Two San Diego Scientists Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Two San Diego Scientists Elected to the National Academy of Sciences The Scripps Research Institute's Dale Boger and Benjamin Cravatt Are Honored

LA JOLLA, CA April 29, 2014 Two scientists from San Diego county Dale Boger and Benjamin Cravatt of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, the academy announced today.

Simply put, Dale and Ben are outstanding scientists, said TSRI President and CEO Michael A. Marletta. Their contributions are remarkable and it is fitting they have been recognized by the nations most prestigious scientific society. Additionally, I admire their dedication to Scripps they are exemplary citizens of our community. I have always been immensely proud of them and, if possible, I am even more so today.

Dale Boger, who is chair of the Department of Chemistry, Richard and Alice Cramer Professor of Chemistry and member of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at TSRI, works on the total synthesis of biologically active natural products, using the tools of organic synthesis to identify, imitate, understand, exploit and sometimes surpass what nature provides.

Benjamin Cravatt, who is chair of the Department of Chemical Physiology, professor in the Dorris Neuroscience Center and member of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at TSRI, studies the action and regulation of chemical messengers, particularly the fatty acid amides, which mediate physiological phenomena such as pain sensation, sleep and thermoregulation. He designs and uses chemical probes for active site proteomics, the global analysis of protein function.

Boger and Cravatt are among the academy's 84 new members and 21 foreign associates from 15 countries.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It recognizes achievement in science by election to membership and, along with other groups, provides science, technology and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.

Other National Academy of Science members at TSRI are Floyd Bloom, Francis Chisari, Gerald Edelman, Gerald Joyce, Richard Lerner, Michael Marletta, Michael B.A. Oldstone, Julius Rebek, Paul Schimmel, Peter Schultz, K. Barry Sharpless, Peter Vogt, Charles Weissmann, Chi-Huey Wong, Peter Wright and Kurt W thrich.

About The Scripps Research Institute

The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is one of the worlds largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. TSRI is internationally recognized for its contributions to science and health, including its role in laying the foundation for new treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. An institution that evolved from the Scripps Metabolic Clinic founded by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1924, the institute now employs about 3,000 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL, where its renowned scientists including three Nobel laureates work toward their next discoveries. The institutes graduate program, which awards PhD degrees in biology and chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation. For more information, see www.scripps.edu.

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LINK:	http://www.scripps.edu/news/press/2014/20140429nas.html...
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