Daily Business Report: Dec. 8, 2023
From the COVID generation, a new kind of inventor
Student Maya Krishnan hopes to improve biosafety for heath care workers.
LJI’s Laurence Cagnon shares her expertise and mentorship
By Madeline McCurry-Schmidt
Maya Krishnan is a twelfth-grade student at La Jolla Country Day School, a private school just a short walk from La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI). For the last two years, Krishnan has been tinkering with a new tool to reduce disease transmission in health care settings.
“This project started with the need for safe glove removal,” says Krishnan.
Krishnan’s mom is a physician, so she’s learned first-hand about the risks of contamination in hospitals. “My mom worked with COVID patients every day,” she says. “I also interviewed medical professionals about their needs.”
Krishnan’s invention stands about three feet tall, and it’s mounted to a wall. There’s a foot pedal at the bottom, which operates a clamp that sticks out at waist level. The clamp is meant to help a person remove disposable gloves—like those worn by doctors, nurses, and laboratory workers. Krishnan hopes a hands-free device like this could help users safely remove gloves and avoid spreading contaminants to themselves or others.
Top Photo: Jenna Hambrick, Director of Communications at LJI, helps Maya Krishnan and Laurence Cagnon observe how well the device removes gloves without spreading Glo Germ to new surfaces.
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McCarthy resignation sets off mad scramble
By Joe Kieta | CalMatters
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s announcement that he will vacate his seat and not seek reelection sets off a tidal wave of speculation on who will represent a wide swath of California’s agricultural heartland.
The timing of the announcement also puts McCarthy in a spot to be a political kingmaker if he makes an early endorsement. It’s a role he’s played before and relishes. In announcing his resignation in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, McCarthy reiterated that he will “continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office.”
One thing is virtually certain: McCarthy’s replacement will be a Republican. And one of the names on a possible list of GOP stalwarts is a big one — former Rep. Devin Nunes.
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San Diego County property tax deadline is Dec. 11
San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister is reminding property owners that the deadline to pay property taxes is Monday, Dec. 11. The total amount owed is $8.63 billion dollars, $566 million more than last year’s total of $8.1 billion.
1,013,632 secured tax bills were sent in early October and are online to view and pay at
sdttc.com. Taxpayers can pay online free using an e-Check (electronic check), and will get an immediate, emailed confirmation.
The first property tax installment was due on Nov. 1, 2023, and will become delinquent after Dec. 11. The second installment is due Feb. 1, 2024, and becomes delinquent after April 10, 2024.
Kratos demonstrates 100 percent interoperability success
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc., a San Diego technology company in defense, national security and global markets, announced that it demonstrated 100 percent interoperability success at the first ever DIFI Plugfest where satellite solutions providers converged to test the interoperability of their Digital IF products.
“Plugfests” are events held to test electronic equipment and software product interoperability between vendors against a technical standard. Seven equipment makers participated in this inaugural DIFI Plugfest, led by Kratos providing the most products tested.
Northrop Grumman announces new $2.5 billion stock repurchase
Northrop Grumman Corporation announced that its board of directors has authorized an additional $2.5 billion for the repurchase of the company’s common stock, increasing the outstanding authorized amount to approximately $3.8 billion. Share repurchases will take place from time to time, subject to market conditions and management’s discretion, in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions.
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In this era of AI, will everyone be a programmer?
By Katie E. Ismael | UC San Diego
ChatGPT and Large Language Models (LLMs) are viewed by many as a threat to the field of computer science education because they’re able to produce code on command. But for Leo Porter, a teaching professor at University of California San Diego, these are tools that might actually help bring programming to a wider, more inclusive and diverse audience.
In the retooled, foundational course, “Introduction to Programming and Computational Problem Solving 1” launched this fall, Porter is teaching a class of mostly first-year UC San Diego students with a curriculum that incorporates LLMs.
On the first day, when students saw how well the AI-tool Copilot could write code to solve basic tasks, there was an audible expression of surprise. The surprise was quickly tempered when the AI made a mistake shortly thereafter, allowing Porter to show students that these tools still need experienced and capable human supervision.
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City of San Diego receives ‘A’ rating for climate action efforts
The City of San Diego recently received global recognition for its ongoing climate action and sustainability efforts. The nonprofit Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) reviewed input from 939 cities across the world this year, and granted A-list status to 119, including San Diego. This is the city’s third time making the list, and it’s first A rating. San Diego is in good company, alongside other visionary cities including Barcelona, Toronto and Buenos Aires.
Scripps named among top 5 medium-sized U.S. health systems
For the second year in a row and seventh time overall, Scripps Health has been named one of the top five medium-sized health systems in the nation by PINC AI and the only health care provider in California to be included among a broader list covering the top 15 large, medium and small systems across the United States. Scripps was ranked No. 1 in the medium health system category, tying with HCA Mountain Division for the top spot.
Local leaders celebrate removal of overhead power lines in North Park
City of San Diego leaders and representatives from SDG&E gathered in North Park Wednesday to celebrate the removal of overhead power lines in that community. The city and SDG&E are collaborating to bury approximately 15 miles of overhead wire underground citywide each year. According to the city, approximately $54 million per year is spent each year to convert overhead power and communication lines.
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San Vicente Dam raise wins global acclaim
The San Diego County Water Authority this week received a prestigious international engineering award for using an innovative construction technology to raise the historic San Vicente Dam – a project that helps ensure regional water security for generations to come.
Meeting in Guangzhou, China, the International Commission on Large Dams presented the Water Authority with its highest honor for a special type of construction called roller compacted concrete, or RCC.
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Fermenting Science Program students collaborate
with NOVO Brazil to create winter warmer beer
Fermentation Science Program have collaborated with NOVO Brazil Brewing Company
to create Imperial Beach First Anniversary Winter Warmer Beer, which will be released Saturday, Dec. 9 at the brewery’s Imperial Beach brewpub anniversary celebration.
This beer marks the third time Southwestern students have brewed outside of the classroom and in a professional brewery. A group of Southwestern students first visited NOVO in January 2023 to create Tzunúm, an Australian Pale Ale.
County Assessor’s Office wins award for title fraud protection
The San Diego County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk (ARCC) Office has been honored with an award for providing a free real estate fraud notification service that protects San Diego County property owners against title theft. The award, presented by the Center for Digital Government, recognized ARCC’s “Owner Alert,” a free service that is available to any San Diego County property owner.
‘Nanoparticle’ flu vaccine design shows promise in early tests
Existing flu vaccines provide only limited, “seasonal” protection because they target highly changeable proteins on the virus. Scripps Research scientists have now designed a vaccine that should work broadly against influenza A strains — one of the two types of flu virus that normally circulate in humans. The new vaccine design, described in a paper in ACS Nano,
uses a relatively unchanging influenza A protein fragment, M2e, and presents it on self-assembling “nanoparticles” to better engage the immune system.
$25 million gift establishes the McGrath Outpatient Pavilion
The San Diego-based McGrath Family Foundation has pledged $25 million to support the new outpatient pavilion at UC San Diego Health – Hillcrest Medical Campus, slated to open in 2025. The facility will be named the McGrath Family Foundation Outpatient Pavilion, commonly known as the McGrath Outpatient Pavilion. The 6-floor, 250,000-square-foot McGrath Outpatient Pavilion will house specialty clinical programs, including oncology, neurosurgery, urology, ear nose and throat, and orthopedics, as well as outpatient surgery operating rooms, endoscopy procedure rooms, advanced imaging, infusion and radiation oncology.
La Jolla Concours d’Elegance returns in April 2024
The 18th annual La Jolla Concours d’Elegance, is returning to La Jolla on April 19-21, 2024.
This prestigious event, celebrated for its extraordinary showcase of classic automobiles, offers a unique journey through automotive history. The weekend is packed with must-attend events, including the exclusive VIP Party at Ellen Browning Scripps Park, the La Jolla Concours Tour d’Elegance, Porches on Prospect, and the spectacular display of over 200 rare vehicles at the main event on Sunday.
WD-40 Company announces 2023 annual meeting of stockholders
WD-40 Company, a global marketing organization, announced that its annual meeting of stockholders will take place on Tuesday, Dec 12, 2023, at 10 a.m. To expand access to all stockholders, this year’s annual meeting will be conducted virtually. There will be no physical location for the annual meeting. In addition to meeting-related matters, management will provide a strategic overview for investors. Forward-looking or material information may be discussed. The virtual meeting can be accessed at www.meetnow.global/MNZ962Q.
