November 3, 1998, NIH Record, Vol. L, No. 22
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R E C 0 R Still The Second Best Thing About Payday Budding Young Scientists Aim HI H.t: 1 G H Life, Death and Everything in Between For the Stars Research Festival 12 a Big Draw By Kimberly C. Mitchell Ever heard a 10-year-old kid describe the Research Festival t was as if some giant had grabbed the NIH campus by the mechanics of jet propulsion? Or the Packs 'em In corner up near the firehouse on Old Georgetown Rd. and tilted principles behind refracted light? That's Iit so that everything slid helplessly toward the Natcher Bldg. what some Now THAT's a Oct. 6-9 as the twelfth version of Research Festival (originally youngsters Budget! only a daylong event) drew many can do after hundreds of NIH'ers to a ravishing feast spending 6 of intramural science. For a 3-day months in stretch, Natcher and its environs were to Eleven Elevate to science what Bethesda is to restaurants the AAAS Fellowhood Adventure a teeming smorgasbord of tasty possibili in Science ties. (AIS) It became almost comical, after a day or program. Get Ready for two, to see literally hundreds of pre-, Quality of Work . .... From post- and postpostdocs fleeing the , Life Week Dr. Rebecca Hackett helps a October to crowded morning plenary sessions for student prepare to measure March of one of dozens of workshops held in NASA Administrator the uptake of water and each year, various nooks and warrens within the nutrients through the root Daniel Goldin opens sprawling Natcher complex. All adopted these young session on origins of /ife. system of a plant. scientists, SEE FESTIVAL, PAGE 6 ages 8 through 15, attend Saturday sessions President Signs '99 Budget, Big Increase for NIH on such varied topics as heart function, As the Record went to press, President Clinton had just signed an SEE ADVENTURE, PAGE 8 omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 1999 that increases NIH's budget by Symposium Pays 'Glowing' Tribute 14.6 percent, or almost $2 billion. The total for NIH is $15.612 billion. A series of 6 continuing resolutions had enabled the agency to remain To Inventor Robert Bowman open during budget negotiations since Oct. 1. A more detailed budget story will appear in the Nov. 17 issue. By Deborah Noble Two and a half years after his death, Dr. SRO for Prions Robert L. Bowman, former chief of the Nobelist Prusiner Draws Homecoming Crowd NHLBI Laboratory of Technical Develop ifteen minutes before he was to take the podium to deliver ment, is being FNIA's annual Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging on Oct. 14, honored for his most neurologist Dr. Stanley Prusiner, last year's winner of the Nobel influential invention, Prize for physiology or medicine, had theAMINCO drawn so large a crowd that people were Bowman turned away at the Masur Auditorium spectrophotofluoro door. meter (SPF), which U.S. Department Inside the hall, the atmosphere attained popularized UV of Health and the sort of warmth NIH manages maybe visible fluorometry. Human Services half a dozen times a year. Precipitating A permanent exhibit l\ational Institutes conditions include a big-name visiting Dr. Bowman in the Clinical Center of I Jealth alumnus (Prusiner was a scientist in the opened recently with a day-long sympo- heart institute from 1969 ta 1972-a sium on the instrument's modern research November 3, 1998 PHS assignment he elected "instead of legacy. SEE BOWMAN, PAGE 7 Vol. L, No. 22 Dr. Stanley Prusiner SEE PRUSINER, PAGE 4 Eleven Named AAAS Fellows Eleven NIH'ers are among the 283 scientists recently elected by their peers to the rank of fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They will receive a certificate and rosette pin at the AAAS annual meeting in Anaheim, Jan. 23, 1999. The new AAAS fellows from NIH are: Drs. George W.A. Milne, Ira Pastan and Stephen J. O'Brien of NCI; Dr. Bernard Moss, NIAID; Dr. Anil B. Mukherjee, NICHD; Drs. Martin F. Gellert and David R. Davies, NIDDK; Dr. Story C. Landis, NINDS; Dr. Enoch Gordis, NIAAA; Dr. Lawrence E. "Paperless" Council Meetings-The National Advisory Shulman, NIH/OD; and Dr. Alexa T. McCray, NLM. Dental Research Council has begun conducting paperless The AAAS, founded in 1848, is the world's largest meetings by having members refer to council materials federation of scientific and engineering societies, online, essentially eliminating 10 books containing 500 with over 282 affiliated societies and 144,000 pages of summary statements and other printed material. members. The "fellows" distinction began 124 At the meetings, each council member is supplied with a years ago in 1874, and recognizes "efforts toward Have Work laptop computer, part of a specially created temporary network that allows independent access to the Internet. advancing science or fostering applications that are Related Pain7 By accessing a secure Web site called the NIDR Elec deemed scientifically or socially distinguished." Iii Do you have work tronic Council Reference Page, members can retrieve the related pain in agenda, concept clearances, en bloc voting list, the NIH Health Benefits Fair, Nov. 24 your neck, Electronic Council Book, and other materials. Summary statements are also available just by clicking on the In conjunction with the 1998 Federal Employees shoulders, arms or corresponding project number from the en bloc list. The hands? Do you Health Benefits Program Open Season, which runs site also eliminates the need to mail printed materials from Monday, Nov. 9 through Monday, Dec. 14, the work in an office prior to the meeting. environment, and Retirement and Benefits Service Center is sponsoring a Health Benefits Open Season Fair. The fair will be are you between Day Care Board Seeks Nominations ages 21-657 H so held in Wilson Hall, Bldg. 1 on Tuesday, Nov. 24 you maybe Since its inception in 1992, the NIH day care from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Representatives from most eligible to oversight board has sought co: ensure that day care of the plans that are available to NIH employees will participate in a programs and access to day care facilities are fairly be on hand to answer questions about their 1999 study of a new administered, identify areas of employee concern benefits. Iii approach to and recommend solutions and serve as a forum for reduce symptoms discussion of NIH day care issues. and improve The board is seeking volunteers to serve for a 3- function. St udy year term. Membership is open co federal employees N I H R f 0 R a involves six visits who work on the NIH campus or off-site facilities. Published biweekly at Bethesda, Md., by the Editorial Operations to Georgetown Currently, the board meets monthly for 2 hours. Branch, Division of Public Information, for the information of University Medical Attendance at these meetings is critical. Those employees of the ::-:ational Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Sen•ices. The content is reprinrable without Center and is free. interested in serving may self-nominate for member permission. Picrures may be available on request. Use of funds for You will also ship by sending a letter cosigned by their supervisor printing this periodical has been approved by the director of the receive up to $100 to the Director, DSFM, EPS/Suite 200. Include your Office of Management and Budget through Sept. 30, 1999. name, NIH mailing address, IC, branch, section, job for participating. If NIH Record Office Phone 496-2125 interested, call title and a brief biographical sketch. Also, describe Bldg. 31, Rm. 2B03 Fax 402-1485 (202) 687-3076. why you wish to serve on the board and specify any special concerns or interests related to day care. Web address Membership is an official duty and may be in http://www.nih.gov/news/NIH-Record/archives.htm cluded as a noncritical element on an employee's Editor The NIH Record reserves performance plan. Members are selected to be Richard McManus the righr 10 make representative of the diverse NIH population. [email protected] corrections> changes, or Voting members may not have a financial interest in deletions in submitted Assistant Editor copy in conformity with NIH-sponsored day care, except that they may have Carla Garnett the policies of the paper a dependent enrolled in NIH day care programs. [email protected] and HHS. For more information, contact Chris Steyer, 496- 0436 or Carol Wigglesworth, 402-5913. Iii U The Record is recyclable as office white paper. NIH Marks Quality of Work Life Week t's been over a year since Secretary Shalala kicked Center and chief organizer of the fair. "It is 'Service: Ioff the HHS Quality of Work Life initiative, and The rent we pay for living on this planet.' We feel over a year since NIH sponsored a Quality of Work this quote captures the spirit of the fair and the Life (QWL) week devoted to raising awareness week." about work and family life issues. From Nov. 16- The week's other events include a simulcast of 20, the spotlight will be on work and family life Secretary Shalala's Conference on Family Friendly issues again when NIH hosts its second Quality of Work Practices on Tuesday, Nov. 17, which will be Work Life Week. shown in Bldg. 31, Con£. Rm. 7 from 9 to 11 a.m. "The purpose of the first NIH Quality of Work Representatives from NIH will be participating in Life week was to introduce the NIH QWL strategy the secretary's conference, sharing the NIH experi and to elevate issues that employees face trying to ence with implementing family-friendly work balance work and personal responsibilities," said practices such as alternative work schedules and Marvene Horwitz, chair of the NIH QWL commit flexi-place work arrangements.