• Jessica Aszodi, 24, of La Jolla was the first-place winner in the vocal category of the Jan. 29 La Jolla Symphony & Chorus (LJS&C) Young Artists Competition. The soprano is a graduate student of music at the University of California, San Diego and recent transplant from Australia, where she has performed as a soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra and Victorian Opera, among others. “It is wonderful for me to have this opportunity to get involved with the La Jolla Symphony, as it is my first connection to a musical organization beyond UCSD here in the states,” said Aszodi. “I think it’s really important to put down roots in the wider community when one lives in a place. It helps establish a feeling of home.” Winners also include La Jolla horn player Nicolee Kuester, 23, who was awarded first place in the instrumental category. Kuester is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio and now studies music at UCSD on a full-tuition graduate fellowship. First-place winners received an award of $1,500 each, along with an opportunity to perform as a soloist with the LJS&C on a future concert season. Second place in the instrumental category went to clarinet player Curt Miller, 23, of La Jolla. • Renowned biochemist Michael A. Marletta, Ph.D, was recently named the next president of The Scripps Research Institute. He will succeed President Richard A. Lerner, M.D., who has led the institution for 25 years. Marletta has held many titles: former chemistry department chair, co-director of the chemical biology graduate program, Aldo DeBenedictis Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and professor of biochemistry in the molecular and cell biology department at the University of California (UC), Berkeley. He will join the Scripps Research faculty on July 1 and take on the seat of president and CEO on Jan. 1. “We are thrilled Michael is assuming this important role,” said Dick Gephardt, president and CEO of Gephardt Government Affairs and lead trustee of the Scripps Research Board of Trustees. “We are confident Michael’s leadership and vision will ensure the Institute’s continued preeminence in biomedical research and graduate education.” Like the Scripps Research Institute as a whole, Marletta — a former recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship — has focused his research on the intersection of chemistry and biology. He is acknowledged as a pioneer in discovering the role of nitric oxide, a critical player in communication between cells. • Barbara Bry of La Jolla has been named a 2011 Black History Month Local Hero by KPBS as part of its cultural diversity partnership program. Bry is an entrepreneur who uses her passion and business savvy to level the playing field for women and girls, especially in conventionally male fields. She is responsible for the foundation of San Diego Athena, the leading organization for local women in the technology and life sciences fields. She also supports her community by contributing to organizations such as Voice of San Diego, CONNECT, Run Women Run, Planned Parenthood, San Diego’s Jewish Women’s and Community foundations, Rotary Club 33 and Women Give San Diego.