Seal Society records season’s first sea lion birth at Point La Jolla
The Sierra Club Seal Society says it has observed what it believes is the first live sea lion birth of the season at Point La Jolla on May 20.
Sea lion pupping season begins in mid-May, and births continue through the first week of July, according to the Seal Society.
Point La Jolla, off Scripps Park near La Jolla Cove, is closed to the public year-round to keep people and sea lions apart. The animals can be viewed from the sidewalk above the point.
National League of Young Men volunteers win president’s award
Fourteen local young men earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award, bestowed by the president of the United States, to honor exceptional dedication to volunteerism and civic involvement.
The National League of Young Men’s La Jolla chapter held its annual Com Brunch on May 18 to honor the achievements of program participants in leadership development, community service and more.
This year, high school of the chapter logged 2,985 hours of volunteer service in the San Diego area. Throughout the year, NLYM collaborated with local nonprofits and charitable organizations, including Kitchens for Good, Meals on Wheels, La Jolla Open Aire Market, Kiwanis Club, Jewish Family Service, The Salvation Army and others.
Vacant lot in La Jolla Heights could get new house and ADU
A project application filed with the city of San Diego proposes to build a two-story, 6,562-square-foot house with an attached garage and a two-story, 967-square-foot detached accessory dwelling unit on a vacant lot in the 2900 block of Woodford Drive in the La Jolla Heights neighborhood.
The project is undergoing environmental review, and a decision to approve or deny it will be made at a public hearing that has not yet been scheduled.
UCSD physician appointed president of American Board of Urology
Dr. Christopher Kane of the UC San Diego Health Physician Group and senior assistant vice chancellor of clinical affairs for UCSD Health Sciences, has been appointed president of the American Board of Urology, the organization that sets and maintains the standards for the specialty certification of more than 11,000 urologists in the United States.
Kane specializes in diagnosing and treating patients with prostate, kidney, bladder and testicular cancer.
“Dr. Kane has served selflessly in numerous leadership roles for the American Urological Association Western section and the Society for Urologic Oncology, as well as the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons,” said Dr. Manoj Monga, chair of the Department of Urology in the UC San Diego School of Medicine. “His ability to be a catalyst for constructive dialogue and consensus-building will serve the American Board of Urology and the public well.”
La Jolla immunologists look at new pathway for treating virus
A new study out of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology looks at how the body attacks a mosquito-borne pathogen known as chikungunya virus, or ChikV, which has been identified in more than 110 countries around the world. The virus typically causes flu-like symptoms but also can trigger chronic and severe t pain in some people.
Researchers are working to understand how a viral infection can cause persistent t pain that closely resembles rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease.
In their new study, LJI scientists suggest certain T cells in the body step up to fight the virus — and cause chronic inflammation in the process. The discovery may help explain why some people infected with ChikV develop severe t pain.
The findings offer new clues as to why some viral infections appear to trigger autoimmune disease and may help guide development of therapies to block harmful inflammation.
Invention by Bishop’s School student gets international acclaim
Kayley Xu, a 10th-grader at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, followed up her win last month in the senior division of the Medical Computational Systems category at the California Science and Engineering Fair by drawing international recognition this month for her wearable stethoscope project.
Kayley won a Second Grand Award of $2,400 and the Society for Science Alumni Award of $5,000 at the 75th Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Columbus, Ohio.
Only 1,700 from among 30 million high school students qualified for the fair. Of that group, 10 were participants in this year’s Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair in March, according to a news release.
Kayley’s project applies the principles of beamforming — a radio frequency management technique — and artificial intelligence technology to modernize a wearable stethoscope array.
Her invention, she previously told the La Jolla Light, aims to address limitations such as a lack of spatial perception, only being able to listen to one site at a time, and susceptibility to interference.
La Jolla High Chess Club recognized as Club of the Year
La Jolla High School’s Chess Club was named Club of the Year by the school’s Associated Student Body on May 21.
The recognition was thanks partly to the club’s efforts to establish a sister school partnership between La Jolla High and the Chess Academy of Baku, Azerbaijan. The program is intended to encourage students to be “globally-minded learners.” ♦
