Location, Time and Date:
The 34th Annual West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research (WCBSUR) Conference was 7:30am to 6:00pm on Saturday, April 18, 2009, on the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University, located in San Diego, California.
The 35th Annual WCBSUR Conference will return to Santa Clara University in April of 2010.
Student Research Presentations
Undergraduate researchers presented original research that had been conducted in many areas of biology or biochemistry. Research presentations were given in either a seminar or poster session format. Seminar presentations were limited to 12 minutes plus 2 minutes for questions. Poster presentations fit within a 40” by 40” square. Cash prizes were awarded for the best seminar in each subject area as well as for the top six poster presentations.
Plenary Speaker: Dr. Susan S. Taylor
The plenary speaker for the Conference was Dr. Susan S. Taylor, Professor of Pharmacology, Chemistry and Biochemistry at U.C. San Diego. A protein chemist and structural biologist, Taylor earned her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and her Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Upon completing post-doctoral studies at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England, she joined the faculty of the University of California, San Diego in 1972.
Dr. Taylor has pioneered in the study of structure-function relationships in protein kinases. In 1991, she and her co-workers solved the 3-D crystal structure of the catalytic unit of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase (CAPK). This was the first protein kinase structure to be solved and serves as the prototype for the kinase super-family that is involved in signal transduction. She continues to use an interdisciplinary approach to study the structure, function, and dynamics of PKA signaling.
Dr. Taylor was elected a member of the US National Academy of Sciences in 1996 and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. In 2001, she received the Garvin-Olin Medal, an award established in 1936 to recognize distinguished service to chemistry by women chemists. Dr. Taylor’s keynote address was entitled "Dynamics of Signaling by Protein Kinase A".
Registration Fee
The Conference registration fee for both students and faculty was $25, when postmarked by March 9, 2009. The fee for late registrants was $35. The registration fee helped to cover the cost of the continental breakfast, hot buffet luncheon, awards reception and the Conference Abstract booklet.
Travel Information
Maps of the greater San Diego area are accessible at www.mapquest.com. For a campus map and driving directions to the PLNU campus, please visit Point Loma Nazarene University's web site at http://www.pointloma.edu/Directions.htm .
Hotel Information
Some hotels that are conveniently located to the PLNU campus are listed below, along with their web addresses:
Bay Club Hotel (Shelter Island): http://www.bayclubhotel.com/
Best Western Island Palms Hotel and Marina: http://www.islandpalms.com/
Comfort Inn at the Harbor: http://www.comfortinnattheharbor.com/
Holiday Inn (Harbor Drive): http://www.holinnbayside.com/
Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn and Suites: http://www.halfmooninn.com/
Kona Kai Resort and Spa: http://www.shelterpointe.com/
The Inn at Sunset Cliffs: http://www.innatsunsetcliffs.com/
Several of these establishments have traditionally offered discounts to guests who are attending functions on the PLNU campus, so be sure to inquire.
Questions?
For further information or clarification regarding Conference details, contact Dr. Michael McConnell by phone (619) 849 2304, FAX (619) 849 2598 or email: mmcconne@pointloma.edu