CFC Season Has Started at NIH

Be an NIH Star, Caring for Your Community. Look for CFC events throughout the next 3 months. Oct. 16 – IC Directors’ Challenge (in front of Bldg. 1) Oct. 30 – R&W Charity Fair (Bldg. 31 patio) Nov. 6 – Rockledge event (to be determined) Nov. 13 – Neuroscience event (tbd) For more information and for event locations, go to the CFC web site (http://cfc.nih.gov/) or send an email to nihcfc2008@mail.nih.gov.

NIH CFC deputy coordinators learn more about a local charity before their CFC training on Sept. 9.

APAO Solicits Award Nominations

The NIH Asian and Pacific Islander American Organization will continue its tradition of honoring NIH employees in the following categories:

An NIH’er in management who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of Asian and Pacific Americans (APA).

An NIH APA researcher/scientist who has made significant accomplishments in biomedical research.

Awardees will be honored with a plaque of recognition from APAO at its annual holiday awards luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 16 in Wilson Hall, Bldg. 1. A review committee composed of NIH CFC deputy coordinators learn more about a local charity before their CFC training on Sept. 9. APAO members from several ICs will evaluate the nominations.

All nominations must be received electronically by Friday, Oct. 31 for consideration. To nominate, send a 1-page statement and if applicable a CV to Ihsia Hu, NLM (first category) hui@mail.nlm.nih.gov, (301) 435- 7062 or Dr. Paul Liu, NHGRI (second category) pliu@mail.nih.gov, (301) 402-2529.

Questions about the awards or APAO’s mission may be directed to NIH APAO President Lucie Chen, Chenl@mail.nlm.nih.gov or (301) 496-5684.

Research Festival Spotlights Obesity

The costly, debilitating escalation of U.S. obesity levels offers a timely and relevant theme for the kick-off of this year’s NIH Research Festival, scheduled for Oct. 14-17. “Obesity: A Growing Energy Crisis” is the theme of the opening plenary session, scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 14, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10.

Obesity affects more than 24 million Americans and is a key cause of health disparities among minority populations. Another 57 million Americans may have pre-diabetes. The disease increases an individual’s risk of developing other serious conditions, including heart disease and stroke. Diabetes affects multiple organ systems and is a leading cause of death in both the developed and developing world. A complex array of factors, including genetics and lifestyle, may contribute to the onset of diabetes. As individuals take in more calories than they may be able to burn, the result may be a chronic energy imbalance. Our understanding of the mechanisms regulating this imbalance continues to improve, paving the way for more effective preventive and therapeutic approaches.

Plenary symposium chair Dr. Clifton Bogardus III of NIDDK will give a presentation titled, “Why Are Some People Obese? Studies of the Pima Indians.” Other presentations will include “Pediatric Obesity: Causes and Consequences,” by NICHD’s Dr. Jack Yanovski; “The Role of Brain Reward and Memorizing Circuits in Obesity,” by NIDA director Dr. Nora Volkow; and “Closing the Energy Gap: Treatment Strategies for Obesity,” by Dr. Monica Skarulis of NIDDK.

To remind symposium attendees that a healthy diet and exercise can reduce the risk of developing diabetes, Research Festival organizers are serving a healthy continental breakfast to attendees beginning at 9 a.m.

Complete festival information, including contact information and listings of sessions, posters and exhibits, is available at http://researchfestival.nih.gov.

Innovation Takes the Stage in NIMH Speaker Series

Peter Schwartz speaks, Oct. 16.

Starting Oct. 16, NIMH will kick off the third year of its NIMH Director’s Innovation Speaker Series. Conceived as a medium for encouraging transformative, breakthrough science, the series offers a unique perspective on doing biomedical research in the 21st century.

“The response to the innovation series has been very encouraging,” said Dr. Thomas Insel, NIMH director. “We hope these talks can help stimulate paradigm shifts in our science by reminding all of us that breakthroughs often require new ways of thinking and cross-disciplinary approaches.”

A diverse group of innovators and leaders within their fields—including neuroscience and health policy, business, law and technology— have been invited. The lectures aim to stimulate interdisciplinary thinking in the development of scientific initiatives and programs and to press for leaps in science over incremental thinking.

All lectures will be held in the Neuroscience Center, Conf. Rms. C & D, at 3 p.m., except where noted. For more information, contact Dawn Smith at smithdaw@mail.nih.gov or (301) 451-3957.

Oct. 16, Peter Schwartz, cofounder and chairman, Global Business Network.

Nov. 3 at 1 p.m., Dan Ariely, James B. Duke professor of behavioral economics, Duke University.

Dec. 16, Rosalind Picard, director, Affective Computing Research, MIT Media Laboratory.

Jan. 15, 2009, Robert Sternberg, dean, School of Arts and Sciences, Tufts University.

Feb. 26, Robert Sapolsky, John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn professor, department of biological sciences, Stanford University.

Mar. 26, Gene Robinson, G. William Arends professor of integrative biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Apr. 21, Emery Brown, professor of computational neuroscience and of health sciences and technology, Harvard/MIT.

May 21, Charis Eng, Sondra J. & Stephen R. Hardis endowed chair of cancer genomic medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.

Third Annual Sayer Lecture, Oct. 20

Sayer Vision Research Award winner Dr. Sally Temple is studying the generation of diverse cell types of the adult CNS by embryonic neural progenitor cells.She was recently named a 2008 MacArthur fellow.

On Monday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. in Lipsett Amphitheater, Bldg. 10, the Sayer Vision Research Lecture and Award will be given by Dr. Sally Temple, professor at Albany Medical College. Her talk is titled “Stem Cell Potency—Finding Embryonic-like Cells in the Aged Adult Retina.”

Temple is studying the generation of diverse cell types of the adult central nervous system (CNS) by embryonic neural progenitor cells. These studies may lead to therapies for neurodegenerative disorders and neural tumors. Temple has designed a culture system where single CNS progenitor cells can divide and differentiate into clones of neurons and glial cells. This has led to the identification of different classes of progenitor cells in embryonic forebrain including multipotential stem cells that could prove significant in brain development. The focus of future studies will be on the molecular mechanisms regulating division and differentiation of brain progenitor cells.

The Sayer Vision Research Fund supports a lecture by a scientist of national or international prominence in a discipline with relevance to vision research. Soon, it will also support an award to a promising new investigator in vision research within the intramural NIH community. The winner of the award will receive a grant-in-aid for his/her current research and will be asked to present the next Sayer Vision Research lecture.

The Sayer lecture and award was established in 2006 by NIDDK research scientist Dr. Jane Sayer to honor her family and the memory of her parents, Winthrop and Laura Sayer.

Appointments to NIH Child Care Board

Three new members were recently appointed to the NIH child care board, along with another three who were re-appointed.

New members Rosalind King, NICHD; Brian Rabin, NIGMS; and Shelly Schully, NCI, began their terms at the Sept. 11 child care board meeting. Members re-appointed for an additional 3-year term include Dr. Valerie Durrant, CSR; Susan Persons, OD; and Hillary Fitilis, CC.

The board advises the NIH director on child care programs and issues and promotes affordable, accessible and quality child care and related services for all NIH employees. For more information about the board, including a schedule of meetings, visit http://does.ors.od.nih.nih.gov/childcare/childcare_board.htm or call the ORS Division of Amenities and Transportation Services at (301) 402-8180.