ORS News2Use

Ever wonder how existing buildings are modified and outfitted with security systems? Or how new construction is completed to address potential security concerns? The Division of Physical Security Management (DPSM) was established to ensure that physical and engineering security initiatives at all NIH facilities work in concert to provide the most secure environment possible for the NIH community.

When the off-campus NIH Childcare Center, Executive Child Development Center, renewed its lease, DPSM did a walk-through and conducted a risk assessment to identify existing vulnerabilities. Afterwards, cost efficient and effective recommendations were proposed in compliance with all federal requirements. These findings were shared with the Division of Amenities and Transportation Services (DATS) and the Office of Research Facilities (ORF) Real Estate Branch. Negotiations then took place with the General Service Administration (GSA), Federal Protective Services (FPS) and the building owner to make necessary upgrades to comply with federal mandates ensuring the protection of building occupants and property for leased space. Risk assessments have become increasingly more important to NIH-owned and leased facilities given the recent increase of local and national active shooter incidents.

The DPSM is responsible for ensuring that all NIH facilities, owned or leased, are in compliance with federally mandated physical security requirements with the mission to mitigate current and emerging threats by balancing high-quality, cost-efficient yet effective security systems that operate seamlessly with emergency responders. These security systems include, but are not limited to:

• Access control devices such as card readers, biometric devices and secure locking systems
• Electronic surveillance and video recording systems
• Intrusion detection and alarm systems
• Blast mitigation techniques, pedestrian and vehicle barriers
• Facility and perimeter protection measures
• Other specialized security systems

For additional information or to request assistance from DPSM, please send your inquiry to DPSM-ServiceRequest@mail.nih.gov or call (301) 443-7287.

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new kid on the block and it’s anything but your “Average Joe.” With support from the Division of Amenities and Transportation Services (DATS), Eurest Dining Services re-opened the new Café last spring and has been able to deliver a robust program never seen before at Building 1.

Proudly serving Pura Vida coffee, which is Fair Trade, Organic Certified, and Shade Grown, the menu offers a plethora of choices including hot and iced coffee drinks and espresso, smoothies, and a gourmet bakery case full of tasty treats like pumpkin yogurt muffins, blueberry scones and chocolate croissants. And there’s more. A variety of breakfast sandwiches are offered daily, served hot or cold, for a more substantial start to your day. Better-for-you options like fresh fruit, yogurt, and oatmeal cups, are just a few more reasons to add this hot spot to your morning routine.

Aside from friendly service and comfy lounge seating, there are plenty of reasons to come back for lunch. Quick grab options include a variety of ON-THE-GO salads, sandwiches, wraps and paninis (you can ask for them heated), as well as fresh sushi made daily and an Au Bon Pain soup of the day.

Eurest will roll out a new frequency card program in November during a week-long “open house” that will offer free samples, discounts and a chance to win a variety of prizes.

For additional information, please contact John Crawford, Director of Food Services, Retail and Concession Programs at (301) 402-8180 or visit the NIH Food/Concession Program Services page at: http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/food.

All potentially hazardous biological materials must be registered with the Office of Research Services, Division of Occupational Health and Safety (DOHS) and included in your inventory. This includes pathogens, toxins, blood and body fluids, and primary tissue samples.

Check your freezers and other storage areas for unregistered potentially hazardous biological materials. If you find unregistered material, submit a Pathogen Registration Document to DOHS.

Next, update your record online in the NIH Central Inventory at http://go.usa.gov/xkYZb. Principal Investigators can add materials to the NIH Central Inventory themselves or make other changes by contacting DOHS. If you’re leaving NIH or no longer need your material, make sure you document the transfer or disposal of your material(s) with DOHS and your Institute.

Biosafety is everyone’s responsibility. Be responsible and make sure your biological inventory is current!

For information on this or other safety related programs, please contact DOHS at (301) 496-2960 or visit http://go.usa.gov/xCCae.

It’s important to know which service to use if you need documentation for an important letter or parcel. The terms “registered” and “certified” are often used interchangeably, but are actually for very different services.

Certified mail provides a mailing receipt, a trackable number and proof of receipt. It is often used for legal documents and other mail items requiring provable delivery by a specific date.

For a higher fee, registered mail provides the services of certified mail and additional protection for items that are irreplaceable or have monetary value. Registered mail may currently be insured for up to $25,000. A well-known example of when registered mail was selected was when the Hope diamond was shipped to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 and was insured for $1 million (http://postalmuseumblog.si.edu/2012/11/delivering-the-hope-diamond.html.

By adding a USPS return receipt (the PS Form 3811 “green card”) to either a certified or registered mail piece, the sender will receive the card back in the mail after delivery, with a hand-written signature and date of delivery.

For more information or questions regarding mail services, please contact the Division of Mail Management Services at (301) 496-3586.

Since autumn is here and cold weather is once again upon us, now is an excellent time to conduct a home safety check of your heating equipment, fireplaces and smoke alarms. The Division of the Fire Marshal (DFM) recommends the following:

• Check to make sure that all noxious gases vent directly outside by ensuring your furnace flue has no cracks, gaps or blockages.
• Check the firebox and chimney in your fireplace for cracks in the mortar.
• Protect an unlined flue with a fire-safe masonry wall or by installing a stainless steel exhaust duct. (Note: if you have neither the equipment nor the expertise to accomplish these projects yourself, a reputable, qualified contractor should be hired to ensure that your chimney and fireplace are safe.)
• Have a chimney sweep periodically clean out your chimney to remove the creosote. This is typically recommended after burning three cords of wood.
• Replace your smoke alarm batteries twice a year. A good easy reminder is to always change your smoke alarm batteries when you change your clocks in the fall and spring.
• Make sure each level of your house and all sleeping rooms have a working smoke alarm and consider installing carbon monoxide (CO) detectors near any heating equipment that utilizes a “flame” source. (Note: CO is produced from any combustion process.)
• Install multipurpose portable fire extinguishers in your kitchen, near the furnace and the laundry area.
• Plan escape routes from all rooms in your house and practice “Exit Drills in the Home” (EDITH).

If you have any questions regarding these home fire safety tips, or on any other fire prevention issues, please contact DFM at (301) 496-0487.

Bibliometrics and Research Assessment Symposium

Monday, October 31, 2016

8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Lipsett Amphitheater and FAES Terrace, NIH Clinical Center, Building 10

The NIH Library is hosting a Bibliometrics and Research Assessment Symposium featuring two internationally-renowned keynote speakers, Ludo Waltman (Researcher, Centre for Science and Technology Studies of Leiden University, The Netherlands) and Katy Börner (Distinguished Professor of Information Science, Indiana University, Bloomington), who will discuss current trends in the fields of bibliometrics and research assessment. If you can’t attend in person, you can watch the keynote speakers online via http://videocast.nih.gov.

For more information on this program, visit: https://nihlibrary.nih.gov/bibliometrics2016.

Introducing “NIH Library Go”: A New Look for an Old Favorite 

The NIH Library staff is working behind the scenes to make sure you have the best possible access to full-text content. In October, the Library introduced NIH Library Go as a replacement for the Full-text Plus! button you may have seen when doing online research. Although the appearance and technology are new, the basic functionality is the same. NIH Library Go will still allow you to link seamlessly to full-text content and document delivery request forms as you’ve done in the past.  However, the new NIH Library Go provides increased access to eBook content and Open Access publications. Look for the new NIH Library Go button when searching in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and other NIH Library databases.

To find out more about the new NIH Library Go, please visit: https://nihlibrary.nih.gov/AboutUs/Announcements/Pages/NIH-Library-Go.aspx.

Customers Give NIH Library Information Desk Service High Rating

Every year, we ask our customers how we are doing at the NIH Library Information Desk. This year, the “Overall satisfaction” rating for service received was 92%. The same percentage of respondents indicated that they would be “Very likely” to recommend the service, and elaborated with such comments as:

• “Staff was enthusiastic in addressing my need and very helpful.”
• “The Information Desk staff have always been uniformly excellent.”
• “Very friendly. Helped me without even needing to be asked.”

For more details on the survey results, visit: https://nihlibrary.nih.gov/AboutUs/Announcements/Pages/Customer_Satisfaction_2016.aspx.

Ultra-Low Temperature (ULT) freezers provide reliable storage for preserving research-related materials used in NIH mission critical activities. Well-maintained, energy efficient ULT freezers can play a significant role in reducing NIH cold storage costs and preserving federal dollars for important medical research.

With energy conservation in mind, a new NIH policy on Management of Ultra-Low Temperature (ULT) Freezers requires Institutes and Centers (ICs) to purchase energy efficient ULT freezers when acquiring new units. Key requirements of the policy include: (1) selecting energy efficient ULT freezers when acquiring new units and (2) performing regular preventive maintenance on all ULT freezers located within NIH facilities. The Division of Scientific Equipment and Instrumentation Services (DSEIS) can help ICs meet both of these requirements.

The new policy also encourages ICs to use the DSEIS New Equipment Sales and Rental Program for these acquisitions. Anju Vergheese, Chief of the Scientific Equipment Rental & Sales Branch, asserts that “DSEIS is really a one-stop shop for lab equipment needs, including ULT freezers. We can reduce the administrative burden, save staff time, and negotiate low costs. We also offer budget-friendly, rent-to-buy agreements that ensure ICs comply with the new NIH policy.”

ULT Freezer Selection

Optimizing energy conservation begins with selecting energy efficient freezers, based on manufacturer’s technical specifications. See below to view DSEIS recommendations for energy efficient ULT freezers.

• Thermo Scientific TSx
• Stirling Ultracold SU780
• New Brunswick Scientific U700
• Panasonic MDF-U76VC
• Thermo Scientific UxF600
• Thermo Scientific 88500

DSEIS can provide all the listed freezers with maintenance contracts either through the sales program or the rental program.

Note: This table is based on a list of ULT freezers posted on the NIH Office of Research Facilities (ORF) Division of Environmental Protection (DEP) website. These are freezers with energy efficiency ratings in the top 10% of commercially available models. Any freezer with daily energy usage less than or equal to those listed above is considered energy efficient.

ULT Freezer Maintenance

Cleaning and preventive maintenance (PM) also contribute to energy efficiency of ULT freezers. The policy calls for ICs to perform PM on all ULT freezers located within NIH facilities, twice a year, at intervals of approximately six months. According to Jerry Tyus, Chief of Laboratory Equipment Maintenance, inadequately maintained freezers waste energy and perform at a lower standard than normal, sometimes putting important research at risk.

A typical freezer PM visit includes: checking temperature settings and display readings; cleaning condensers, condenser coils and files; inspecting gasket seals; and, ensuring that the freezer’s internal temperature is being held at the set point. If authorized to open the freezer during scheduled maintenance, hardware, gaskets, evaporator coils, fan grills, evaporator pans and lighting should be inspected and gaskets de-iced. If the freezer is empty, the evaporator fan shroud is also removed and cleaned. (To view a complete ULT Freezer Maintenance checklist click here).

Benefits of using DSEIS

• Reduced Administrative Burden: DSEIS handles the acquisitions and provides three justifications.
• Time & Cost Savings: DSEIS has negotiated discounted prices with vendors for popular lab equipment, usually lower than GSA pricing. DSEIS also handles logistics for shipping and delivery timeframe, offers no-cost equipment delivery, and performs equipment installation, testing and calibration.
• Budget-Friendly Rental Agreements
• Budget-Friendly Maintenance Contracts
• Online Maintenance Job Tracking
• Convenient On-Campus Location

For more information, please visit: http://dseis.od.nih.gov, contact Anju Vergheese (sales and rental agreements) at (301) 496-9748, or Jerry Tyus (maintenance and repair) at (301) 451-1753.

Did you know that the Division of Amenities and Transportation Services (DATS) sponsors webinars that address work and family challenges?

The DATS Child and Family Programs Team understands the demands on families in today’s society. They strive to provide resources to support you and your family. The challenges of parenting, caring for an adult family member, and other family obligations, particularly while managing professional responsibilities, can be overwhelming.

That’s why DATs offers “Lunch and Learn Webinars,” which are webcast live and then archived for future viewing from any computer. The webinars cover parenting issues from infancy to the teenager years and adult-dependent/elder care issues from the emotional impact of caring for an adult dependent to legal issues. Lunch and Learn Webinars are announced by global e-mails to the NIH community and listed under the “Upcoming Events and Activities” section of the NIH Child and Family Programs website at:  http://www.childfamilycare.ors.nih.gov. When visiting the website, check out all the other NIH resources available to assist you with your family needs.

If you would like to view any of the previous “Lunch and Learn” events covering parent/adult-dependent/elder care issues, please visit the Lunch and Learn webpage at:  http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/lunchlearnseminar.

**SAVE THE DATE** Mark your calendar to attend the upcoming Lunch and Learn Webinars:

November 9 – The Family Dynamic: Working as a Team to Support Aging Relatives

November 16 – Identity Theft and Credit 101
December 7 – Potty Training Basics
December 14 – There’s No Place Like Home: Resources to Support Independent Living

The NIH Radiation Safety Committee (RSC) is an important committee that serves the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP). The RSC is made up of 14 members representing each program area in which radioactive materials or radiation-producing machinery is used at NIH.  The RSC, in partnership with the Radiation Safety Officer, is responsible for overseeing compliance with the NIH’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license for use of radioactive material in the IRP. The committee is led by Brad Wood (chair), M.D. and Lisa Coronado (deputy chair), M.B.A. The Radiation Safety Officer, Catherine Ribaudo M.S., is also a voting member of the committee.

The committee meets once a month, usually the fourth Thursday of every month. Meetings are in Building 10 and are open to the public (as are the minutes). The business of the RSC is to review and approve laboratory protocols (high quantities or volatile compounds of radioactive material), approve new applications for Authorized User status, and review radiation safety incidents and worker radiation dose summaries. All Radiation Safety policies and new initiatives are endorsed by the RSC. An additional specific function of the RSC is to review and approve all clinical protocols in which the participants will receive a radiation dose for research purposes. That is in contrast to radiation dose which is received for clinical care (i.e., medically indicated radiation) which the RSC does not review or place limits on.

Clinical protocol applications are to be submitted to the Executive Secretary of the RSC, Dr. Sarah Kindrick, who performs a pre-review for completeness. Clinical protocols where radioactive material is administered to the research subjects must be supervised by a “Clinical Authorized User,” a physician with specialty in nuclear medicine. The RSC deliberates on all clinical protocols and will typically vote to fully approve or approve with stipulations. Particular attention is given to protocols involving children, where the permissible amount of research radiation is held to a lower limit than for adults. It should be noted that the applicable Institute Review Board (IRB) must also approve a clinical protocol before the investigator may commence with accruing participants.

For more information about the RSC or radiation-related questions, please contact the Division of Radiation Safety at (301) 496-5774.