A diva-esque sweet 16 Twin sisters and founders of Surf Diva Coco and Izzy Tihanyi hosted a festive “Sweet 16” party at their store on 2160 Avenida de la Playa on Aug. 5 to celebrate the 16th anniversary of the La Jolla surfing school. District 1 City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner made a special guest appearance at the celebration to deliver a proclamation commending the business’ success and dedication to the community. Lightner also commented on the passion the twin sisters share for surfing and how they managed to succeed in a male dominated industry. “We are thrilled to be recognized by our City Council. It means the world to us,” said Coco. “It’s a great way to celebrate our sweet 16 anniversary and this is the frosting on the cake for us!” La Jolla Institute given high marks as a place of employment The La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology was recently ranked as one of the top 10 “Best Places to Work in Academia” by The Scientist magazine, marking the center’s second honor of its kind this year. Another award was given in April, naming it one of the top 10 “Best Places to Work for Postdocs,” according to surveys by the same magazine. “It’s obvious that something very right is going on at the La Jolla Institute,” said John Major, chairman of the institute’s board of directors. “These survey results are a reflection of the cutting-edge science and collegial environment that sets the Institute apart from many other research organizations.” Institute employees attribute the friendly, collaborative atmosphere, quality scientific research and culture of transparency and management responsiveness as reasons for being able to attract the highest caliber of researchers in the field. “I think everyone feels that the Institute is a little bit theirs, they are proud to be there,” said long-time faculty member Hilde Cheroutre. “We see the institute’s reputation growing and each one of us feels that we are all contributing to it. We feel part of its success.” The institute — one of the top biomedical research nonprofits in the world — focuses on improving human health by increasing understanding of the immune system, disease prevention through vaccines and the treatment and cure of diseases. To learn more about the institute, visit www.liai.org.