The Center of Excellence in Immunology, NCI and the cytokine interest group are co-sponsoring a 1-day mini-symposium titled, "IL-15: Basic Research and Clinical Applications," from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 30 in Lipsett Amphitheater, Bldg. 10. Drs. Tom Waldmann and Howard Young are chairing the meeting and speakers include Drs. Michael Caligiuri, Averil Ma, Cliff Lane, Jay Berzofsky, David Weiner, Nick Restifo and Bana Jabri. There will also be a panel discussion on "Getting IL-15 to the Clinic." There is no fee and registration can be done online at http://web.ncifcrf.gov/events/IL15/. Seating is limited to 260, so early registration is encouraged. For more information, contact Karen Kochersberger at kkochersberger@ncifcrf.gov or (301) 228-4027.

The 23rd NIH Institute Challenge Relay will be held on Thursday, Sept. 21 in front of Bldg. 1, beginning at 11:30 a.m. This year's race will be held in memory of Art Fried, former budget officer at NICHD who died last December. Fried was among the founders of the relay and participated for many years. The relay consists of teams of five runners, each whom runs a half-mile loop around Bldg. 1. All institutes, centers, divisions and contractors are invited to enter as many teams as they wish. Each team must have men and women runners with at least two runners of the same sex. There is a $10 entry fee per team. Email Randy Schools (schoolsr@ors.od.nih.gov) with team name and participants. Volunteers are also needed; call Julie Harris at (301) 496-6061 or email harriju@ors.od.nih.gov if you can help.

The popular "Ask the Parenting Specialist" is returning to campus. Sponsored by the NIH child care board and the ORS Division of Employee Services, these lunchtime opportunities offer employees a chance to talk to a child development specialist, ask those vexing questions and get practical and common-sense advice. They will be held in various NIH cafeterias.

Do you have questions about your infant, pre-school child, school-age child or teen? Questions like "How do I get my child motivated in school and home?" "What do I do about my toddler who refuses to sleep in his own bed?" "My teenager is driving me nuts — how am I supposed to deal with her?"

Come in for a free 10-minute session from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the following dates; no appointment is necessary:

Tuesday, Sept. 19 — Bldg. 31 cafeteria
Thursday, Oct. 12 — Bldg. 10 cafeteria
Wednesday, Nov. 8 — Bldg. 35 cafeteria

Learn about other parenting resources offered to NIH employees. Sign language interpreters will be provided. For more information call Mary Ellen Savarese at (301) 402-8180.

The Clinical Center department of clinical bioethics will offer "Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research," a 7-week course that meets between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. in Lipsett Amphitheater, Bldg. 10 each Wednesday from Oct. 4 through Nov. 15. The course is in its 9th year. There is no charge, but there is a required textbook: Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research: Readings and Commentary, JHU Press, available at the FAES book store on campus or from book stores.

The course will be videocast live on the NIH web site. There is no need to register for the course unless you are seeking a certificate for training purposes or you wish to earn continuing education credits as a social worker, nurse or physician. In order to earn any continuing education credits there are attendance requirements. The course is required to earn the Clinical Center core curriculum certificate. You must register and there are attendance requirements in order to earn the certificate.

For information on registration, course agenda, educational goals and speaker list, visit www.bioethics.nih.gov. Sign language interpreters will be provided. Individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodation to participate should contact Mertis Stallings, mstallings@cc.nih.gov. Federal TTY Relay number is 1-800-877-8339.

The NIH Tae Kwon Do School is offering a beginner's class for adults and mature teens. New students are invited to begin classes on any Monday. The curriculum combines traditional striking arts, forms and sparring with emphasis on self-defense. No experience is necessary. Class will meet in the Malone Center (Bldg. 31C, B4 level, next to the NIH Fitness Center) from 6 to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays (and 6-7 p.m. Fridays, optional), and will continue for about 2 months until participants can be integrated into the regular school training. Dues are $40 per quarter and a uniform costs $30. Interested persons are welcome to watch regular training sessions. For information call Pam Dover, (301) 827-0476 or visit http://www.recgov.org/r&w/nihtaekwondo.html.

The Comcast Film Festival, held Aug. 11-20 on the grounds of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Strathmore, drew nearly 70,000 guests, said Randy Schools, president of R&W, which coordinates the event. The festival, at which food from local restaurants is sold, benefits three NIH-related charities- Friends of the Clinical Center, Special Love/Camp Fantastic and the Children's Inn. Funds collected by volunteers at the films amounted to over $16,000 with more money expected from food sales. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the festival, which began on the NIH campus; over the years it has raised over $250,000. Largest crowd this year was for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which drew over 10,000 moviegoers. Shown above are Ron and Debbie Marcus (seated, c); Debbie is with the Clinical Center patient activities department.

Thirty medical students representing 19 schools from around the country have been selected for fellowships in the 2006-2007 Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP) for Medical and Dental Students at NIH. The recipients, who have completed clinical rotations at their home institutions, arrived this summer to begin 12 months of clinical and translational research training in their chosen field. This is the program's 10th year.

The training program, established at NIH in 1997 with 9 fellows, provides creative, research-oriented students with an opportunity to learn about clinical research early in their careers. Since 1998, the program has been supported jointly by NIH and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health through grants from Pfizer Inc. as part of the company's commitment to public-private partnerships. The partnership included 15 students annually starting in 1998. In 2004, the program was expanded to accept 30 students a year thanks to support through the NIH Roadmap as part of its Re-engineering the Clinical Research Enterprise initiative.

One hundred and sixty students have participated in the program to date. A committee of established clinical researchers at NIH reviews and makes selections based on applications received from qualified students around the country. This year's recipients were selected from a field of 80 applicants.

"While at NIH, the fellows are paired with a renowned investigator as a mentor," said CRTP director Dr. Frederick Ognibene. "During the year-long experience the students learn the principles of clinical research, write a research protocol and conduct either clinical or translational research alongside some of the most prominent researchers in the world today."