Author: Payam

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2024 Fall Wine Tasting at Fess Parker

Join us at our year end celebration for wine tasting at Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard in Los Olivos. This annual event has been a tradition within the CALPACS region and is meant to foster connections and to connect with colleagues. There will be no speaker besides the program from the sommelier. Light provisions will also be included. 

Established by the late Fess Parker in 1989, the multigenerational family owned and operated Fess Parker Winery has built a reputation for crafting exceptional Rhône and Burgundian wines from Santa Barbara County. Since the opening of its expansive tasting room and winery along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail in the 1990s, Fess Parker Winery has remained a top destination in the Santa Ynez Valley. Now three generations in, the Fess Parker Family is proud to carry on Fess’s legacy of wine heritage and hospitality by welcoming guests to wine taste at the estate. 
 

Date & Time: Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 11:30 – 1:30 PM
Place: Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard; 6200 Foxen Canyon Road; Los Olivos, CA, 93441 (https://maps.app.goo.gl/mL3nuYyEEz62qwmx6) 
Cost: $20
Note: Seating is limited. Each person is limited to 4 seats. Please click here to RSVP and to pay.

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2024 Fall Luncheon with Kristen Gilliland

High Hopes for New Comprehensive Treatments in Schizophrenia

CALPACS members and the general community are cordially invited to our Fall Luncheon. This year, we will be treated with a lecture from Kristen Gilliland, Ph.D., from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Gilliland will detail the underlying mechanisms of schizophrenia and the new research into possible novel therapies. The event will include appetizers and a three course lunch. Attendees can also choose to stay for the annual open session of the CALPACS Executive Committee.

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CALPACS Sponsored Lecture on Psilocybin

You are invited to hear about the recent renascence in the research of psilocybin for the treatment of major depression disorder and other behavior problems. 

CALPACS is excited to invite Dr. Robert Kargbo from the Usona Institute to share their journey from chemical synthesis to the recent Phase II clinical trial program with psilocybin. Dr. Kargbo has been instrumental in advancing this field through the optimization of the chemical synthesis of psilocybin and other psychedelic compounds. These discoveries enabled the large-scale manufacturing and formulation of active pharmaceutical ingredients to be fed into the clinical trials. Further, hear his experience, insight, and progression of other psychedelic drugs and their treatment for a variety of societal maladies. 

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2024 Pi Day Patent Law and Chemistry

Each year around March 14, CALPACS sponsors a lecture focusing on the interface of Science and Government, which we call the Pi Day Talk. This year, we are organizing a lecture about the application of US and World Patent Law on the Chemical Sciences.

We are happy to invite Dr. Derek Barnett, a patent agent with almost twenty years experience in prosecuting patent applications in the US and abroad for clients in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology arts. Derek received his Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy from The Ohio State University where he conducted studies in the areas of synthetic organic chemistry, biochemistry, and medicinal chemistry related to the study of vitamin A derived compounds. He received his B.S., magna cum laude, in chemistry from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The lecture will cover the basics of patent law, the requirements of invention, and the anatomy of a chemical based patent. Come learn about how patent law allows protection of intellectual properties, enables investment in research and development, and fuels innovation.  

This free event will be at the Mosher Alumni House on the campus of UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, March 16 at 11:30am-2:00pm. In the spirit of Pi Day, pizza and dessert pies will be served. Paid parking is available adjacent to the Alumni House. Please RSVP for this event as seating is limited.  

Date: 
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Time: 
11:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Place: 
Mosher Alumni House
UCSB
Santa Barbara, California 93106 (Google Map)
Cost: Free 
RSVP: Please use this form to reserve your spot


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2023 Fall Luncheon: Small Molecule Therapeutics

CALPACS members are cordially invited to our Fall Luncheon. This year, we will be treated to an inside look at the development of small molecule therapeutics by Vu Ma, a decades-long member of Amgen’s research arm in Thousand Oaks, CA. The event will include appetizers and a three course lunch. Attendees can also choose to stay for the annual open session of the CALPACS Executive Committee.

Speaker: Vu Ma, Senior Scientist, Amgen
Title: The Discovery of Sotorasib (AMG 510): A First-in-Class Investigational Covalent Inhibitor of KRASG12C
Date & Time: Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 11:30 – 2:30 PM
Place: Firestone Walker Barrelworks, 620 McMurray Rd, Buellton, CA 93427 (https://maps.app.goo.gl/mq4VHUfh4YmgoP8g6)
Cost: $25/$15 for students 
Note: Seating is limited. Please RSVP and submit payment here at the bottom of this page (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSed5A_knuSMEphett3-eAsGE3g3-FdlDbmjNzQ335yE289Ugg/viewform?usp=sf_link) 

Vu Ma has been at Amgen for over 20 years where he has worked on several discovery and pipeline projects in the medicinal chemistry department at the Thousand Oaks campus.  With a wide variety of experience in different therapeutic areas including metabolic disorders, analgesics, CNS neurology, and oncology, Vu is a valued member of the medical chemistry team.  Notably, Vu worked on the pioneering project of KRAS small molecule inhibitors. Up until 5 years ago, this ubiquitous oncogene was considered undruggable since its discovery in the 1980’s.  The CALPACS section is pleased to have Vu take us through the journey of the discovery of Sotorasib, an FDA approved treatment of non-small cell lung carcinoma.  This discovery had a big impact in the field of medicinal chemistry and this work was recognized as the Best Pharmaceutical Agent in 2022 with the Prix Galien Award.  Before Amgen, Vu worked at Pharmacopiea in combinatorial chemistry and graduated from Lehigh University with a masters degree in chemistry.

2023 CALPACS Fall Luncheon

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Richard C. Tolman Award Luncheon

We are pleased to celebrate Professor Alison Butler from the University of California, Santa Barbara as the recipient of the 2022 Richard C. Tolman Award. The luncheon will be Saturday, August 5 from 11:00-2:30 PM at the UCSB Faculty Club. The event is sponsored with the California Los Padres Section of the American Chemical Society. 

A buffet lunch will be served, followed by a lecture from Dr. Butler. 

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Tour San Luis Obispo’s Water Resource Facilities

Industry Tour: San Luis Obispo Water Treatment Plant and The Water Resource Recovery Facility

Sustainability in water use is one of our state’s great challenges. Please join CALPACS for an afternoon adventure demonstrating how chemistry and engineering can address that challenge.
We will tour the Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and the Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF). The WTP uses ozone disinfection, ballasted flocculation, and chemical treatment to provide up to 16 million gallons of fresh water daily to the city of San Luis Obispo. The WRRF treats 4.5 million gallons of wastewater daily for discharge into San Luis Creek and for re-use in irrigation. In addition, the facility produces electricity from biogas and compost. A casual lunch will be provided at the beginning of the tour.
Please use this form to reserve your spot, as attendance is capped for safety reasons at 25 attendees.
Date: Thursday, May 4, 2023
Itinerary:
12: 15 Check-in at the WTP
1:00 Tour of WTP
2:00 Drive to WRRF
2:30 Tour of WRRF
3:30 End of Event

The WTP is on Stenner Creek Road, 0.8 miles north of Highway 1. The location is shown on this map. The WRRF is located on Prado Road, as shown here.

Cost: Free! This event is sponsored by Calpacs.

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Fall Wine Tasting at Sunstone

The CALPACS Executive Committee is absolutely thrilled to announce the return of our annual wine tasting event. After a two-year break, we will be convening at Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez to partake of their Signature Private Tasting with the accompaniment of charcuterie, cheeses and artisanal breads provided by your section officers. We cordially invite you to take a break from the holiday madness to relax with fellow chemists and scientists and to discuss the state of the scientific world and life in our beautiful section along the California coast. Please use the form below to make your reservation. We look forward to welcoming you back to our annual start to the holiday season.

Date: Saturday, December 10, 2022

Time: 2:00 – 3:30 PM

Location: Sunstone Winery, 125 N Refugio Rd, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 (805) 688-9463 (Directions from Bing Maps)

Cost: $10. Please use the Paypal from below to reserve your place.

Sunstone Signature Private Tasting

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JWST and Beyond: Infrared Sensors for Astronomy

We are pleased to invite you to a lecture on the cutting edge sensors manufactured by Teledyne Imaging Sensors for the most innovative telescopes orbiting earth and residing on it. Dr. James Beletic, president of TIS, will deliver this talk on the UCSB campus. Please use the RSVP from at the bottom of this page to reserve your spot. If you wish to join via Zoom, please answer “yes” to the corresponding question. A free box lunch will be served to those who attend in person.

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