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ISSUE 6 APRIL 2004 

NEWS2USE

OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES

ORS DIRECTOR STEPHEN A. FICCA RETIRES

AFTER 33 YEARS WITH THE NIH

NIH LIBRARY’S REDESIGNED WEBSITE LAUNCHES

ENHANCED OPTIONS

INTRODUCING FULL-TEXT PLUS! : YOUR PATH

TO LIBRARY SERVICES

TEAM PLAYERS SAVE BUILDING AND MICE

TRANSPORTATION

FAIRS SCHEDULED

PARKING PERMIT

RENEWAL UPDATE

WHAT IS THE COOP?

FIRE SAFETY TIPS: MICROWAVE OVENS

LOST AND FOUND REPORT

NIH CHILD CARE BOARD SEEKING APPLICANTS

PARENTING FESTIVAL: CALLING ALL PARENTS,

GRANDPARENTS AND SOON-TO-BE-PARENTS

SHARING OUR CAMPUS ROADWAYS

WHAT’S COOKING AT NATCHER

ORS DIRECTOR STEPHEN A. FICCA

RETIRES AFTER 33 YEARS WITH THE NIH

Stephen A. Ficca retired as Director of the Office of

Research Services on March 1, 2004.At a reception

held on March 5, he was honored for his 33 years of

service to the NIH and 12 years as Director of the

ORS. Friends and colleagues congratulated him on

his dedicated service, outstanding leadership and

thoughtful guidance, including co-workers from the

National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National

Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) where he

worked before assuming the role of ORS Director.

NIH Deputy Director, Dr. Raynard Kington

presented Mr. Ficca with a plaque commemorating

his service to the NIH. He also received awards 

from his ORS colleagues and the NIH Police in

appreciation of his leadership.

Under Mr. Ficca’s direction, the ORS 

has been recognized for a number of outstanding

accomplishments, including: Vice President Gore’s

1997 Hammer Award for Process Improvement; 1997

Federal Energy Award; 1997 DHHS Energy and Water

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Stephen A. Ficca, Director of the 

Office of Research Services, 1992-2004
NEWS2USE

Efficiency awards; Industrial Energy

Conservation awards; 1999 Federal

Energy Saver Showcase Facility Award;

2000 Federal Energy and Water

Management Award; Federal Agency

Pollution Prevention Award; Outstanding

Merit Award; the American Planning

Association Professional Achievement

Award for the NIH Master Plan; 2001

Group Federal Energy and Water

Conservation Award; 2002 Presidential

Award for Leadership in Federal Energy

Management; Business for the Bay

2002 Significant Achievement Award for

a Government Facility for Pollution

Prevention; 2002 DHHS Secretary’s

Distinguished Service Award; and the

GSA 2003 Honorable Mention for

Real Property Innovation (in Federal

asset management and workplace 

development).

He has also received personal

recognition from the NIH and the

Department including: the 1986 

NIH Director’s Award; the 1989 PHS

Superior Service Award; and twice

received the Presidential Executive Rank

Award for Meritorious Senior Executive,

in 1990 and 1999.

Mr. Ficca almost never became

the ORS Director. In a 1993 NIH

Record article, Ficca talked about

his reluctance to accept the invitation from Dr. Bernadine Healy, at

the time, the NIH Director.“I was

pretty sure I didn’t want it... so Dr.

Healy agreed that I’d work for 6

months - no longer,” Ficca said. He

took the job on an acting basis only,

but somehow, 6 months became 12

years.“As time went on, I found

myself more entrenched. I’m the

type of person who takes things to

heart, and my ORS roots grew

rapidly and deeply,” he elaborated.

Ficca oversaw a wide variety of 

challenges including the building of

the Natcher Building and the

Clinical Center revitalization.

Mr. Ficca received his BS

degree in 1968 from the University

of Baltimore and his MBA in 1972

from Loyola College (Maryland). He

attended the 1985 Federal Executive

Institute - Executive Leadership and

Management Program and the 1997

Harvard University Kennedy School

of Government Senior Managers in

Government Program.

Mr. Ficca began his professional career at NIH in 1971 as an

Administrative Officer with NCI.

Between 1971 and 1987 he held

various positions with NCI including

Budget Analyst, Personnel

Management Specialist, Budget

Officer, Chief Administrative Officer

and Deputy Associate Director for

Administrative Management.

From 1987 to 1992, Mr. Ficca

was Executive Officer for NHLBI.

In 1992, with the strong support of

Dr. Claude Lenfant, the NHLBI

Director, he became the Acting

Director of ORS and has served as

the Director of ORS since 1993.

Mr. Ficca helped ORS build

and sustain a work environment

characterized by quality services,

innovative approaches to service

provision, along with responsible and

accountable cost management. Under

his leadership, ORS strived to make

a positive impact in every interaction

with customers throughout the NIH

community.

Steve enjoying his retirement party on

March 5 with his two grandaughters.

NIH Deputy Director, Dr. Raynard Kington, presents Steve Ficca with 

a plaque commemorating his 33 years of service to the NIH.
ISSUE 6 APRIL 2004 

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NIH LIBRARY’S

REDESIGNED WEBSITE

LAUNCHES ENHANCED

OPTIONS

At an open house and website 

launch on February 24, the NIH

Library unveiled its redesigned 

website and new logo.The redesign

evolved in response to feedback

gathered from usability studies.

Requests to minimize webpage 

hierarchy and to implement the

option to display e-resources by 

subject were honored.Anyone who

is interested is encouraged to go to

the Library to pick up handouts that

detail many of the new features

available on the website.

NEW LOOK FOR THE NIH 

LIBRARY ONLINE CATALOG

The NIH Library’s online catalog has

undergone a redesign in keeping

with the website redesign. Convenient

features make it worth taking another

look at this library workhorse.Among

the new features are the following:

■ Save Records (the Shopping Cart) 

■ Request 

■ Table of Contents 

■ Summaries 

■ Reviews 

■ Cover Images 

■ Full-Text Plus! Button 

(see the following article 

for more information)

The Save Records option

allows you to save one or more

records that you’ve selected. Once

you have saved a set of records, you

can view the records and make 

decisions such as whether to save

them to a file, deselect choices, or

send them via e-mail to yourself or a

colleague.The Request button can

be used to request that journal 

articles or books be sent to you.

When you click on the Request

button, the resulting form is automatically filled in with information

about the item and your contact

information.The Table of Contents,

Summaries, Reviews and Cover

Images are available for many books

through the use of the Full-Text

Plus! button.To access these features,

click on Online Catalog located

under Quick Links on the left side

of the website.

The NIH Library website can

be found at: http://nihlibrar y.nih.gov

INFORMATION

NIH Library Information Desk

301-496-1080

nihlibrar y@nih.gov

INTRODUCING FULL-TEXT

PLUS! : YOUR PATH TO

LIBRARY SERVICES

Full-Text Plus! is a service designed

to link library users directly from the

citation of a journal article to related

library services. If the full text of the

article is available online, the user is

linked directly to the full text of the

article, eliminating the need to write

down citations and look for titles in

the list of electronic journals. If the

full text of the article is not available

online, the user can view information

about the journal in the Library’s

catalog or submit a document 

delivery request for the item.The

document delivery request will be

automatically filled in with the

information about the article.

Because Full-Text Plus! is 

context specific, service options will

change from citation to citation.

When available, and as appropriate,

one or more of the following services

will be offered on the Full-Text

Plus! menu:

÷ Full text of the article

÷ A document delivery request form

÷ An automatic search of 

the NIH Library catalog

÷ The catalog of the 

National Library of Medicine

÷ A search of the Web of Science

for other articles by the same

author

÷ The Library’s chat reference 

service–AskUs Live!

÷ Information about 

Library training classes

÷ A comment form 

÷ An FAQ about Full-Text Plus!

÷ The option to download 

the record into bibliographic

management software

÷ Table of contents, reviews and

cover photos of selected books

held by the NIH Library 

(only available when linking to

Full-Text Plus! from the Library

Catalog)

The Full-Text Plus! button can 

be found in AGRICOLA,

BIOSIS, CINAHL, MEDLINE,

PREMEDLINE, PsycINFO,Web of

Science, PubMed, MathSciNet and

the NIH Library Catalog.

INFORMATION 

NIH Library

301-496-1080

nihlibrar y@nih.gov
4

TEAM PLAYERS SAVE

BUILDING AND MICE

On Super Bowl Sunday, February 1,

a fire started in the basement of the

five-story Building 30.A broken

chilled water coil leaked water,

reaching high-voltage electrical

switchgear and transformers, until

they shorted out and caught on fire.

Since it was a weekend, the

few people who were in the building

left safely and easily.The following

week, more than 250 employees, 175

of whom make up 70% of the

National Institute of Dental and

Craniofacial Research (NIDCR),

were moved to other labs and offices

on campus.

That night, it was not so simple

to evacuate the over 10,000 mice

whose lives and ongoing research

were in jeopardy.

First, the building had to be

deemed safe. It took 65 firefighters -

most from NIH, led by Lt. Ed

Gotthardt, with backup provided by

Montgomery County and the

National Naval Medical Center -

about 45 minutes to extinguish the

fire and three more hours to make

sure the building was safe. It was a

dangerous operation, as are all fires,

but in this case the firefighters had

to stand in 18 inches of water while

the main power and generators were

shut down.With no visibility due to

heavy smoke, they had to get to and

open a wall full of switchgear cabinets,

some of which had to be dismantled.

While the firefighters completed their work, about 70 NIDCR

scientists turned out to move the

animals.Those scientists along with

animal program staff, NIH Animal 

Resources Team members and their

leader, veterinarian Pat Brown, volunteers from the Office of Research

Services, Office of Research

Facilities (ORF) and other ICs and

employees of the Division of

Veterinary Resources (DVR) waited

outside, anxious to enter as soon as

the building was ventilated and

declared safe.There were about 150

people standing by, ready to help,

including veterinarians Charmaine

Foltz, John Bartholomew and Matt

Schech.

Barry Muffley,Animal Facility

Program Coordinator for DVR,

arranged to get two trucks, driven

by Kelly Prevost (DVR) and John

Deleonardis (NIAID) to transport

the animals.

When the volunteers were

allowed in, they found the building

cold and dark.They had to make

their way to the fifth floor where

the mice were located. Electrical 

power had been cut off, so there 

was no heat and no lights.With no

power, elevators could not be used.

Rebecca Martinez,Animal Program

Manager for NIDCR, determined

that the best way to evacuate the

mice was to form human chains, and

that is what they did, handing animal

cages down darkened stairways one

by one.

The mice were taken to the

Building 14-28 complex, where 

veterinarians evaluated the animals.

Rebecca Martinez and DVR staff

including Eileen Morgan, Peggy

Novicky, Debra Lust, Milton Papa

and Valerie Harrington stayed after

the animals were relocated to change

cages that had gotten wet during the

move.They worked through the

night and into the next day.

The whole process took about

8 hours, starting around 6:30 pm

and finishing about 2:30 am.

While the animal rescue was in

full swing, individuals from the ORF

were also working diligently in the

cold and darkness in Building 30. In

addition, ORF staff restored full 

NEWS2USE

Volunteers help transport mice from building 30 to their temporary home 

in the Building 14-28 complex. Over 10,000 mice used in 

NIDCR research were evacuated.
5 6

power to Buildings 49 and 29B after

it was temporarily lost during the fire.

The fire was limited to the

electrical vault, but it incurred substantial damage.Though smoke

damage to the rest of the building

was reported to be light, Building 30

was closed until March 15 to allow

completion of the fire marshal's

investigation, the repairs, cleaning, air

quality testing and reactivation of

safety systems that were shut down

when power was cut off.

Thankfully, only one person

was hurt, and he had a quick recovery. NIH firefighter Darryl Lowery

was treated for smoke inhalation at

Washington Hospital Center, was

released later that evening and

returned to duty the following day.

Everyone who helped with 

this effort deserves a lot of credit. It

required team work, patience and

persistence.

INFORMATION 

ORS Information Line 

301-594-6677

TRANSPORTATION

FAIRS SCHEDULED

The Division of Travel and

Transportation Services will be 

hosting three Transportation Fairs

during the month of April in order

to raise awareness of the convenience

of the mass transit system in the

Washington metropolitan area.

Throughout the month, Metropolitan

DC transportation representatives

and vanpool representative will be

on hand to answer your questions

about mass transit as well as offer

other alternatives such as cycling to

work. In addition, representatives

from the NIH Parking Office will

be on hand to answer questions or

register employees for the Transhare,

Carpool,Vanpool and Ride Finders

Network programs here at NIH.

The dates and locations of the

Transportation Fair are as follows:

April 7 – 11am-2pm

Building 45 

Cafeteria

April 21 – 11am-2pm

EPS 

Cafeteria 

April 27 – 11am-2pm

Building 10 

B1 Cafeteria

INFORMATION 

Gary Freeman 

301-402-7433

PARKING PERMIT

RENEWAL UPDATE

To provide the most efficient 

service to customers, the Parking

Office announced that employees

renewing General, Off-Campus,

Red and Satellite parking permits 

do not have to bring their vehicle

registration card to the Parking

Office as was required in the past.

Individuals should simply respond to

the renewal notice that is e-mailed,

verifying that the information on

file is still valid. New vehicles can be

added or substituted at that time.

Renewed permits are sent to home

addresses.

Employees requesting to call-in,

fax, mail or e-mail vehicle information

to the Parking Office after their 

permit has expired will not be permitted to do so.An office visit is

required if your permit has expired.

Online or in person, be 

prepared to confirm the following

vehicle information: license plate

number and state, vehicle make,

model and year.

INFORMATION

Parking Office

301-496-5050

ISSUE 6 APRIL 2004 

Volunteers load racks of mice 

onto a truck for transport.
NEWS2USE

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WHAT IS THE COOP?

We’ve seen many changes with

respect to the security and protection

of people, research and operations at

NIH, particularly over the last two

years. Many of these changes were

directed by the President.The

Continuity of Operations Plan, or

COOP, is one of these directives

given to all Federal departments and

agencies to assure that the capability

exists to continue essential functions

during a wide range of emergencies,

from weather related emergencies to

terrorist attacks.

The NIH COOP does just

that.While providing for the health

and safety of the NIH community

and its visitors, the plan ensures that

essential missions and functions of the

NIH are maintained or restored in an

emergency situation, catastrophic

event, or natural disaster.

Aside from the fact that all 

Federal agencies were tasked by the

President to develop a continuity of

operations plan – why do we need

such a plan? “A COOP takes an 

all-hazards approach to make sure

that NIH can continue its mission

essential functions,” explains Michael

Spillane, Division Director for

Emergency Preparedness and

Coordination.“The NIH COOP is

a major component of our comprehensive Emergency Management

Program that aligns all emergency

preparedness activities throughout

the NIH.” Should an emergency 

situation occur, the other NIH

response elements such as 

Fire/Rescue and Police will work

together with the Division of

Emergency Preparedness and

Coordination (DEPC) using the

COOP guidelines.

The DEPC is working closely

with each I/C to develop its own

appropriate COOP.“The individual

COOP takes into account the 

special requirements of each I/C, yet

also overlaps with the NIH COOP,”

explains Spillane.The NIH is in the

process of identifying employees to

serve on I/C specific Crisis

Response Teams.

As the COOP is being 

implemented throughout NIH, it is

continually refined based on testing

of the plan and information gathered

from senior staff interviews.As part

of the COOP enhancement, a Crisis

Communications Plan is being

developed,along with COOP testing,

training and exercises for the Crisis

Response Team.

INFORMATION 

Division of Emergency 

Preparedness and Coordination 

301-496-1985

FIRE SAFETY TIPS:

MICROWAVE OVENS

Microwave ovens are used every day,

both at home and in the workplace.

When used properly, they are safe

and convenient for heating a variety

of foods in a short time.When you

become complacent about

microwave safety, however, your

appliance can cause painful burns

and become a potential fire hazard.

The following tips are offered

for your home and office safety.

1 Before using a new microwave

oven, always read the manufacturers

operating procedures and safety 

precautions first.

1 To minimize risk of fire, never

attempt to heat articles that are not

approved for use in microwave

ovens.

1 Never use recycled paper products

in microwave ovens unless they are

specifically approved for microwave

use. Recycled products including

paper towels and even waxed paper

contain minute metal flecks.When a

microwave oven is operating, the

interaction between microwaves and

the metal can cause sparks and even

flames.

1 Do not leave a microwave oven

unattended when microwaving 

popcorn, since the heat buildup can

cause fires. Heat the popcorn

according to the written instructions,

but begin with the minimum time

specified because some microwaves

can scorch popcorn in as little as

two minutes.

1 If you have a fire in your microwave

oven, turn it off immediately.This will

stop the fan so it won’t feed oxygen

to the flames.Then simply wait until

the fire suffocates. Never open the

oven door until you are absolutely

certain that the fire is out. If in

doubt, call the fire department.

1 Use only microwave-safe utensils.

The instructions that come with

each microwave oven specify what

kinds of containers are safe to use

and how to test the suitability of

materials before use.

1 Always use oven mitts to remove

items from the microwave oven after

cooking. Be careful when removing

a wrapping or covering from a hot

item. Hot steam escaping from the

container, as the covering is lifted,

can cause painful burns.

1 Be careful when heating liquids 

in the microwave oven. Since the

containers may only feel warm,

rather than hot, they are sometimes 
ISSUE 6 APRIL 2004 

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handled with less caution.This 

can easily result in the splashing 

or spilling of a scalding liquid.

1 Before allowing children to 

operate a microwave oven, make

sure that they are instructed in the

proper use, and that they are tall

enough to reach the oven and 

handle foods safely. Over 50% of

those burned using microwave 

ovens are under 5 years of age.

INFORMATION

Division of the Fire Marshal 

301-496-0487

LOST AND FOUND REPORT

Are you missing your bowling 

trophy or a favorite winter scarf? 

As News2Use went to press, the

NIH Police had the following items

in their Lost & Found:

4 Driver’s licenses

4 Trophy

4 Keys

4 Palm Pilot

4 Handbag

4 Wallets

4 Electronic organizer

4 Gloves

4 Scarves

4 Cell phones

4 Pager

4 Identification badges

4 Credit cards

4 Eyeglasses/Sunglasses

Believe it or not, only about 10-15%

of the items are ever claimed.The

Police hold onto them for 30 days in

the main office, and then they are

stored and held elsewhere for an

additional three years.

INFORMATION

NIH Police, Building 31C 

301-496-2387

NIH CHILD CARE BOARD

SEEKING APPLICANTS

Do you have an interest in child care

as an issue that affects work at NIH?

The NIH Child Care Board advises

the NIH with regard to child care

programs and policies and serves as

an advocate for affordable, accessible

and quality child care for the NIH

community. It is currently seeking

interested Federal employees to

apply to fill vacancies that will occur

in June 2004.

You do not need to be a child

development expert-just someone

with an interest in this issue and a

willingness to actively participate in

the work of the Board. Members

serve three-year terms and are

required to attend seven meetings a

year.

For a description of member

requirements, a calendar of meetings,

information about the Board activities

and an online application, please visit

the Board webpage at:

http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/dss/

special/chintro.htm

INFORMATION 

Mary Ellen Savarese 

301-402-8180

PARENTING FESTIVAL:

CALLING ALL PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS AND

SOON-TO-BE-PARENTS

Plan to attend the NIH Annual

Parenting Festival on Wednesday,

May 26, 2004 from 11:00 am to

2:00 pm in the Building 50

Conference Area.There will be

activities, door prizes and wonderful

handouts.The Parenting Festival is

free and open to all NIH employees.

At the festival, you can learn

about the many resources available

through NIH to assist you with

parenting responsibilities.You can

visit with representatives of a variety

of Institutes to learn about NIH

research initiatives related to child

health, child mental health, safety

and well being.Talk to the Parenting

Specialist about your own concerns

and learn about the NIH Lactation

Program, NIH Child Care Centers,

the Child Care Resource and

Referral Service and the Parenting

Resources available at the Work/Life

Center.

This event is sponsored by the

NIH Child Care Board, the NIH

Work/Life Center and the ORS

Division of Employee Services.

INFORMATION 

Division of Employee Services 

301-402-8180

SHARING OUR CAMPUS

ROADWAYS

Motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists

are all encouraged to share the roads

and pathways on the campus appropriately.We are working to repaint

crosswalks and roadway markings

throughout the campus that have

faded due to the winter weather.As

we are all aware, there are numerous

construction projects currently

underway. Each of these may present

different pedestrian routings adjacent

to or near the site.When walking

near a construction site, use only the

designated pathways.

With the onset of nicer

weather, cyclists are encouraged to

exercise safe riding practices including adhering to the requirements of

The Code of Federal RegulationsTitle 45 as well as the Maryland

Vehicle Laws that apply to our campus. Motorists should exercise due

caution at all times while operating a

vehicle on the campus. Please

remember throughout the day, that

everyone will at some time be either

a motorist, a cyclist or a pedestrian.

INFORMATION

Tom Hayden 

301-496-6278
6 ISSUE APRIL 2004 OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! The Office of Research Services encourages you to submit 

questions, comments and suggestions about the services we provide to the NIH community. Someone from 

the ORS staff will respond to each question. Just e-mail, phone or fax your comments and questions to the

appropriate location listed below.

For questions or comments about ORS services to the

NIH community, contact the ORS Information Line:

E-mail: ORSInfo@mail.nih.gov

Phone: 301-594-6677 

Fax: 301-402-2204 

Website: http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/security/index.htm

For questions or comments about articles in the

News2Use or to suggest future story ideas:

E-mail: ORSNews2Use@mail.nih.gov

NEWS2USE

News2Use is published on recycled paper by the 

OFFICE OF RESEARCH SERVICES

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

EDITOR Bradley Moss

WRITER Ann Cochran

ORS ACTING DIRECTOR Shirl A. Eller 

LAYOUT DESIGN Medical Arts and Printing Services

INTERNET ADDRESS www.ors.od.nih.gov

13

WHAT’S COOKING AT NATCHER:

INTRODUCING FRANK FOLEY

Since mid-October there has been a marked and 

positive change on the menu in the Natcher dining

center. New chef Frank Foley says that in the food

business, whether it’s a restaurant, catering operation

or cafeteria,“You are only as good as your last meal.”

Because of that moving target of a standard, he always

has an eye toward improving the quality of the food

and variety of the menu.

Foley defines his style of cooking as 

contemporary American cuisine with Asian influences.

According to Natcher customers and Eurest and NIH

management, he is doing a great job with more fresh

ingredients, vegetarian items and fish entrees.

The salad bar now has pasta and seafood 

salads,and grilled vegetables.At the deli bar, customers

can make their own sandwiches. Foley understands

the need to address all the current diets that are so 

popular, and he makes sure items such as grilled

chicken are always available. Personally, he believes in

a balanced diet, but respects those who choose to lose

weight by following Atkins, the Zone, or South Beach.

Menus typically cycle every four weeks or so,

but Foley keeps revising them according to hits and

misses he observes. He also creates menus that are

sensitive to his audience. Natcher’s customers are a

diverse group, culturally and otherwise. It is not a

fixed customer base. Hundreds of people work in the

building, many others come and go, and a significant

number are only in the building to attend one meeting.

Foley’s previous experience as a chef includes

the position of Executive Chef at the Federal Reserve

Board and owning a downtown catering business.

Catering at the NIH is a good challenge-everything

from cookies and brownies to full receptions-but

Foley prefers corporate catering, and is happy with

the dual nature of his responsibilities at Natcher.

The NIH/Eurest chefs work together and

share ideas when they get together. Recently, they

worked as a team in a Eurest Mid-Atlantic food show

and placed in the top three.

INFORMATION

Natcher Dining Center 

301-402-9701