Courtesy of the FNL Green Team

Melissa Porter, who recently joined the staff of Craig Reynolds, Ph.D., director, Office of Scientific Operations, as administrative manager, has stepped forward to lead the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL) Green Team in its efforts to promote a “green” work environment. “I am excited to lead the FNL Green Team and have been impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment of the FNL Green Team,” Porter said.

By Andrea Frydl, Guest Writer

The Employee Diversity Team (EDT) is looking for bright, talented, and committed Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL) employees—both government and contractor—who want to share in the team’s mission.

EDT’s mission is to create opportunities, sponsor activities, and develop outreach and educational initiatives to:

By Karen Surabian, Thomas Stackhouse, and Jeffrey Thomas, Contributing Writers, and Bruce Crise, Guest Writer

Advancing scientific discovery is increasingly dependent on diverse and innovative partnerships, and the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) is an essential tool for establishing partnerships. CRADAs allow a federal laboratory to enter into collaborative research and development (R&D) projects with outside parties (commercial or nonprofit).

By Ashley DeVine, Staff Writer

Student intern Sam Pritt’s interest in improving geolocation led him to develop a project that won a top regional prize at the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology in November.

Pritt was awarded a $3,000 college scholarship, and he competed in the national competition in early December.

By Andrea Frydl and Kristine Jones, Guest Writers, and Ken Michaels, Staff Writer

On October 10, U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski and Congressman Chris Van Hollen, both from Maryland, toured the Advanced Technology Research Facility (ATRF), accompanied by NCI Director Harold Varmus, Chief Technology Officer Atsuo Kuki, and other FNL leaders.

Mikulski toured several Maryland scientific and biotechnology organizations recently, and the ATRF was on her list of places to visit.

By Carolynne Keenan, Guest Writer

Robert Blumenthal, Ph.D., is a nanotechnology and cell membrane expert at Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL)—just as you would imagine someone with more than 40 years of experience in biomedical research would be.

Blumenthal started his career as a principal investigator (PI) at NCI in Bethesda, but since 1997, he has called FNL (formerly NCI-Frederick) his home.

By Carolynne Keenan, Guest Writer

Forty years ago, a single act by former President Richard Nixon created what we now know as the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL) at Fort Detrick. What began as a small facility with a staff of about 20 people in the early 1970s grew into the multi-facility, nationally distinguished laboratory for cancer research that it is today.

By Frank Blanchard and Ken Michaels, Staff Writers

Behind each tall, black computer rack in the data center at the Advanced Technology Research Facility (ATRF) is something both strangely familiar and oddly out of place: It looks like a radiator.

The back door of each cabinet is gridded with the coils of the Liebert cooling system, which circulates chilled water to remove heat generated by the high-speed, high-capacity, fault-tolerant equipment.

By Nancy Parrish, Staff Writer

The physical proximity of the SAIC-Frederick Intellectual Property (IP) Office to the NCI Technology Transfer Center (NCI-TTC) is one of the many benefits of being at the Advanced Technology Research Facility (ATRF), according to Courtney Silverthorn, Ph.D. Being in one location “has increased the effectiveness of both informal communication and formal meetings. We have already brainstormed solutions for several issues in the hallway during an informal chat,” said Silverthorn, an SAIC-Frederick IP specialist.

By Ken Michaels, Staff Writer

The Biopharmaceutical Development Program (BDP) at the Frederick National Laboratory is, for the first time ever, in a single building at the Advanced Technology Research Facility (ATRF).

At Fort Detrick, BDP operations were spread out in about a dozen buildings, resulting in redundancies in maintaining various utilities (air handlers, clean steam, WFI, etc.) for multiple buildings rather than one.