Puzzler Solution: Just Making an Observation

Editor’s Note: It looks like we stumped you. None of the puzzler guesses were correct, but our winner was the closest to getting it right. He guessed it was a sanitary sewer clean-out pipe, and that’s what the photo looks like, according to our source at Facilities Maintenance and Engineering. Please continue reading for the correct puzzler solution. 

By Ashley DeVine, Staff Writer

Public Access and Open Access: Is There a Difference?

By Robin Meckley, Contributing Writer, and Tracie Frederick, Guest Writer

Open access and public access—are they different concepts or are they the same? What do they mean for the researchers at NCI at Frederick?

“Open-access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. What makes it possible is the Internet and the consent of the author or copyright-holder,” according to an open access website maintained by Peter Suber, director, Harvard Open Access Project. 

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: “A Few Appropriate Remarks”

By Ken Michaels, Guest Writer

Editor’s note: Because Presidents’ Day is celebrated in February, we are honoring one of our nation’s greatest presidents and most skillful communicators.

In a recent article in the Poster, I mentioned that the words “I have a dream” are not to be found in the manuscript that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took to the lectern on Aug. 28, 1963, during the celebrated March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom demonstration. When he sensed that his prepared speech was missing the mark, he resorted to the “dream” speech, which he had given several times previously, albeit not on the national stage. The result was the speech now considered the greatest American speech of the 20th century.

Career and Technology Center Guides Students in Real-Life Careers

By Carolynne Keenan, Contributing Writer

Frederick County Public School students have a unique opportunity—a chance to get a real-world, hands-on experience in biomedical science and biotechnology before they even graduate from high school, thanks to the Frederick County Career and Technology Center (CTC).

Several years ago, the CTC established its biomedical sciences program with a curriculum from Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a nonprofit, nationwide developer of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in elementary, middle, and high schools.

NCI at Frederick Employees Honored at NCI Director’s Awards Program

By Nancy Parrish, Staff Writer

Nineteen staff members affiliated with NCI at Frederick or the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) were recognized at the 2014 NCI Director’s Award Ceremony for their outstanding contributions to advancing cancer research. The ceremony, held Dec. 1, took place at the NIH Natcher Conference Center, on the main campus in Bethesda.

Writing My Way to My Future

By Nathalie Walker, Guest Writer

Editor’s note: This article is the second in a series describing one student’s perspective on her experiences as a Werner H. Kirsten student intern.

“The future depends on what you do today.” Those wise words were spoken by Mahatma Gandhi. Before I started my Werner H. Kirsten (WHK) student internship, I did not know what I know now. I only knew what each of Gandhi’s words meant individually. I now understand the full meaning of the phrase. To me, Gandhi’s words mean that nothing in life is handed to you. You have to work hard today to get the results you want tomorrow.

How Asking a Very Basic Research Question Led Us to a Model for at Least Three Diseases

By Howard Young

Editor’s note: This article is adapted from Dr. Young’s January 12, 2015, post to the I am Intramural Blog of the Intramural Research Program.

When I started this project, it was not my objective to develop a model for any specific disease, nor did I even suspect that the ultimate result would be some insight into autoimmune disease. The basic research question I was asking was why there are sequences in the 3? untranslated region (3?UTR) of the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) mRNA that are more highly conserved than in the coding region of the gene.

Success of Breast Cancer Startup Challenge Inspires Second Challenge

By Thomas Stackhouse, Joseph Conrad, and Michele Newton, Contributing Writers, and Rosemarie Truman, Guest Writer

Sixty-one teams have been accepted into, and are now competing in, the Neuro Startup Challenge, a new collaboration established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with The Center for Advancing Innovation (CAI) and Heritage Provider Network, Inc.

The Latest Information on Fort Detrick Gate Access Procedures

As of Jan. 5, all visitors to Fort Detrick are required to undergo a National Crime Information Center background check prior to entering base. The background checks are conducted at Old Farm Gate. The new access procedures may cause delays at all Fort Detrick gates, but especially at Old Farm Gate.

Access requirements have not changed for employees and personnel with a federal/NIH PIV card. Other types of identification badges are no longer acceptable.

Chili Cookoff: Unique Ingredients Prove Successful in Ross Smith’s Big Pot of Chili

By Ashley DeVine, Staff Writer

If the past is any indication, judges at the Protective Services Chili Cookoff give high marks for chili recipes containing unique or uncommon ingredients. Previous winning recipes have included ingredients such as black beans, pumpkin, pineapple, pork loin, and even bourbon.

Judges at the 12th annual event, held Jan. 5, continued this tradition by voting for Ross Smith’s Big Pot of Chili, which featured three types of meat, four different sauces, baker’s chocolate, and parmesan rind.