NCI Launches Web-based 'Greensheets'

The National Cancer Institute has developed a web-based module that will replace the paper grant checklists, or greensheets, that are used to document the review of a grant. This new application has transformed the traditional paper-based checklists into web-based forms that can be completed, submitted and reviewed by all participants electronically. The electronic checklists are due to be released April 2004.

Having a set of standard checklists helps NCI extramural staff carry out their jobs and ensures that grantees are treated consistently and are being held to the standards appropriate for the type of award/funding mechanism being reviewed.

The checklists display only those questions pertinent for a given type and mechanism of grant and are further tailored specifically for use by grant or program staff. The checklists will help NCI extramural staff review a complex portfolio of grants that encompasses over 50 different funding mechanisms and 12,000 grant actions.

The NCI Greensheets application development was initiated and funded through the institute information systems advisory group. It is a part of the NCI Extramural Enterprise suite of business applications and databases.

'Share the Health' Expo Set, Apr. 24

"Share the Health: NIH's Premier Health and Fitness Expo" will be held on Saturday, Apr. 24 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd. East, Silver Spring.

Sponsored by the NIH Office of Community Liaison, the event promotes community health through the prevention of disease. Share the Health allows people of all ages to learn, experience and discover new ways to lead a healthier life.

Local hospital staff will offer free health screenings to help community members discover if they are at risk for stroke, high blood pressure, skin problems, osteoporosis or obesity. NIH information officers will provide the latest in NIH health research through a variety of fun and interactive exhibits.

For more information or to register for this free event, call (301) 650-8660 or visit http://sharethehealth.od.nih.gov.

FEW Hosts Investment Talk, Apr. 13

Federally Employed Women, Bethesda chapter, welcomes Susan Ferris Wyderko, director of the Office of Investor Education and Assistance at the Securities and Exchange Commission, to its brown bag meeting on Tuesday, Apr. 13 from noon to 1 p.m. in Bldg. 31 Rm. 6C06. Wyderko will present "Invest Wisely and Avoid Fraud." Her presentation will include discussion of Internet tools to assist you in handling your investments and practical steps to become a more informed investor. She will also answer questions. All are welcome to attend. Sign language interpreters will be provided. Those who need other reasonable accommodation to participate should call Allyson Browne, (301) 451-0002, and/or the Federal Relay (1-800-877-8339) by Apr. 12.

Toastmasters Host Horn Speech

The NIH Evening Speakers Toastmasters Club, which is devoted to helping NIH'ers and others improve their public speaking skills, sponsored a speech recently by Sam Horn, an internationally known speaker and author of the book, Tongue Fu! (martial arts for the mind and mouth). Her speech provided tips on how to deal with difficult people and handle hassles with humor. Club Vice President Jeff Cohen (l) is shown presenting an award to Horn. The club meets in Bldg. 10, Rm. 2C116 (Medical Board Rm.) on the second and fourth Tuesdays, 7:30 to 9 p.m. Visitors and new members are welcome.

Wednesday Afternoon Lectures

The Wednesday Afternoon Lecture series — held on its namesake day at 3 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10 — features Dr. Charles Weissman on Apr. 7; his topic is "Transmission of Prions." Weissman is professor, senior research scientist, MRC prion unit, University College, London.

On Apr. 14, Dr. Rolf M. Zinkernagel will give the NIH Director's R.E. Dyer Lecture on "Antiviral Immunity and Vaccines." He is 1996 Nobel laureate in medicine, and professor and director, Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich.

For more information or for reasonable accommodation, call Hilda Madine, (301) 594-5595.

NIEHS Journal Moves to Open Access

NIEHS's scientific journal, Environmental Health Perspectives, has switched to open access, providing published material online free of charge. The change took place Jan. 1, the same time the journal launched its revised web site at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/. Visitors to the revised site will be able to access 30 years of EHP research (www.ehponline.org). EHP officials are finalizing arrangements to add another essential feature of the open-access model by depositing EHP research content into a public digital library archive where the material can be searched and retrieved using PubMed Central. The print version of the journal, meanwhile, continues to be delivered to subscribers and is available in nearly every country.