Dr. Roberta Diaz Brinton leads the Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona, a research / biotech ecosystem devoted to developing therapeutics for Alzheimerβs, Parkinsonβs, Multiple Sclerosis and ALS.
She has authored over 250 scientific publications, holds multiple patents, and founded 2 biotech start-ups. Her honors include Scientist of the Year from the Alzheimerβs Drug Discovery Foundation, Goodes Prize for Excellence in Alzheimerβs Drug Discovery, Arizona Bioscience Researcher of the Year and U.S. Presidential Citizens Medal, the highest civilian honor, for STEM education to advance underrepresented discoverers.
Age and Neurodegenerative Diseases β Itβs Not All Bad News
Age-associated neurodegenerative diseases are the second leading cause of death worldwide. As the global population ages, the prevalence and societal impact of these diseases will become ever greater β with annual costs in the US expected to exceed 1 trillion dollars by 2050.
The good news: Dr. Roberta Diaz Brinton and her team are addressing four neurodegenerative diseases of aging: Alzheimerβs, Parkinsonβs, Multiple Sclerosis and ALS. She and her colleagues at the University of Arizona Center for Innovation in Brain Science are conducting research to determine the underlying causes of age-associated neurodegenerative disease and developing therapeutics to prevent and treat these diseases. One of those programs of research has led to a clinical trial of the first regenerative therapeutic for Alzheimerβs disease to regenerate the brain http://regenbrain.org/.
Dr. Brinton will share her insights and exciting new research and efforts to prevent and treat neurodegenerative diseases of aging.
Lovely President MARGARET HIGGINS encouraged us to hit the delicious buffet early, featuring grilled chicken, fish, pasta, etc.! Yummy! We have an exciting, fully packed, sea of red room hinting at the upcoming theme and moved quickly to get to the main program. Pledge of Allegiance, skipped the song, and immediately slowed for a moment of somber silence for the passing of Mitch Pisikβs mother, Barbara Rubin Pisik, who was 89 year of age.
And then an uplifting inspirational moment by cheerful BRITTANY BATTLE encouraging BEAR DOWN in honor of our esteemed UofA guest speakers! The Tucsonans famous words to our local teamβs fight song sprang from the 1952 UofAβs Band Director Jack Lee from the infamous last words of then car accident injured team quarterback to his coach, to tell the team to Bear Down!
Calming DAN KALM thanked our numerous guests and for a full acknowledgement, had them all stand up so we could properly welcome them all at once with big applause! Lots of great looking folks, all encouraged to join our awesome club β love it!
MARGARET introduced βshipping means transport, not necessarily on boatsβ Port of Tucson Superman and member MIKE LEVIN who generously sponsored todayβs delicious Wildcat lunch meeting! The Port of Tucson started by MIKEβs Dad back in 1981 and remains a family business through incredible growth. Though not initially, Mike and his family caught Wildcat fever and are now season ticketholders to UofA basketball, football, track & field, etc. Love the support!
Past president and Wildcat Science guy BOB LOGAN immediately raised his already boisterous tone to shout out gratitude to the multiple UofA coaches in our audience. Their accomplishments enthusiastically underscored for us rabid fans! And then a similarly exciting introduction of the UofA President Robert Robbins who was greeted and welcomed with a standing ovation!
Visibly surprised by the very warm reception, President Robbins noted he wished more of the UofA faculty senate were there to witness! And he did not shy from the βelephant in the roomβ financial challenge the UofA faces. Since 1885 the UofA has periodically faced significant hurdles and overcome them all. He promised to condense his 42 slide presentation of their strategic plan to just half his time, to open it up to thoroughly answer any questions we have.
Prior to the recent financial deficit, President Robbins and his team put together a $3B capital campaign for which they have already raised $2.2B and expect to significantly exceed their fundraising goal. The capital is to support 5 pillars of their strategic plan: 1) Wildcat Journey (increasing already high student re-enrollment and graduation rates); 2) Grand Challenges (staying #1 in Astronomy / Planetary Science, Hydrology, Optical Sciences, Dance, and expanding); 3) Arizona Advantage (Hispanic & Native American studies); 4) Arizona Global; 5) Institutional Excellence (operational efficiencies).
President Robbins explained the 5% structural deficit of $177m arose from a lack of modern controls and tools. They hired Desiree Ree Francais who turned around similar problems at UNLV and who will do the same for the UofA. Budget deficits have happened in the past, notably in the 80s and 90s and the UofA survived and thrived after those as it will after this one. With questioning from our members, President Robbins explained further, the average in-state tuition is $5k and out-of-state $45k. Historically the UofA kept in-state low by encouraging and offering more financial aid to out-of-state students to subsidize in-state. But that model was over-used as the UofA simply grew in enrollment and top-heavy administration year after year. Todayβs deficit is a call to action to look at every administrative position, starting with numerous VPs down to Managers.
The UofA is the only university allowed to run NASA missions, twice! Most recently with the successful Osiris Rex mission that intercepted an asteroid, touched down, scooped a sample, and returned to earth. Goal of analyzing the samples is info on the two main questions of scientists: How did the universe start, and is there other life out there?
President Robbins expressed his profound gratitude to the generous alumni who continue huge financial support to retain key folks in the academic and athletic departments! On behalf of our beloved Rotary, BOB LOGAN invited President Robbins to become an honorary member!
Wildcat fan BOB LOGAN continued with introductions, rallying our audience with the re-play of a viral MC Hammer dancing video of our next guest showing off to his fellow coaches and team players at practice, Alonzo Carter! Not only did he once back-up dance for MC Hammer, but grateful Coach Carter was also Assistant Head Coach at San Jose State and at McClarens High School, he sold a 1987 Corvette to pay for his High School teams uniforms!
Coach Carter talked about his family and how connections through family and football, particularly in his career, lifted him further with opportunity. Consequently, he is big on giving back to the local community to carry that generosity forward. When asked if the Name Image Likeness politics would continue to hinder athletes participating at local charity events, he gave his cell phone number to the audience, saying he does not care about all that. If someone calls him, he will be there with 10 players! Coach Carter promised to βtake care of businessβ when it comes to playing that other AZ team a little north! His biggest challenge is roster retention, and he is ready to get the new players prepared!
President Robbins and Coach Carter signed βLetβs Play Footballβ for our Make Way for Books library. Avid 2-wheeled motor enthusiast DAN KALM did the raffle and I did not win. Which is my own darn fault, because I forgot to buy raffle tickets. Never again!
Past President JEN HOFFMAN and SEAN HOFFMAN revealed the Corvette and thanked MIKE ANDERSON and his family for securing another very cool Corvette for this yearβs car show raffle. I saw it parked outside and it is a beautiful burgundy red color convertible that my beloved and I would look awesome driving! Definitely buying some raffle tickets for that! And big thanks to all the other generous sponsors stepping up once again!
VIC JACOBS gave the update on March Madness and the winning teams and super outgoing JONI CONDIT is leading the members with new members! Way to go JONI! The winning team of our March Madness membership drive gets a private party in George Larsenβs garage among a beautiful selection of classic American rolling history!
Cheerful BRITTANY toasted the close of a particularly fun meeting with βBEAR DOWNβ !
Hello βAdopt a Roadβ volunteers! Now that I have completed my car show responsibilities π, I can move forward on launching the Adopt a Road program. Last week Lee, Jonathan, and Bruce met with a TCB contact to review our selected section of N Oracle Road (W River Road to W Wetmore Road).
The first cleanup will begin on Saturday, MARCH 9, 2024. Letβs meet in front of Fiesta Lanes Bowling (on River just west of Oracle) 501 W River Rd., at 7:15 am for a briefing and to hand out the equipment. The March date should give everyone time to plan and attend.
After 6 months of consistent clean-ups, we will receive a sign at the adopted site with our name The Rotary Club of Tucson. We can meet this requirement by cleaning up every other month or so. After each cleanup, we will submit a volunteer report.
For safety reasons, we are limited to 25 volunteers and NO ONE UNDER 18.
Tools and Supplies
Tucson Clean and Beautiful provides the necessary equipment to conduct the clean up e.g., safety vests, gloves, grabbers, trash bags, etc. I will pick supplies up this week.
You may want to bring your gloves and please bring your own water!
Thank you and YIR, Lee Olitzky, Jonathan Walkup, and Bruce Tunze
SAFETY GUIDELINE FOR VOLUNTEERS
β Wear toe covering shoes (no sandals)
β Long pants and long sleeves
β Gloves are recommended
β Bring sun hat and sunscreen
β Drink plenty of water
β Cell phone or headset use during clean ups is not allowed
β Do not pick up any of the following: medical waste, condoms, chemicals,
dead animals, hypodermic needles. If you encounter any of these
objects, please let your leader know (Leader may dispose this item safely
if you have already been briefed of how to dispose of them)
β Sharp objects such as broken glass may be collected with a broom/pan
or shovel by an adult
β Work in a group during daylight hours (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Saturday, March 9 - Tanque Verde Ridge Trail - 7:45AM meet time for 8AM start
This 3.1 mile trek is located in Saguaro National Park East. It is considered moderately challenging and can actually lead all the way to the top of Tanque Verde Peak for those seeking something a bit more challenging. We can certainly make the decision on how far to go on the day of hike.
I hope to see many of you there and more to follow!
SAN XAVIER MISSION: On the 2nd Wednesday, March 13th we plan to tour the San Xavier Mission. You will need to sign up at www.tucsonrotary.org under Upcoming Events no later than Wednesday March 6th. The tour takes approximately one hour and will start at 11:00 am. For those that would like to carpool there will be two locations. One at the Double Tree on Alvernon (South side near the ballrooms) and the other at the Tucson Mall just south of the Sears store. If you plan to carpool, please arrive by 10:00 with the cars leaving at 10:15. Please let me know if you will carpool and which location so no one is left behind. Brucejacobs58@gmail.com You will still need to sign up on Club Runner.
For those that have time for lunch after the tour we are suggesting BJβs or Olive Garden (Tucson Mall) and Locale or Portilloβs (near the Double Tree) but those going to lunch can decide on other locations if they would like.
The cost is a minimum donation of $5 at the mission. Please sign up early if you can. They need one docent for every 15-20 people so early sign-ups are appreciated.
San Xavier Mission, 1950 W San Xavier Rd, Tucson, AZ 85746
Arizona Trail Maintenance β Date: March 23rd, Workers Needed 12 β 20 workers: Time: Onsite from 8:30 β 2:00 PM. Carpooling: Available β see below, Food: Lunch provided by AZ Trail Association Tools & Training: Provided by AZ Trail Association Co-Leaders: Chuck Sawyer (csawyer2004@comcast.net) Phone (520) 780-2828 & Jim Garrett (jwelizabethllc@gmail.com), Phone (520) 299-3456
Good news, we have our Work project on the Arizona Trail scheduled! The coordinator at the Arizona Trail Association, Tasha Pontifex, was able to get us all working together on March 23rd.
Description of Work Project:
Rotarians and guests will provide maintenance on about a one-mile section of the Arizona Trail south of Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead and north of Sahuarita Road. Our goal is to ensure that section of the trail is in great shape for runners competing in an event scheduled for Mid - April. The work is across gentle terrain on an expertly built trail. We will make sure rocks and vegetation are off the trail. We will meet up and carpool at a location about an hour prior to the event starting. Final transportation details will be sent out the week before the event. Total time, expect to be at the event from 7:30 to 3:00, including travel. There is also talk of grabbing a drink or some food on the way home. In this project you get to work on the Arizona Trail, hike, and get credit for a Rotary work project all in one! As always when hiking: dress appropriately to the weather, wear boots and gloves, bring your sunscreen and have sufficient water and snacks.
So, if you can join us on Saturday, March 23rd, please email me and Jim back to confirm. For any additional questions call or email Chuck or Jim.
YIR, Chuck Sawyer, Arizona Trail Work Project Co-Leader Jim Garrett, Arizona Trail Work Project Co-Leader
WOULD YOU LIKE A PIECE OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL HISTORY FOR FREE?
Have you ever wondered what happens at Rotary International Conventions that take place annually in various places in the world? Here is your chance and to also read messages delivered at those conventions by inspiring people.
Here is a list of printed copies of Rotary International Convention Proceedings, the year of the convention, the location plus the name of one of the individuals who did a presentation at the convention and whose presentation is included in the book. Review the list and if you want one of these books, please contact Charlotte Harris (charharris@aol.com) and let her know the year of the book that you want.
1927 β Proceedings 18th Annual RI Convention β Ostend (2 copies) β Paul Harris
1928 β Proceedings 19th Annual RI Convention β Minneapolis (2 copies) β Paul Harris
1931 - Proceedings 22nd Annual RI Convention β Vienna β Paul Harris 1935 - Proceedings 26th Annual RI Convention β Mexico City β Paul Harris
1937 - Proceedings 26th Annual RI Convention β Nice, France β Paul Harris
1940 - Proceedings 31st Annual RI Convention β Havana β Paul Harris
1942 - Proceedings 33rd Annual RI Convention β Mexico City β Paul Harris
1948 - Proceedings 39th Annual RI Convention β Rio de Janeiro
1949 - Proceedings 40th Annual RI Convention β New York (2 copies)-Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
1952 - Proceedings 43rd Annual RI Convention β Mexico City β President of Mexico
1953 - Proceedings 44th Annual RI Convention β Paris β Leaders of France
1957 - Proceedings 48th Annual RI Convention β Lucerne β Helen Keller
1961 - Proceedings 52nd Annual RI Convention β Tokyo β Emperor of Japan
1964 - Proceedings 55th Annual RI Convention β Toronto β President, Univ. of the Philippines
1967 - Proceedings 58th Annual RI Convention β Nice
1968 - Proceedings 59th Annual RI Convention β Mexico Cityβ President, Republic of Mexico
1971 - Proceedings 62nd Annual RI Convention β Sydney
1975 - Proceedings 66th Annual RI Convention β Montreal β Gov./Comm.in Chief, Bermuda
1979 - Proceedings 70th Annual RI Convention β Rome β Prime Minister of Italy
1981 - Proceedings 72nd Annual RI Convention β Sao Paulo β Mother Teresa
March 2 (tentative) Make Way for Books painting project- LEAD: David Lovitt
March 9- Adopt-A-Road LEAD: Lee Olitzky
March 23- Arizona Trail clean-up LEAD: Chuck Sawyer
April 13- Triangle Y workday at the camp β LEAD: Kurtis Dawson
May 18- Camp Lawton Boy Scout Camp workday- LEAD: Don Riegger/Joe D
Weekly- ongoing- Reading Coaches- LEAD: Jon Wang
TBA- Community Food Bank- LEAD: Bobby Larson
If you havenβt signed up yet but would like to participate, please contact the lead.
Find more detail on the RCOT website under Service Projects.
Why participate?
Service Above Self
Camaraderie with fellow Rotarians
Making a difference feels good!
Why turn in your point sheets?
$50 gift card awarded to the Rotarian with the most points that month. Incredible year-end prizes including a week-long stay in San Carlos, 4 nights in Pinetop, an airplane ride over Tucson, weekend at the Ritz Carlton and El Conquistador, $500 gift certificate to Madaras Gallery, one hour medical massage.
We will be streaming our weekly meetings live via our YouTube Channel. We are encouraging you all to subscribe to our Channel in order to receive notices of when the meetings are streaming live. After the live meeting, this video will become a recording and immediately posted on our YouTube Channel. To view live CLICK HERE. You can also go to our Home Page of the Club website and click on the YouTube link on the right hand side of the page, or go to YouTube and search Rotary Club of Tucson.
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Dr. Roberta Diaz Brinton leads the Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona, a research / biotech ecosystem devoted to developing therapeutics for Alzheimerβs, Parkinsonβs, Multiple Sclerosis and ALS.
T introduced βshipping means transport, not necessarily on boatsβ Port of Tucson Superman and member MIKE LEVIN who generously sponsored todayβs delicious Wildcat lunch meeting! The Port of Tucson started by MIKEβs Dad back in 1981 and remains a family business through incredible growth. Though not initially, Mike and his family caught Wildcat fever and are now season ticketholders to UofA basketball, football, track & field, etc. Love the support!
Visibly surprised by the very warm reception, President Robbins noted he wished more of the UofA faculty senate were there to witness! And he did not shy from the βelephant in the roomβ financial challenge the UofA faces. Since 1885 the UofA has periodically faced significant hurdles and overcome them all. He promised to condense his 42 slide presentation of their strategic plan to just half his time, to open it up to thoroughly answer any questions we have.
The following new Active and Family Member applications have been submitted for membership in Rotary Club of Tucson:
Hello βAdopt a Roadβ volunteers! Now that I have completed my car show responsibilities π, I can move forward on launching the Adopt a Road program. Last week Lee, Jonathan, and Bruce met with a TCB contact to review our selected section of N Oracle Road (W River Road to W Wetmore Road). .jpg)
Freezing Order by Bill Browder
WOULD YOU LIKE A PIECE OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL HISTORY FOR FREE?
