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BRIGHT IDEAS FROM THE BOX CANYON

A monthly newsletter that includes a collection of important news and updates from Telluride Science.

IN THE NEWS

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THE DEPOT

The new year brings a renewed focus on our vision and goals for the future. While we still have work to do to complete our $5.5 capital campaign, we remain optimistic that we can start renovations on the Depot in late fall. Our vision for the organization and the Telluride Science & Innovation Center is the following:

  • To create a dedicated center to amplify transformative advancements in science and innovation. With the Depot and its unique sense of place, we will create an extraordinary setting for innovation, and we will have the space to accommodate our year-round demand.
  • To increase the financial sustainability of science in Telluride.
  • To provide more opportunities for the community to interact with global thought-leaders.
  • To elevate Telluride’s reputation as the place where the smartest people in the world come to find solutions to society’s and the planet’s greatest challenges.


The purchase of the Depot and the completion of our vision would not be possible without the support of Alpine Bank. "I have never encountered a bank that is more community-minded than Alpine. They are a true partner and I am grateful for their commitment to helping us reach our goals." said Executive Director Mark Kozak.


A recent Telluride Daily Planet article highlights our recent efforts and why the Telluride Science & Innovation Center is so critical to our mission.

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SPOTLIGHT ON SCIENCE

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Scientist Gary Daughdrill from University of Southern Florida & Richard Kriwacki

Richard Kriwacki, PH.D 

Structural Biology Faculty Member at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital


Richard Kriwacki has been an integral part of Telluride Science for over a decade. Initially, he organized a series of workshops on Intrinsically Disordered Proteins and is now also leading a new workshop in the growing field of Phase Separation in Biology & Disease. He especially enjoys the format of Telluride Science workshops as the small size enables everyone to interact and collaborate. The draw of the outdoors in Telluride and being able to brainstorm during a hike, mountain bike ride or walking down Main St. makes Telluride Science workshops truly unique. “I have had some of the best scientific conversations with my colleagues while riding up the gondola with my bike."

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Richard Kriwacki, far right, consults with scientists on his team at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital

When Richard Kriwacki, PhD, a Structural Biology faculty member at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, became involved with Telluride Science a decade ago, he had no idea it would lead him to a new field of science, Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation (LLPS). Telluride Science’s 2017 Intrinsically Disordered Protein (IDP) workshop, which Kriwacki co-organized, helped to drive the creation of this emerging field of research, which has exploded in recent years and has attracted some of the brightest minds in the science world.

 

LLPS—which also causes olive oil molecules to form round droplets in vinaigrette—is a previously overlooked mechanism that mediates the assembly of many different organelles (small “organ-like” sub-structures inside cells that perform diverse biological functions). What’s important to know is that the alteration of existing organelles and/or the new formation of abnormal organelles, can, when in nerve cells, cause various neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and ALS, and can, when in blood cells, cause various adult and pediatric cancers. This field has attracted interest from pharmaceutical and bio tech companies who see opportunities to develop completely novel therapeutics that counteract the changes, serving to blunt or reverse the onset of disease.

 

This March, Kriwacki and fellow scientist Shana Elbaum Garfinkle, are hosting the first-ever Telluride Science workshop that delves into the field of LLPS. Their “Phase Separation in Biology and Disease” workshop will be attended by the emerging leaders in the field as well as three representatives from bio tech companies. Research in LLPS could potentially lead to new ways to treat or cure cancer as well as neurodegenerative diseases.


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HOST A SCIENTIST


The surge in real estate prices and hotel rates has exacerbated the challenge to find affordable lodging for our visiting scientists. If you are interested in hosting a scientist for five or six nights at an affordable rate in your guest house, condo or home this winter or next summer, please email Annie Carlson.



WHAT'S PLAYING

Exporting Science and Innovation from Telluride

During the mining boom in the late 1800's, the Depot was a hub for exporting precious metals to the outside world. The Telluride Science & Innovation Center will once again be a community focal point, but this time for exporting ideas and innovation.

WATCH VIDEO

WHAT'S HAPPENING

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UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS


Until we can safely gather in person, we are planning some virtual programming.



Asleep to Remember: The Role of Sleep in Memory Consolidation

February 3 at 4 pm (MST)

Paola Malerba, Ph.D. from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, will will discuss how brain dynamics during sleep support memory, and how novel techniques leverage this natural mechanism to boost memory performance. Webinar details will be sent soon.


A second webinar in the works focuses on ground-breaking cancer treatments. This webinar is tentatively scheduled for February. Stay tuned for exact dates and more details.

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SAVE THE DATE


SCIENCE OF WINES

DONOR APPRECIATION EVENT

TENTATIVELY RESCHEDULED*

March 4, 5:30-7:30 pm

Ah Haa School


Have you ever wondered why wines made from the same grape taste different? Jenee Cyran, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Baylor University, will discuss the chemistry of wines and how the fermentation process affects the taste.


After the brief presentation/Q & A, Deanna Cyran, a CMS certified sommelier, will lead a wine tasting. Appetizers will be served. Invite and more details to follow.


*This date is tentative. We are hoping the COVID surge will have passed by March so that we can safely hold an in person event. We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust accordingly.


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