Events

The Salk Institute celebrated its 21st annual Symphony at Salk with a love-themed program performed by Broadway luminary Kelli O’Hara and the San Diego Symphony led by guest conductor Maestro Thomas Wilkins. More than 700 donors and community supporters gathered in the courtyard to dine and hear melodies from Bernstein’s West Side Story to Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz. O’Hara ended the evening with I Could Have Danced All Night from Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady. La Jolla’s quintessential summer event raised more than $1.1 million for Salk’s mission of research and discovery.

The Salk Institute introduced the fourth season of its popular Science & Music Series in October with a concert by Sa Chen, one of China’s most celebrated classical pianists, and a presentation by Greg Lemke, Salk professor. In November, violinist Asi Matathias and pianist Karen Joy Davis paired with Martin Hetzer, Salk professor and chief science officer. Remaining concerts will be: January 22, February 12, March 12 and April 30. To learn more, visit www.salk.edu/music or call (858) 587-0657.

This summer, an elite group of high school students made Salk their home as they participated in the eight-week Heithoff-Brody Scholars Program, the flagship offering of Salk’s Education Outreach. Working side-by-side with Salk scientists in their labs, the teen scholars performed experimental work in plant biology, integrative genomics and computational neurobiology, to name a few research areas.

Salk Women & Science‘s fall program showcased the Institute’s core facilities and the innovation and technology they provide to support breakthrough science. More than 200 people filled the Conrad T. Prebys Auditorium in October to hear Manching Ku, Carolyn O’Connor and Sarah Dunn talk about how their work in these cores contributes to the future of human health and well-being.

Salk faculty Geoffrey Wahl and John Reynolds received a Patriotic Employer award in recognition of their support of Salk research administrative assistant Sally Ganley’s service in the United States Army Reserve. As a reservist, Ganley, who works in the labs of both Wahl and Reynolds, attends a Battle Assembly one weekend a month and annual training. Lt. Col. Bob Sulier of the Army Reserve thanked both professors and lab colleagues for supporting Ganley’s military service.