It should have been routine by now for a 30-year volunteer firefighter/ emergency medical technician from Thurmont, Md., but it wasn’t. That first night, as Ross Smith, IT security, looked across the Hudson River from Jersey City, N.J., he saw an unusually dark New York skyline.

Jim Stull, winner of the ninth annual Protective Services Chili Cookoff in January of last year, proved that he’s no one-trick pony; he brought a brand new recipe to the 2013 event and won again! And he did it decisively. His Black Bean ‘n Pumpkin Chili garnered 107 points; the second place winner netted less than half that with 52.

In the 1990s, when Joseph Mayo, D.V.M, ran out of gas leading coworkers home from a meeting in Bethesda, he pulled over to the side of the road on I-270 and waited for help. He didn’t have to wait long; within a few minutes a passing motorist took pity on the group of scientists and offered them a lift back to Fort Detrick.

Although Nancy Colburn, Ph.D., retired in January after 36 years at NCI, she won’t be disappearing from the NCI campus at Frederick anytime soon; she’s been appointed scientist emeritus in the Laboratory of Cancer Prevention, Center for Cancer Research.

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.