When the pandemic shutdown began in March 2020, offices across NCI at Frederick and the Frederick National Laboratory quickly became ghost towns, as employees packed up and decamped to their newly set-up home offices. But for those engaged in scientific research—including efforts to combat COVID-19 itself—the need to safely work on-site became more critical than ever.

Sleep more, lose weight, eat balanced meals. This week these words are as familiar as an overplayed holiday carol as many of us once again make (and, all too easily, break) health-conscious New Year’s resolutions. But the staff in Environment, Health, and Safety and Occupational Health Services want us to add one more resolution to our lists for 2022. Thankfully, it’s easier: check the radon levels in our homes.

Picture this: a scientist works hard to make it through the interview process and accepts a job offer with NCI at Frederick. Filled with joy, she is eager to start right away. However, she has important steps ahead that can affect how soon her first day on the job will be. One is to obtain a PIV card.

They say two heads are better than one. Two detectives can close a case quicker, and twice the alarms means double the chance of making it to work on time. This is the exact logic that contractor Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (cCRADAs) embody.

A legacy is one of the grand aspirations in science. Whether it means giving knowledge or advancing the field, every scientist dreams of imparting a meaningful impact in some way. For Bruce Shapiro, Ph.D., NCI at Frederick’s newest scientist emeritus, the dream is a reality. The former senior investigator and section head in the RNA Biology Laboratory of the Center for Cancer Research has officially retired after more than 46 years at the National Institutes of Health. His musings on his career are humble, but his accomplishments are unmistakable.