In addition to his current position and participating in research, Trevan will also teach courses at CSUSM in tribal economics and economic development.
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CMI researcher receives $7.3 million grant
to address national crop production
UC San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation (CMI) Faculty Member Karsten Zengler and a team of researchers have been awarded a $7.3 million grant over a five-year period from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with a goal of making bioenergy feedstock crops more productive and resilient.
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Chemists hijack bacterial enzymes to create
complex molecules normally made by plants
Chemists at Scripps Research have efficiently created three families of complex, oxygen-containing molecules that are normally obtainable only from plants.
A petri dish contains the soil bacterium Streptomyces platensis, part of the Microbial Strain Collection at Scripps Research’s Natural Products Discovery Center. DNA from this strain was isolated to produce enzymes used in the study.
These molecules, called terpenes, are potential starting points for new drugs and other high-value products—marking an important development for multiple industries. In addition, the new approach could allow chemists to build many other classes of compounds.
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Sean Spear to join Community Housing
Works as its new chief executive officer
Sean Spear is joining Community HousingWorks as CEO in October to guide the organization as it fulfills its mission of creating opportunity through safe, stable, affordable homes.
Following current president and CEO Sue Reynolds’s decision to retire, which was announced in January 2020, the organization conducted a national search for candidates. Spear’s career in affordable housing – including extensive advocacy work – was a natural fit for Community HousingWorks, which provides and builds life-changing affordable apartment communities with resident-centered services for working families, seniors and people with disabilities to forge stronger futures.
Currently the assistant general manager for housing development at the Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department, Spear brings an expansive network both nationally and throughout California with lenders, housing sector leaders, and for-profit and nonprofit developers that will serve the organization’s residents and individuals throughout California in need of an affordable home.
Spear has served as a local and state government leader in successive community development roles in the cities of New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and in Sacramento for the State of California. At the Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department, Spear was responsible for leading its housing production efforts and directing the operations of its Housing Development Bureau. He also served as the executive director of the California Debt Allocation Committee from 2009 to 2015, administering the $3.8 billion private activity bond program for California, in addition to his work at Fannie Mae and Hunt Mortgage Group.
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S.D. Women’s Week Leadership Conference Goes Global
New virtual format with no boundaries features Daymond John, Linda Cureton, Ed Smart, Amy Trask
San Diego Women’s Week, celebrating 11 years of inspiring, empowering and connecting women is now virtual with leadership events for all ages and professions. Attendees enjoy virtual networking, keynote speakers, panel discussions, and more, all wrapped around creative solutions to everyday issues affecting leaders in the workplace and in their daily lives.
WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 26 – Friday, Aug. 28, 2020
WHO: Keynotes for 2020 Leadership conference include:
- Daymond John from Shark Tank: Powershift, Transform Any Situation, Close Any Deal, and Achieve Any Outcome.
- Linda Cureton, Former CIO – NASA: Managing and Leading in a Tough Environment.
- Ed Smart, Father of Elizabeth Smart: Two Miracles, and Standing up for Yourself.
- Amy Trask, Former NFL Team Executive – Los Angeles Raiders: Leadership Vulnerabilities.
WHERE: Wednesday – Virtual Women and Wine 6-7:30 p.m.
Friday – Virtual Leadership Conference 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Click here for complete list of speakers and additional details.
