Congrats to Noelle for being named a 2022 UCSC Koret Scholar. This program supports outstanding undergraduate students working on a research project. Noelle has been using cutting-edge real-time NMR spectroscopy on the intrinsically disordered 'tail' of the clock protein Casein Kinase 1 delta to understand how autophosphorylation of the 'tail' regulates kinase activity in the human circadian clock. Go Noelle!!

Former graduate student Jeff Swan and I had a blast working with the amazing Janet Iwasa and her postdoc Francheska Lopez Rivera of the University of Utah Animation Lab on a molecular animation of the 3-protein Kai oscillator, which keeps ~24-hour time in the cyanobacterium Synechoccocus elongatus. Thanks to Jeff for narrating and the NIH NIGMS for support!

We take the annual UCSC Physical & Biological Sciences Division and Kenny Ikei Memorial costume competition very seriously in the Partch lab. Competition was fierce this year! Thanks to all who participated, including former lab member Alfred Freeberg, who took a break from his grad work at UC Berkeley and visited us to be the rabbit.

Jon's dissertation work on the regulatory mechanisms of the eukaryotic clock kinase Casein Kinase 1 delta was recognized with a 2022 Fink Graduate Research Award. This award honors the memory of the biochemist and Distinguished Professor Tony Fink, a former member of the UCSC Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. Also recognized was graduate student Gordon Luu, from the lab of Associate Professor Laura Sanchez.

A hearty congratulations to graduate student Jonathan Philpott, who was named a 2022 Northern California ARCS Scholar. The local chapter of the ARCs (Achievement Rewards for College Students) Foundation is run by a group of Bay Area women focused on securing America’s leadership in science by granting awards to top scholars pursuing graduate studies in the sciences, technology, engineering, math and medical research at seven Northern California universities