Research Festival Set, Sept. 25-28

The 20th anniversary NIH Research Festival takes place Sept. 25-28. The opening plenary session on “Chromosomes in Modern Biology and Medicine” begins at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25 in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10. Then events switch to the Natcher Bldg., where poster sessions and exhibits occupy the lunch hour, along with the festival’s food and music fair. That afternoon, six concurrent symposia on the theme Whole Genome Analyses are scheduled, followed by the FARE 2008 award ceremony at 4:15. Wednesday’s events include more poster sessions, more food/music and two six-packs of symposia, one on Organelle Trafficking and Dysfunction in Diseases and the other on Immunotherapy vs. Immunosuppression. The week wraps up with a job fair for postdocs on Thursday, and remarks on “The Future Direction of Biomedical Research,” by NIH director Dr. Elias Zerhouni at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and Friday also feature the annual Technical Sales Association exhibit tent. For more information, visit researchfestival.nih.gov.

NIH CFC Kick-Off Set, Oct. 4

Don’t miss the NIH Combined Federal Campaign kick-off on Thursday, Oct. 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the quad between Bldgs. 31C and 33. On hand for the premiere of the 2007 campaign will be local celebrities, charity representatives, food vendors and musicians. The theme of this year’s campaign is “Have a Heart. Be a Star.” Come out and see how you can help bring light into the lives of others this fall.

Palczewski To Give Sayer Lecture, Oct. 5

Dr. Krzysztof Palczewski, the John H. Hord professor and chair of pharmacology at Case Western Reserve University, will give the second annual Sayer Vision Research Lecture on Friday, Oct. 5 from 3 to 5 p.m. in Lipsett Amphitheater, Bldg. 10. His research interests include phototransduction enzymes, retinoids in vision and structural studies of G protein-coupled receptors. His topic will be “G Protein-Coupled Receptor Signaling in Phototransduction.” Dr. Jane Sayer, NIH research scientist, established the Sayer Vision Research Lecture and Award at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health in 2006 in partnership with the National Eye Institute to honor her family and the memory of her parents, Winthrop and Laura Sayer.

APAO Welcomes Award Nominations

The NIH Asian and Pacific Islander American Organization will continue its tradition of honoring employees with significant contributions in the following categories: an employee in the field of management who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of Asian and Pacific Americans; and an NIH APA researcher/scientist who has made significant accomplishments in biomedical research. Winners will be honored with a plaque from APAO at its annual holiday award luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 11 in Wilson Hall, Bldg. 1.

A review committee composed of APAO members from several institutes and centers will evaluate the nominations, which must be received electronically by Friday, Oct. 19 for consideration. To nominate someone, send a 1-page statement and, if applicable, a CV to Sally Hu (management nominations) or to Keiko Ozato (researcher/scientist nominations).

For more information about the awards or APAO, contact Prahlad Mathur, (301) 435-4618.

Principles of Clinical Research Class

Registration for the 2007-2008 “Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research” has begun. The course will run from Oct. 15 through Feb. 25, 2008. The deadline for registering is Oct. 5. Classes will be held on campus on Monday and Tuesday evenings from 5 to 6:30. There is no charge for the course but purchase of a textbook is suggested. A certificate will be awarded upon successful completion of the course, including a final exam. For more information or to register, visit www.cc.nih.gov/researchers/training/ippcr.shtml or call (301) 496-9425.

Yoga Meditation Held Weekly

Sahaja yoga meditation class is held every Thursday at 7 p.m. on the third floor of the CRC, Rm. 1608 North. Sahaja yoga seeks to awaken inner energy called kundalini. It can be practiced by people of any age and does not involve any physical exercise. The class, offered for free, is sponsored by the recreation therapy section of the rehabilitation medicine department. For more information contact Jasmin Salloum, (301) 435-7645.

Gottesman To Give Next Diversity Lecture, Oct. 2

Dr. Michael Gottesman, NIH deputy director for intramural research, will speak at the NIH Diversity Seminar Series on Tuesday, Oct. 2 from 1 to 2 p.m. in Wilson Hall, Bldg. 1. Sponsored by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management, this will be the second lecture in the series on valuing diversity. The seminars are a tool for incorporating concepts of diversity into the workplace and a resource for managing a multicultural workforce. All are encouraged to attend. Sign language interpreters will be provided. For more information, call (301) 451-0478. Individuals who need reasonable accommodation should call Carlton Coleman at (301) 496-2906 or the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

Grad Student Festival Set, Oct. 11-12

The NIH National Graduate Student Research Festival will be held Oct. 11-12. This is a recruiting effort that will bring 250 advanced graduate students to the Natcher Bldg. with the intent of placing them in postdoctoral positions in the Intramural Research Program. Competition to participate is intense; in 2006, 964 applications were received. The festival includes poster presentations by festival participants; plenary sessions that address NIH and how it works, resources for postdoctoral fellows at NIH and experiences of former NIH postdoctoral fellows; scientific sessions highlighting research in the IRP; tours of campus and specialized research and clinical facilities; interviews with NIH investigators; and informal opportunities to interact with current NIH trainees. The festival, organized by the Office of Intramural Training and Education, was conceived to publicize the postdoctoral research opportunities here. It has proven to be an effective mechanism for allowing NIH investigators to interview outstanding postdoctoral candidates face-to-face.

Braveman’s 66th Benefits Children’s Inn
Dr. Norman Braveman (r), special assistant to the NIDCR director, found a novel way to celebrate his 66th birthday on Sept. 1. He invited some friends to join him on a bike trip from the Children’s Inn at NIH to Mt. Vernon and back, a distance of 66 miles. Not everyone in the party made the entire circuit, but Braveman donated a dollar to the inn for every mile ridden. “According to my calculation, we totaled 381 miles,” he said. “In addition, some other friends who couldn’t make it have given me checks totaling another $220 and I have inquiries from others who want to know how to [donate].” Braveman, who has been at NIH for more than 27 years and has returned to athletic pursuits following hip replacement surgery, has collected more than $600 for the inn. Among those who pedaled with him were Dr. James Anderson (above, l) of NIGMS and Jules Asher of NIMH (r). Along for a portion of the journey was NIDCR deputy director Dr. Isabel Garcia and her family, including 10-year-old son Adam.
Selden Gets Gold at National Championships Dr. Chuck Selden, NIH extramural staff training officer, won 5 gold medals and 1 bronze at the U.S. Masters National Rowing Championships held Aug. 9-12 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. He competed mostly in the age group 55-59 as a member of a group of world-class rowers known as Occoquan International. His most important win, he reports, was in single scull—his first victory in the event since 1990. That earned him a “perpetual” trophy engraved with his name that he gets to keep for a year. His other events included double scull, quadruple scull, pair-oared shell and two races in 8-oared shell.

EXTRA! Get NIH Record Email Updates
Want to know when the Record’s fresh off the presses? Subscribe to our new email list and receive alerts to our latest issue—plus top headlines and links to our online edition—right on your desktop. To get the updates, simply send an email to listserv@list.nih.gov with “NIHRECORD” in the message body.