R Ride-On Bus Stops
M = Metro Bus Stops.
Matro
a= Campus Shuttie Route
© Campus Shuttle Stop
[3] Patient & Visitor Parking

(0) visitor Parking

Employee Parking

ockvile Pike



DSS Offers Cyber-Info
with Comprehensive Web Site

The Division of Support Services (DSS) serves the NIH community
by anticipating emerging technologies and changing their business environ-
ments to meet ever-evolving customer requirements. DSS offers NIH the

ORS Projects, 2 § sa , d | best values in specialized support services that include mail, courier, reprographic, sign

language and related interpreting, and travel services.

The Reprographic Communications Branch (RCB) is a central service organiza-
, | tion providing a wide variety of printing, copying, and other related services to the NIH
, | community. Its main facility is located at 301 North Stonestreet Avenue in Rockville,
place’ "where you spend your whole | and there is a busy satellite office in Building 31 as well.
day—your office, your i The Mail and Courier Services Branch (MCSB) provides mail services that
‘| include receipt, sorting, preparation, and delivery of incoming U.S. Postal Service mail,
| interoffice communications, flyers, memoranda, catalogs, publications, and other printed

| products to over 22,000 employees at 1,000 mail stops in 94 buildings and trailers on
campus and in its leased facilities.

The Special Program Services Office (SPSO) manages two specialized NIH-wide
contracts: interpreting services and travel management.

If you want to know more about bookbinding, mailing labels, full color copier
locations, or having a sign language interpreter available for a conference—or for any
other service under the DSS umbrella—visit the comprehensive web site they have
created for your use.

Information
Intend address: DSS Customer Service 6-6121
kttp:llwuw nih.goulodlons www.nih.gov/od/ors/dss
Issue No. 15
Fax wuwrz a Line! February 2000
a

Mr. Steve Ficca, the Associate Director of Research Services, would like to respond to
e your questions, comments, and suggestions. Or, is there anything you would like to know
about the Office of Research Services but were afraid to ask? Here’s your chance!

Your name:
Building & Room: Phone Number:

Please check if you would like your comments & our response to be kept confidential.

Fax your comments to Mr. Ficca’s office: 2-0604
or send e-mail to dsscustomerservice@ors.od.nih.gov


1-495 Bridge Project
Beats the Beltway Blues

People who commute to NIH from the
east (from Prince George’s County, for
example) will be affected by a new Beltway
project. Four bridge decks are going to be
replaced along 495 between Colesville Road
and Georgia Avenue. This project will
severely impact traffic on the Beltway.
Work will begin soon and is scheduled to
take approximately two years. It is necessary to replace the aging
and deteriorating bridge decks. More than 250,000 vehicles per day
travel along 495 between Colesville and Georgia.

All Beltway lanes will be open during construction, although lanes
will be narrower than usual and shifted slightly. Shoulder areas may
be eliminated where necessary.

There is a way to “Beat the Beltway Blues.” Several new express
Metrobus routes will be introduced. The new routes will include
New Carrollton to Silver Spring, New Carrollton to Bethesda, Laurel
to Silver Spring, and service improvements to Metrobus Route J1.

Commuters and employers are encouraged to take advantage of
the new express bus routes, car and van pooling, telecommuting,
and any other measure that can help ease traffic in our extremely
congested corner of the world.

Information
Commuter Services 301-770-POOL or

Len Foxwell, MDOT Director
of Washington Area Transit Programs, 301-565-9665
or

Tom Hayden 2-RIDE

New RIDE ON Route: Poolesville

There is a new Ride-On bus route serving
Poolesville, which was created to enable more com-
muters to take the Metro. The new bus route, 76,
provides service to and from Poolesville and the Shady
Grove Metro station. There is basic moming and
afternoon service, but none on Saturdays, Sundays, or
Federal Holidays.

Wanted: Vanpool Riders

to/from Baltimore (Liberty Road at 695) via Route 29
stops and times to be determined by response
Sor information, call Candice, 6-6198

to/from Baltimore, 6:45 am ~ 5:30 pm
will form if enough interest...8 people minimum
for information, call Joyce Grimstead 443-1368

to/from Annapolis, via Davidsonville and Bowie,
7:00 a.m. ~- 4:30 p.m.
Sor information, call Tommy Beall, 2-2606

To discuss other car and vanpool opportunities, or to advertise a
vacancy in your group, call Tom Hayden.

Information
_ Employee Transportation Services
= 2-RIDE

Shuttle Schedule Updates

In October, the shuttle schedule was updated. You
can go to www.nih. gov/od/ors/shuttle to get all the
information you need for your particular schedule.

Two new shuttle runs have been added to the
schedule. A direct shuttle is now available from
Rockledge to Executive Plaza on a compressed
schedule. The other addition is the extension of the
Parklawn Shuttle to Mid-Pike Plaza, providing another
transportation link to campus.

Coming soon: a new ‘click and point’ shuttle
map on the website. This map will enable users to
determine their best route by selecting a point of origin/
destination, an a.m. or p.m. schedule, or a shuttle
schedule in its entirety. Whether you are traveling to
destinations on or off campus, this new tool should be
convenient and useful.

Garage 57 has been replaced. When Montgomery
County terminated NIH’s lease for satellite parking at
Garage 57, Tom Hayden, Employee Transportation
Services Office, headed efforts to quickly negotiate a
new parking arrangement at the Air Rights Building for
employes who work in the Federal Building. The
shuttle from campus, which also serves the Air Rights
Garage, is called the Federal Building/Bethesda Shuttle.
You can get its schedule on the website referenced in
this article.

Please note the following shuttle bus information
regarding Evening Safety: Between 8:00 p.m. and
12:30 a.m. every day of the week, a driver is on call at
the transportation desk in the Clinical Center lobby to
take passengers to their vehicles. If you experience a
dealy, the bus may be responding to a call at the
Children’s Inn, but it does not leave the campus at any
time, and will return to the Clinical Center soon.

Information
www.nih. gevlodloraisentie

Sara Earl 6-6278 email

earls@ors.od.nih.gov * t


Public Safety’s Fire Safety Tips

During the winter, many of us look forward
to the warmth and atmosphere that results
from lighting fires in our fireplaces and burning

candles on our dining tables and other places

throughout the house. The Division of Public

Safety wants minimize winter and year-round
hazards by offering some practical guidelines for fire
prevention and safety.

Chimney Safety

If you cannot do-it-yourself, hire a contractor to...

+ Make sure all noxious gases vent directly to the outside
by ensuring your furnace flue has no cracks, gaps or
blockages.

* Check the firebox and chimney for cracks in the
mortar.

+ Line an unlined flue with a fire-safe masonry wall or by
installing a stainless steel exhaust duct.

+ Have a chimney sweep periodically clean out your
chimney to remove the creosote, a substance that builds
up when you use the fireplace (guide: clean the chimney
after burning 3 cords of wood).

Smoke, Fire and CO Safety
* Replace smoke detector batteries twice a year, when
you re-set your clocks in fall and spring.

+ Each level of your house needs at least one smoke
detector.

* Consider installing carbon monoxide (CO) detectors
near any heating equipment that utilizes a flame source.

+ Install multipurpose fire extinguishers in the kitchen,
near the furnace, and in the laundry area.

* Plan escape routes from all rooms in your house and
practice fire drills.

€andle Safety

* Never leave a candle buming in an empty room
* Blow out all candles before going to sleep.

Tf you have any questions regarding these tips,
or on any other fire prevention issues for the home or
office, please call us.

Information
Emergency Management Branch 6-0487

Master Plan Modification

NIH has prepared a Master Plan modification for the
northwest quadrant of the campus. The modification origi-
nated from road changes associated with the Clinical Re-
search Center (CRC) project, specifically the rerouting of
Center Drive to an arc north of the CRC. Replacement sites
had to be found for four major facilities in the 1995 Master
Plan. In addition, it became clear that NIH would need a
third electrical power substation.

In preparing the modification, several alternate sites were
evaluated by DES’s Facilities Planning and Programming
Branch to accommodate the elements of the northwest
quadrant revision for a day care center, a patient family guest
house, a parking garage, and a fire station. As part of this
process, NIH consulted with nearby neighborhood and civic
organizations as well as the Montgomery County Planning
Board and the National Capital Planning Commission.

Final site selection was also endorsed by the NIH Com-
munity Liaison Council, which is comprised of representa-
tives of the surrounding communities. The Master Plan
modification includes the following:

Day Care Center

A future child day care facility will be located just north
of Center Drive directly northwest of the CRC. It will be
accessible from major circulation routes. A drop-off lane is
readily situated from the Master Plan loop road. The plan
includes playground space that can accommodate 75-150
children, the amount that can be cared for in this facility.

PEPCO Substation

One-third of the NIH power demand will be situated in
this quadrant when the Clinical Research Center and other
new facilities are completed. The substation will be placed
on the slope of the hill just north of Center Drive near the
proposed fire station and adjacent to the wooded area in the
northwest quadrant. The site selection ensures minimal
removal of trees and avoids major drainage impacts. It will
be away from the medical building complex and allows the
main underground electrical feeder lines to be placed within
the right-of-way of Center Drive.

Parking Structure

Six and one-half levels of parking!.850 spaces! The
parking facility’s exterior design will adhere to the guidelines
for architectural materials identified in the 1995 Master Plan.
It will be built on a parcel that is currently being used as a
surface parking lot next to Building 10. All vehicle access will
occur from Convent and South Drives using the perimeter
loop road system. Adjacent sidewalks will provide conve-
nient pedestrian access to the
Clinical Center.

continued on next page...


a News: to Uref

ION

Projects
Initiatives : Information
Communication JSrom the Office of Research Services Customer Feedback

z

New... Travel Management Center Contract and Fees

° Fal As many of you know, the Office of

ws ; Research Services has been working

diligently over the past year with other
NIH offices and employee groups to award a new perfor-
mance-based NIH Travel Management Center (TMC)
contract. Your patience during this long process was appreci-
ated, and we are pleased to announce that the contract was
awarded to WorldTravelService (WTS). They began their
work here in November, and made many positive changes to
our travel services.

NOTE: AS WE WENT TO PRESS...

the travel contract award was protested by one of
the bidders. The NIH has requested that all the
bidders re-bid. WTS will continue to provide service
until the protest is resolved in early March.

In the meantime...

WTS will have permanent offices both on and off
campus. The on-campus office, open 8:00 a.m. to 5:30
p.m., is in Building 10, Room 1C200. The off-campus office
is located at 6010 Executive Boulevard, Suite 102. The off-
campus office closes a bit later; that office is open from 8:00
a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

WTS has had many years of experience serving govern-
ment travelers. Some of the many features of this new
contract include an updated and technologically advanced
accounting and reservation system; reservations made via
e-mail and fax; lowest fare guarantees; and, for a fee,
conference and.meeting planning services.

You can make reservations by e-mail, fax, or telephone.
The ORS is working to have electronic booking available in
the next year or so, technology permitting.

A new requirement of this contract is that non-refund-
able service fees will be charged for each transaction that
involves issued airline tickets. These fees are necessary due
to continually decreasing commissions paid to travel agencies
by airlines. To clarify when a fee applies, a fact sheet is
available from WTS. Please pay special attention to the
examples for cancellation and re-issuance of a ticket. The
amount of the fee depends on the method you chose to
make your reservation: phone, fax, or electronic, Fees for
staff and patient travel range from $17.96 per ticket
requested electronically to $21.91 for requests made by

phone. Meeting travel reservation fees also depend on the
request method, ranging from $22.21 for electronic
requests to $26.16 for phone requests. A delivery fee will
only be charged for overnight (FedEx) deliveries.

The ORS worked hard to bring this performance-based
contract to the NIH, and we are confident that it will meet
or exceed customer service needs. WTS agreed to meet
the following performance standards or risk a reduction of
their service fees:

J. Reservations must be complete and accurate.

2. Phone calls will be answered within 20 seconds or
three rings.

3. Telephone holding times will average no more than
two minutes.

4. Phone messages will be returned within an average
of two business hours.

As with the implementation of any NIH-wide contract
with high impact, we anticipate minor bumps along the
way (see NOTE at left!). However, we are confident you
will be pleased with the new service. If you have a
problem, please contact Tim Tosten for assistance.

Information
www.nih. gov/od/ors/dss/special/index.htm
Tim Tosten 2-8180, TTY 5-1908 N
tostent@ors.od.nih.gov wee
WTS: 301-816-2160 (staff) s
301-496-6676 (patients)
WTS faxes:
301-816-0715
Sor meeting travel
301-816-1058
Sor travel orders

Construction......
DSS Website.
Fire Safety ....
Master Plan Modifications .
Scientific Equipment . .
SHUTTLE MAP ae
Traffic and Transportation
Training and Education ..
Vanpool Openings ..
Winter Advisories ....

WTS email:
wts@mail.nih.gov

WAWAHNADAANN



Fire Station

The proposed new fire station will
replace the existing outdated facility that
is not well connected to the new road-
ways. The planned station will have
approximately 22,000 square feet of
space that will include an apparatus
room and dormitory space. It will be
built on an existing parking lot, minimiz-
ing tree removal. Its new location will
give emergency vehicles rapid access to
the NIH campus road system. No
audible alarms are planned; the vehicles
will use sirens when necessary.

Guest House

This building will be situated on the
lawn area south of Center Drive and
north of the former convent. This
structure will house patients and their
families in a two-story building that will
be residential in scale and detailing,
featuring materials and forms compatible
with the former convent building.

As with the 1995 Master Plan, this
amendment provides a guideline for
development if and when funding
becomes available for any of the
projects mentioned. Currently, only the
fire station and the electrical substation
are scheduled to be constructed this
year.

If you have any questions about the
Master Plan or its modification, please
contact Stella Serras Fiotes, Master
Planner.

Information
Stella Serras Fiotes 6-5037
e-mail ss228q@nih.gov

Dr. Cherie Fisk Retires
Acting Director, Bioengineering and
Physical Science Program,

Leaves NIH for Colorado

After a long career of many accomplishments at NIH and beyond, Dr.
Cherie Fisk looked forward to the day when she would “realize there’s no
Monday,” a good way to describe the feeling that one does not have to
adhere to a regular schedule anymore. Dr. Fisk, who retired to her home
state of Colorado, said she didn’t expect that feeling to hit until well after this
holiday season was over.

In a time when people change jobs quickly and easily, it is interesting to
learn about someone who stayed in one place for decades. Granted, NIH is a
very large organization with much diversity and many opportunities. Not
exactly the same old thing from year to year.

Dr. Fisk began her career here in 1975 as a postdoctoral fellow in the
Laboratory of Chemical Physics, NIAMD. She went on to the NHLBI as a
Staff Fellow in their Laboratory of Chemistry, and from there became a
Special Expert for the Office of Extramural Research and Training.

After two years in Paris with her husband, where Dr. Fisk continued her
research on her own, she returned to NIH as a Special Expert and Chemist
for the ORS. She became an active member of the ORS Advisory Commit-
tee; she served for 13 years. One of her favorite projects was during those
years, when she served as Project Officer on the development of the In Vivo
NMR Research Center.

In September of 1990, Dr. Fisk became Assistant Director for Scientific
Affairs of ORS. She ended her career as Acting Director of the Bioengineer-
ing and Physical Science Program. Over the years, Dr. Fisk’s work has been
published many times.

NIH is fortunate to have long-term employees with the dedication demon-
strated by Dr. Cherie Fisk, who won many awards throughout her career,
including the 1999 NIH Quality of Worklife Award.

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DCAB Earns ISO 9001 Certification

On November 15, 1999, the Design, Construction, and Alteration Branch (DCAB) of the Division of Engineer-
ing Services received ISO 9001 Certification.
What is the ISO and why do they certify organizations? The International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from 130 countries. The mission of this non-govern-

mental organization is to promote the development of standardization and related activities throughout the world. The ISO
works to facilitate the international exchange of goods and services, and to develop cooperation in the spheres of intellectual,
scientific, technological, and economic activity.

The route to certification is long and challenging. Four major milestones included the development of new quality policies
and operating procedures. Attaining certification was just the beginning for DCAB. They plan to use the ISO process of
continuous improvement for further streamlining and innovations to provide the best possible service to their customers. ©)

Information: Calvin F. Williams 6-4895


Centralized Animal Procurement
System (CAPS)

The Veterinary Resources Animal Billing
System that has been used to order small
animals was completely phased out in
December, 1999. It was replaced by a new
and improved system, the Centralized Animal

Procurement System (CAPS).

CAPS, a subsystem of the NIH Administrative Database
(ADB), can be used for placing, approving, and receiving
small animals, as well as for paying vendors and billing ICs.
The system is accessible at various levels of authority and is
routed in the same manner as the paper system.

Animals and animal products may be ordered through the
Centralized Animal Procurement System (CAPS) via
DELPRO. First, users must register to use CAPS through
the IC Administrative Offices and CIT.

Detailed instructions on registration and instructions
on how to use CAPS are available from:

VRP Animal Procurement Section
Location: Building 14A, Room 103
Phone: 6-3575
Fax: 2-0266

Animal orders should be submitted five working days in
advance for commonly available strains, and age/weight
range animals. Surgically modified animals, timed pregnant
animals, unusual strains of animals, and defined services
should be ordered far enough in advance for vendors to
make special preparations and ship the requested animals.

Once the vendor delivers laboratory animals, animal
products, or services, investigators are billed for the quantity
of animals received, the number of shipping crates/water
kits, or nutrient gel packs, and freight charges from the point
of origin. A 15 percent surcharge is calculated on the total
sum of these charges and billed to the investigator’s account
for orders submitted five working days in advance. There is
a surcharge of 50 percent for emergency or rush orders,
which are defined as orders submitted less than five working
days in advance.

In addition to saving money by submitting orders five
working days in advance, it is also more economical to
order larger quantities of animals less frequently, reducing
repetitive shipping and processing charges.

Information
Raouf Kechrid 6-3575
kechrid@exchange.nih.gov

Scientific Equipment and
Instrumentation Branch (SEIB):
Expanding Equipment Services

Renovating your lab or moving into a new lab? Are
you unsure of the amount of room you need to accom-
modate your equipment? the Scientific Equipment and
Instrumentation Branch specializes in setting up entire
labs for NIH researchers. The SEIB stockroom has an
inventory of over 3,000 laboratory equipment items.

With just one phone call to the SEIB Rental Pro-
gram, they will make all the arrangements for you,
including the delivery and set up of your equipment.
Their response is same day, or within 24 hours, depend-
ing on time of your call. For all laboratory scientific
equipment, SEIB assists with rental, special-request
procurement, rent with option-to-buy, and new equip-
ment sales. Call 6-9748.

The Laboratory Equipment Section (LES) repairs
a wide variety of equipment that includes incubators,
centrifuges, microscopes, waterbaths, PCR equipment,
power supplies, pH Meters, spectrophotometers, and
numerous other instruments. They offer lab-wide
service agreements and individual service agreements.
Call 6-4131.

The Computer Electronics Section (CES) is just a
phone call away when you need to get your equipment
up and running. The CES staff designs and builds
specialized power supplies, signal amplifiers, transduc-
ers, and interfaces between computers and other
scientific equipment. They service both Apple and
personal computers as well as computer peripherals,
including CPUs, monitors, keyboards, mice, printers,
scanners, and intemal and external storage products.
They also do hardware repairs, upgrades, and new
hardware installations. A loaner program of monitors for
both Apple and IBM-clone systems is available to keep
you operational while your monitor is being serviced.
Call 6-4131.

The Mechanical Instrumentation Design and
Fabrication Section (MIDFS) designs, fabricates, and/
or modifies mechanical laboratory and clinical instru-
ments. Call 6-5195.

Information
SEIB 6-4169
seib.od.nih.gov
or
dirs.info.nih. gov/intramur/seib



Winter Wonderland?

The Grounds Maintenance and Landscap-
ing Section (GMLS) prepared for winter
with a snow and ice control plan for the
NIH campus. The plan has been printed
and distributed in brochure form, and you
can also check for current information on
the DES/GMLS website.

The DC area averages 16 inches of snow from
November through March each year. GMLS has
averaged 5 plowings and 11 ice responses on campus
each winter. During every winter storm emergency,
crews push snow from approximately 17 miles of
roads, 42 acres of parking lots, and 16 miles of side-
walks. You have seen their work in action recently.

Sanding and salting begins with the first flake. After
two inches have accumulated, plows and shovels go
into action. All GMLS employees are designated as
‘essential’ and are virtually always on-call. A volunteer
pool of employees from other Public Works Branch
sections help out when the work is overwhelming and
GMLS people need a break. During the most dramatic
snow storms, private contractors are called upon.

Eight plow routes are worked simultaneously to
ensure the same level of service to everyone. Crews
rotate starting points so that no lot seems as if it is
always the last to be plowed.

GMLS has an organized system for shoveling our
398 building entrances, walkways to main sidewalks,
bus shelters, steps, pedestrian bridges, and platform
areas. The priorities are as follows: major streets and
intersections, hills and curves, central core parking and
parking lot travel lanes, sidewalks, bus shelters, handi-
cap parking and the 398 building entrances. After those
are cleared, GMLS tums its attention to secondary
streets, service areas, and remaining parking lots.

;

SNOW ANDICE DO’S AND DON’T’S
GMLS needs your help. Snow and ice
removal is a time consuming and dangerous job.
To do their best job in the least amount of time,
your cooperation and assistance is essential.
Please Do...
+ Be aware of winter weather advisories.
* Use public transportation before, during, and after
a storm to allow for snow clearing.
+ Drive gently even if streets have been sanded.
* Park in garages when possible, to keep lots clear.
* Wear the right clothes and footwear for safety.
* Walk only on plowed and treated sidewalks.
* Keep clear (four car lengths away) from snow

plow trucks, which can throw salt 20 feet out and
make unexpected stops and tums without warming.

* Call the GMLS office (6-4817) to report any
particularly icy or unfinished places.
Please Don’t...
* Do not park on designated Snow Emergency
Routes during a snow emergency.
* Do not take shortcuts through icy lots or between
parked cars.
* Do not tailgate the snow plow trucks.
* Do not pass a working snow plow on the right.
Snow and sand are being thrown to the right.
+ Do not abandon your vehicle; it might be towed.

Information

GMLS 6-4817
mueller@ors.od.nih.gov

Division of Safety’s Training and Educational Opportunities

If you need safety training and/or authorization, go to the Division of Safety website for details and a
complete schedules of classes. Under radiation safety, you will find an orientation for new users of radioactive
materials, basic radiation safety classes, and authorized user instruction. Specialized courses are also available,
on request. There are new Computer Based Training (CBT) classes on different subjects of laboratory safety.

There are classes in laser safety, respiratory protection, and training for NIH employees with normal duty
exposure to respiratory hazards. Other training and educational opportunities include CPR and Heartsaver
training and certification, which are required for selected Clinical Center staff positions. Heartsaver training is

available, as space allows, for other NIH staff. The CPR Study Guide is available online.
Again, remember the DS website if you are interested in training and information for your job.

Information
www.nih.gov/od/ors/ds/train