IRP Life

A New Life for Lifesaving Data

Data sharing (e.g., via publication, collaboration, and repositories) ensures that data are used and published more broadly than they otherwise would be, promoting more rapid translation into biomedical and scientific advances, thus allowing American taxpayers who fund our research the opportunity to benefit more fully from our work.

Doctor Joan Han and patient, NIH Clinical Center

Keep the Body Fit for a Healthy Mind

Working in the lab requires a very active brain, every day. You need to be ready to face challenges, such as troubleshooting a single experiment or looking at the big picture of a collaborative project. Remembering to keep our bodies healthy helps keep our minds in a healthy state as well.

NIH Relay

MCAT Catharsis

Living a double life has always been an enticing, romantic idea. Take the heroic Peter Parker, for instance: gawky, geeky scientist by day; buff superhero Spiderman by night. Though not quite as glamorous, I too know the taste of duplicity created by two lives’ worth of responsibility.

MCAT books

Need a Mentor? FELCOM Can Help

Once you’ve earned that Ph.D. and are entering the first stage of a professional scientific career, the challenges are many—but you are not alone. A key resource available to NIH fellows in establishing their professional relationships is the Mentoring Committee, part of the Fellows Committee (FELCOM).

NIH Faces - FELCOM

Inspirations in Science and Medicine

You never know when inspiration will strike. I still remember the day that Dr. Francis Collins came to visit my high school genetics class. At that time, Dr. Collins was the director of the Human Genome Project, an international research program aimed at uncovering the genetic building blocks essential for human life. Imagine our recent excitement when Dr. Collins, now Director of the NIH, specially attended a reception for clinical fellows at the Clinical Center.

NIH Clinical Fellows Gathering, Collins, Gallin

Collaboration in the NIH Intramural Research Program

When we ran the “I Am Intramural” campaign several years ago we learned that one of the major reasons that scientists are so passionate about what they do here is their ability to collaborate with exceptional researchers. We heard from many that the ability to share ideas and engage experts to brainstorm across disciplines made a difference in their ability to advance their science to the next step.

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How I Joined the Rat Race

In college, a common student icebreaker is a game called “two truths and a lie.” A lucid memory of playing this game stands out for me: a very sweet and quiet friend had written down her three “facts,” one of which was that she had “fancy rats” for pets. I couldn’t understand how my docile friend could tolerate rats at all, much less “pet” rats. Surely, that must have been the lie, right?

Fast-forward a few years, and I am now happily working at the NIH in a position where rats are an integral part of what I do.

Researcher with rat

How to Thrive — Not Just Survive — in Science

Thrive. Originally from the Norse language, the word has evolved into the superlative of success. More than just doing well, it means to flourish, prosper, or bloom—words that set the bar very high in any profession, including science.

We believe that to thrive, you need to step outside what you already know and grasp what you don’t yet know—and to help you navigate that path we’ve compiled ten terrific tips for thriving as a scientist.

Karen Adelman and Lucy Williams, NIH NIEHS

Careers in Science Series: Going on an Academic Job Interview

Academic job interviews are actually pretty fun, but really tiring as most days are very long. The following is a typical schedule to expect for an interview:

Day 1

  • Morning:
    • Travel to interview location
  • Afternoon:
    • Meetings with Faculty Members
  • 6 – 9 p.m.:
    • Dinner with faculty members, probably the head of the search committee

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Who's an NIH Engineer to Call?

The engineers of NIH’s Building 7 covered the cinder block wall around the phone in the attic with important phone numbers.

NIH wall phone in situ