2015 February

Be a Mentor and Experience the Excitement of Rediscovery

You don’t really know something until you can teach it to someone. Raul Cachau said he believes this is not only true in academia, but in research laboratories as well. He said that being a mentor means rediscovering things long taken for granted.

“It really forces you to rethink some of the things you do,” said Cachau, Ph.D., principal scientist, Advanced Biomedical Computing Center (ABCC). “It brings focus to many of the things that happen on a daily basis … There’s a positive impact to taking a fresh look at something.”

Scientific Investigators Retreat Brings Like Minds Together

Scientists throughout NCI gathered at the 2016 Intramural Scientific Investigators Retreat on Jan. 12, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, to discuss the results of their research with fellow investigators.

Several researchers who have made significant advances toward the goal of eliminating the threat of cancer spoke to a packed auditorium of like-minded experts. Speaker topics included the role genetics play in the risk of breast cancer, using fiberglass to...

Using Globus to Transfer and Share Big Data

By Ashley DeVine, Staff Writer, and Mark Wance, Guest Writer; photo by Richard Frederickson, Staff Photographer

Editor's note: This article was updated April 30, 2018.

Transferring big data, such as the genomics data delivered to customers from the Center for Cancer Research Sequencing Facility (CCR SF), has been difficult in the past because the transfer systems have not kept pace with the size of the data. However, the situation is changing as a result of the Globus project.

Scientists Discover New Possibilities at Scientific Investigators Retreat

By Nancy Parrish, Staff Writer; photos by Richard Frederickson, Staff Photographer

Scientists who attended the 2015 NCI Intramural Scientific Investigators Retreat on Jan. 13 had a chance to discuss research results with other investigators from across the National Cancer Institute. And this year, they could also explore new possibilities for the future of their research.

Winter Weather Tips: Understanding Alerts and Staying Safe this Season

By Jenna Seiss and Kylie Tomlin, Guest Writers, and Ashley DeVine, Staff Writer

Maryland residents face the possibility of dangerous winter weather each year—from icy conditions to frigid temperatures. You may be familiar with the different types of winter weather alerts issued by the National Weather Service (NWS), but do you know what each alert means?  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Emergency Preparedness and Response website provides information on the different types of winter weather alerts.

R&W Club Frederick Sews for Kids

By Carolynne Keenan, Contributing Writer

Sewing enthusiasts of all skill levels are invited to attend a sewing party hosted by the R&W Club Frederick on Feb. 18. Stop by the Building 549 Café Room between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to sew for a cause: help the club make pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer, a nonprofit organization that supports children in hospitals across the country.

Holiday Door Decorating Contest Brings Cheer

By Carolynne Keenan, Contributing Writer

Other than the time of year, what do the following have in common: the leg lamp from the movie “A Christmas Story,” a compilation of silly holiday jokes, a gingerbread house, and Santa on a motorcycle?

All four were among the individual door winners for the Holiday Door Decorating Contest, held at NCI at Frederick in December. Employees dressed up their office doors, hallways, and even stairwells to participate. Entries for the contest included individual office doors as well as groups. Some employees even “decked the halls” of whole office buildings to participate.

Experimental Lung Cancer Drug Shows Early Promise

By Frank Blanchard, Staff Writer

A first-of-its-kind drug is showing early promise in attacking certain lung cancers that are hard to treat because they build up resistance to conventional chemotherapy.

The drug, CO-1686, performed well in a preclinical study involving xenograft and transgenic mice, as reported in the journal Cancer Discovery. It is now being evaluated for safety and efficacy in Phase I and II clinical trials.

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.