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Bldg. 10 Crestar Bank To Close Temporarily

Starting Monday, Nov. 29, the Crestar Bank located on the B1-level of Bldg. 10 will be temporarily shut down for approximately 1 week in order to perform asbestos abatement in the ceiling and install fire protection sprinklers. During this renovation, there will be no banking services offered except for ATM transactions. The Crestar Bank is scheduled to resume full operation starting Monday, Dec. 6. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Pamela Jenkins, 402-0878.

Quilt Showing Marks AIDS Day

The National Cancer Institute's Office of Diversity and Employment Programs is sponsoring the display of three sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in commemoration of World AIDS Day on Wednesday, Dec. 1.

The quilt is the largest ongoing community arts project in the world. Each of the more than 42,960 colorful panels in the quilt commemorates the life of a person lost to AIDS.

Panels are 3 feet by 6 feet in size. As the epidemic claims more lives, the quilt continues to grow.

Quilt sections will be on display through Dec. 8 in the following three locations:

• outside the NCI director's office on the 11th floor of Bldg. 31;
• in the lobby of Bldg. 31;
• in the lobby of the Executive Plaza Bldg.

NCI is encouraging employees to bring young people to view the quilt and discuss its significance. The theme for the 12th annual World AIDS Day is "Children and Young People: Listen, Learn, Live." More information on World AIDS Day is available at http://www.avert.org/worldaid.htm.

Lecture on Prostate Cancer, Botanical Medicine, Dec. 2

The Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Interest Group is sponsoring a lecture on "Botanical Medicines and Prostate Cancer," Thursday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Lipsett Amphitheater, Bldg. 10. Speaker will be Dr. Sophie Chen, research associate professor at the Cancer Research Institute, New York Medical College. She cofounded International Medical Research, Inc. in 1993 to develop natural products and recently founded NovaSpes, Inc., to engage in cancer research on botanical extracts. She holds 12 patents and has published 25 articles and two books, many concerned with herbal compounds for treating cancers, cancer pain and viruses. Chen has developed an herbal mixture called PC-SPES that is directly cytotoxic to some cancer cell lines and has antitumor activity in xenograph models of human prostate cancer. PC-SPES has also undergone early phase clinical trials in prostate cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and New York Medical College.

The presentation will be filmed and available on MBone and videocast.nih.gov.

ORWH Concludes 1999 Seminar Series, Dec. 2

The final program for the 1999 ORWH Women's Health Seminar Series, Women's Health Research for the 21st Century, will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 2 in the Natcher Conference Center. The 2-hour seminar will focus on "Mood Disorders and Women: Clinical and Treatment Issues."

The program will open with an overview by Dr. Mary Blehar of the National Institute of Mental Health. Other presenters and topics include Dr. Katharine Wisner, Case Western Reserve University, "Depression"; Dr. Lee Cohen, Massachusetts General Hospital, "Bipolar Disorder"; and Dr. Barbara Parry, University of California, San Diego, explaining "Premenstrual and Perimenipausal Mood Disorders." A question-and-answer period will follow.

The series is sponsored by the Office of Research on Women's Health. The 2000 seminar series will mark the 10th anniversary of the Office of Research on Women's Health and a decade of progress in women's health research. Topics will include AIDS, diabetes, stress, and heart and brain attacks. For more information, call 402-1770.

Memorial Set for David Rall, Dec. 3

There will be a memorial symposium for recently deceased Dr. David P. Rall in the Natcher Bldg. auditorium on Friday, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. Dr. Bernard Weinstein will deliver an address entitled "Molecular Mechanisms of Environmental Carcinogenesis; Recent Advances and Future Challenges." There will also be tributes by many of Rall's friends.

Wednesday Afternoon Lectures

The Wednesday Afternoon Lecture series — held (usually) on its namesake day at 3 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10 — moves up to 3:15 when Dr. Patrick O. Brown visits on Dec. 8; he is associate professor, department of biochemistry, and HHMI associate investigator at Stanford University School of Medicine. His talk, an NIH Director's Lecture, is on "The Living Genome."

On Dec. 15, Dr. Stephen C. Harrison will discuss "Viruses as Molecular Machines." He is Higgins professor of biochemistry and director, Center for Structural Biology, Harvard Medical School, and HHMI investigator at Harvard.

The series then goes on winter holiday until resuming Jan. 12.

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

STEP Holds Session on Predicting the Future of Medicine,
Dec. 9

The staff training in extramural programs (STEP) committee will present a Science for All session entitled, "Science Fiction to Science Fact: Predicting the Future of Medicine" on Thursday, Dec. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to noon in Bldg. 1,Wilson Hall.

Thirty years ago, scanning techniques and lasers were the stuff of science fiction. Come learn how "fictional" ideas of the past are shaping current medicine and what is predicted for the future. The featured speakers will be: Athena Andreadis, Harvard Medical School neuroscientist and author; Dawn R. Applegate, Advanced Tissue Sciences, who will discuss body repair and tissue engineering; Ann Carmichael, Indiana University infectious disease historian.

The session is free and open to all. Seating is on a space-available basis. One ESA credit is available for the session and attendance at STEP activities earns credit toward NIH grants management certification. Inform the STEP office about any need for sign language interpretation or reasonable accommodation by Dec. 3. For more information call 435-2769.

Mandoleers Give Concert, Dec. 12

The Takoma Mandoleers will present their sixth annual Holiday Concert on Sunday, Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. This free concert, open to the public, is sponsored by the Clinical Center rehabilitation medicine department and will be held in the 14th floor assembly hall, Bldg. 10. The Takoma Mandoleers, founded in 1923, is the oldest mandolin orchestra in the United States. The musical selections will include songs of the early 20th century such as classical, popular music, marches and ragtime. For more information call Bob Hammond, 435-5655, or evenings, (301) 990-6718.

Annual Sing-Along Scheduled, Dec. 12

The third annual Messiah sing-along will take place on Sunday, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10. Presented by the NIH Community Orchestra and the Bethesda Little Theatre, this popular event will feature the orchestra along with a chorus and soloists. Come prepared to sing your part or just listen and enjoy the music. Scores will be available for borrowing. The suggested donation of $10 will benefit NIH charities. For more information, visit http://www.gprep.org/~music/nih or call (301) 897-8184.

BLT Presents 15th Holiday Show, Dec. 16

For some joyful holiday spirit, plan to attend the 15th annual NIH Holiday Show presented by the Bethesda Little Theatre. The performance will be held on Thursday, Dec. 16 at noon in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10. Come and enjoy a variety of tunes in celebration of the season.

Along with the appearances of Ben Fulton as master of ceremonies, Nelva Reckert's novelty numbers and Gloria Newcomb's international flair, this year's show will also feature Michael Terence at the piano. The Bethesda Little Theatre is an R&W organization whose proceeds benefit NIH charities. The Holiday Show is BLT's gift to the NIH community in thanks for their support throughout the year. For more information, visit our web site at http://www.recgov.org/r&w/blt/.

Levine Delivers Falk Lecture

Dr. Arnold J. Levine, president of Rockefeller University, gave the 15th Hans Falk Memorial Lecture on Nov. 9 at NIEHS; his topic was "The Origins of Cancer in Humans." Levine also gave a seminar the following day on "The Regulation of the p53 Gene and Protein." Hans L. Falk, to whom the first NIEHS named lecture series is dedicated, was an internationally known environmental health scientist and one of the first members of the NIEHS scientific staff.

WHO, NIEHS Official Sign Memo of Understanding

A memorandum of understanding was signed recently to create a collaboration to analyze the percent of global disease associated with the environment and to share expertise for resolution of international issues in environmental health. Poonam Khetrapal Singh (l) from India is executive director of the World Health Organization's sustainable development and healthy environments group. Cosigner is NIEHS director Dr. Kenneth Olden.

Hundreds Gather for Retirement Fair

More than 750 NIH employees gathered information on planning for retirement at the NIH Retirement Fair sponsored recently by the quality of work life committee. The all-day event featured over 18 exhibitors including Legg Mason, National Association of Retired Federal Employees, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Montgomery County. At left, representatives from the Savings Bond marketing office show examples of their product information. At right, Fran Valentine of the Social Security Administration offers planning tips. Other presenters included the NIH Federal Credit Union, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, and OPM's Retirement and Insurance Service. The prevailing message seemed to be: "It's never too early to think about retirement and planning for your future!"

Toastmasters Celebrate 30th Anniversary

Members of NIH Toastmasters Club No. 3421 (Friday Noon Club, which meets in Bldg. 36, Rm. 1B11) dined at the Anchor Inn in Wheaton recently to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the club. Charter member Padman Sarma (holding plaque) was toasted (and roasted!) for his 30 years of continuous service. For information about joining the club, contact Mark Anderson at 496-7793.