Every summer, the NIH hosts about 1,100 interns with interests across the biomedical spectrum. After working full-time within labs and clinics of the Intramural Research Program, interns wrap up their summer at NIH by unrolling scientific posters for an end-of-season sharing session about their research.
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.
A panel of three genetic markers may help to identify patients with early-stage lung cancer who have a very strong likelihood of their disease returning after surgery, according to findings from a study by NCI researchers.
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.
The plaza in front of Building 1 was named for Paul G. Rogers, a Congressional representative from Florida also known as “Mr. Health.” The only outdoor honor for a lawmaker on the campus, the plaza pleased Rogers because of his interests in health and the environment.
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.
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).
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.
Most researchers have had conversations with non-scientist friends or family members that start with a seemingly innocent question: “So, what are you working on?” Answering directly can be a challenge, especially in basic biomedical research. What is the best way for scientists to share exactly what they’re studying, why, and how? NIH’s Three-Minute Talks (TmT) program just completed its second annual competition, aiming to help early career scientists develop the skills to wow and inform people they meet.
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.
