The bureaucracy of Fort Detrick had transitioned from death to life. So said the Washington Post in October 1971, when President Richard M. Nixon converted the Army base’s old biowarfare laboratories into a center for life-saving cancer research. Many observers agreed it was an ambitious, hopeful vision. But what they didn’t know is that representatives from the Department of Defense and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) had been working on the transition for months.

NCI’s new director, Monica Bertagnolli, M.D., will be holding her first town hall meeting Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 11:00 a.m. If you want to be there in person, please register by Wednesday, Dec. 7.

At the height of the pandemic in March 2020, employees from across the National Cancer Institute at Frederick and the Frederick National Laboratory joined in the mass exodus from workplaces across the country, going to work from their homes in an effort to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Many FNL employees had never worked remotely, however. They had to rely on the expertise—and patience—of the Enterprise Information Technology (EIT) Directorate to help them transition from working on-site to working from home.

Four young trees will soon have a home on the NCI Frederick campus, thanks to the NCI Frederick Green Team. The group is hosting an event to plant them on Tuesday, Nov. 15, as part of an initiative to beautify the workplace and increase its ecological health. All employees are invited to attend and help.

NCI Frederick has a new reigning trivia champion. Alison Murphy, a third-year student at University of Maryland, took first place in the 15th Annual Scientific Library Student Jeopardy! Tournament.