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Vol. 31, No. 6 March 21, 2014

Find Garrison on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr!www.facebook.com/DetrickUSAGwww.twitter.com/DetrickUSAGwww.flickr.com/DetrickUSAG

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Find MRMC on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr too!www.facebook.com/USAMRMCwww.twitter.com/USAMRMC

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Social Media What’s Inside

ROVR Collects Animal HealthRecords, p. 3

Volunteers Needed for ScienceSymposium, p. 5

Science in the Classroom, p. 7

SHANNON BISHOPUSAG PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Just a few months shy of one year aftermoving into their new Fire and EmergencyServices building, the Fort Detrick Fire De-partment has won the Best Medium SizedFire Department in the Atlantic Region forthe Installation Management Command.

“This is a huge deal,” said Brian Wheeler,Fort Detrick fire chief, about winning theIMCOM Atlantic region award. “This teamhas worked hard even through the furlough.This [award] is quite an accomplishment.”

Despite several hurdles throughout2013, including furlough and several diffi-cult fires, the Fort Detrick Fire Departmentexcelled in areas such as customer service,innovativeness, quality of life initiatives,health, safety and community service, ac-cording to Wheeler.

Last summer, Fort Detrick and severalother local fire departments responded toa fire at the newly constructed U.S. ArmyMedical Research Institute of InfectiousDiseases. Fort Detrick fire services wereable to contain the fire to only 12,000square feet of a 25,000 square foot BiosafetyLevel-4 laboratory, and more than 350 em-ployees were safely evacuated.

“Operationally, this fire was challeng-ing,” Wheeler said. “There were 22 trucksand 72 personnel that responded to the call.The hardest part about that call was the ven-tilation. The fire was located in a BSL-4 labo-ratory that is designed not to let things out.We had to move the smoke and heat fromthat area. We ended up running 16 largeventilation fans overnight.”

According to Fort Detrick’s submissionto IMCOM for the award, the Fort DetrickFire Department has mutual aid agreementswith several local counties and agencies tobe able to serve the community in the mostefficient way possible. Some of these aidagreements include partnerships with Fred-erick County, Montgomery County, and theCamp David Presidential Retreat.

Additionally, according to Wheeler, thespecial operations crew was nominated forthe Frederick County Chamber of Com-

merce Award for providing immediate res-cue measures that were directly related tosaving the life of a trapped worker during atrench rescue in Frederick County.

These accomplishments, among manyothers, display the dedication and hardwork of the Fort Detrick Fire Department,according to director of Emergency ServicesRay Wharton.

“[These] men and women are some ofthe finest professionals I’ve had the pleasureto serve with for the past 30 years of Federalservice. They come to work each and everyday to serve and protect all those who live,work, and visit Fort Detrick and Forest Glen.They do this without reservation of endan-gering their own lives to save another. Weare so very fortunate and extremely proud tohave the caliber of men and women in ourF&ES. We sleep better knowing they’re onduty,” Wharton said.

Wheeler hopes to continue to submit an-nually to IMCOM for this award while con-tinually operating his facility as efficiently as

possible. He says the team’s new buildinghas improved team efficiency and morale.“There is so much diversity here. There areso many people that bring so much to thisteam. This award is all because of all of theirhard work. They earned this recognition,”Wheeler said.

Fort Detrick and Forest Glen have a totalof 62 firefighters that work in shifts aroundthe clock.

After winning the Atlantic Region Award,the Fort Detrick Fire Department is auto-matically entered into IMCOM’s competi-tion for the Best Medium Sized Fire Depart-ment. In this competition, Fort Detrick willcompete against the winners of the Europeregion and the Pacific region. The winner ofthis award has not yet been announced. Thewinner of the IMCOM award will then moveon to claim the Army’s award for the BestMedium Sized Fire Department.

Fort Detrick won the Army awardfor the Best Medium Sized Fire Depart-ment in 2009. Wheeler is optimistic

about winning the Army award again.For more information about Fort Det-rick Fire and Emergency Services, visithttp://www.detrick.army.mil/fireDept/.

Did you know?- In the event of an emergency, dial 911.

Do not dial the Fort Detrick Fire and Emer-gency Services phone number.

- Services are dispatched through 911,the same way they are if you dial 911 from alocation off-post.

- The Fort Detrick Fire Departmentmaintained a public fire/education evacua-tion program in 2013, reaching out to morethan 600 children.

- The Fort Detrick Fire Departmentparticipates in the annual National NightOut program, fostering positive relation-ships between the community and emer-gency services such as local fire and po-lice departments.

Fire Department Wins Best Medium SizedDepartment in IMCOM Atlantic Region

The Fort Detrick Fire Department always has 11 firefighters on duty during a 24-hour shift. Photo by Shannon Bishop

2 Fort Detrick StandardMarch 21, 2014 Sustaining a community of excellence through restoration, environmental stewardship and workforce development

Command StaffMaj. Gen. Joseph Caravalho Jr.

Commanding general, U.S. Army Medical

Research and Materiel Command

and Fort Detrick

Col. Steven P. MiddlecampU.S. Army Garrison commander

Editorial StaffPAO Staff

The STANDARD is an authorized unofficial newspaper,published every two weeks under the provisions of AR360-1 for the military and civilians at Fort Detrick. Circula-tion is 7,000. The STANDARD is a commercial enterprisenewspaper printed by Comprint Military Publications, 9030Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md., 20877, a private firm,in no way connected with the United States Government orDepartment of Defense. The contents of the STANDARD donot necessarily reflect the official views or endorsement ofthe U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the U.S.Army. The appearance of advertising in this publication, in-cluding inserts and supplements, do not constitute endorse-

ment of DoD. Everything advertised in this publication shallbe made available for purchase, use or patronage withoutregard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age,marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or anyother nonmerit characteristic of the purchaser, user or patron.Editorial content is prepared and edited by the Fort DetrickPublic Affairs Office, 810 Schreider Street, Fort Detrick, Md.21702-5000. Editorial Offices are in Bldg. 810, Suite 004,telephone 301-619-2018; e-mail: [email protected].

Display ad salesFrederick County 301-921-2800Montgomery County 301-921-2800Classified ads 1-888-670-7100

ext+. 2684Circulation 301-670-2591Editorial 301-619-3319Printed on recycled paperRecycle when finished

Visit our Web site at: www.detrick.army.mil

Provost Marshal Office(301) 619-2652

Fire and Emergency Services(301) 619-2528

Near Miss Hotline(301) 619-3164

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Directorate of Public Works Trouble Desk(301) 619-2726

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After Duty NumbersImportant After DutyHour Numbers

The U.S. Army Garrison commander is hosting hisfirst community information exchange briefing onMon-day, March 31, from 10 a.m. to noon, in the CommunityActivities Center, building 1529.

Traditionally, military communities throughout theArmyuse the exchange as a primarymedium for dissem-inating the latest news and information about upcomingevents, programs and changes impacting all those livingand working on themilitary installation.

Commanders, directors, active duty military, spous-es, and the Fort Detrick Department of Army civilianworkforce are invited to attend the briefing to obtaininformation, ask questions and provide comments orexpress concerns.

Information tables, staffed with subject matter ex-perts, to address specific questions regarding programsand community services will be available.

For additional information on theMarch 31CIE brief-ing, please contact theUSAGDirectorate of Plans, Train-ing, Mobilization and Security Office, (301) 619-2503.

Command InformationExchange Scheduled

Women’s History Month

3Fort Detrick StandardMarch 21, 2014Sustaining a community of excellence through restoration, environmental stewardship and workforce development

JENNI BENSONUSAG PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The 1970s brought us musicfrom Led Zeppelin, the Bee Gees,and the Village People; andmovieslike Patton and the Godfather. Thehippest clothes were bell-bottoms,three-piece suits, and platformshoes, and who can forget JohnTravolta’s disco moves.

Politically speaking, it was thedecade for protests and Water-gate, but the ‘70s was also thebirth of what many consider tobe the modern environmentalmovement, Earth Day. EarthDay was established on April 22,1970, when 20 million Americanscame together and demonstrat-ed peacefully at rallies coast tocoast in support of environmen-tal reform.

U.S. Democratic Senator Gay-lord Nelson came up with the idea

for Earth Day and crossed the aisleby enlisting the help of RepublicanCongressman Pete McCloskey.With the guidance of Denis Hayes,an environmental activist, theygathered a staff of 85 to plan andpromote Earth Day events acrossthe nation.

Demonstrations began in prac-tically every city and town in theUnited States, later being dubbedthe first national protest againstthe pollution of the environment.That first Earth Day took on manyforms, to include: rallies, dem-onstrations, teach-ins, lectures,concerts, and even bans on auto-mobiles in cities such as New York;all with the overall goal of bringingnational attention to the issues ofenvironmental degradation.

Not only did Earth Day takeenvironmental awareness to an-other level by bringing aboutpolitical alignment, but it also

led to the creation of the UnitedStates Environmental ProtectionAgency. The EPA is responsiblefor the creation of such laws asthe Clean Air Act, the Clean Wa-ter Act, and the Endangered Spe-cies Act, all of which have shapedthe scope of environmental con-servation and protection.

Now, 44 years later, Earth Dayis observed in over 192 countriesand is celebrated by more than abillion people every year.

Fort Detrick celebrates EarthDay with a one-day festival ofevents, ranging from a commu-nity shred and electronics recy-cling drive to hands-on displaysand educational booths.

Every day the Fort Detrick En-vironmental Management Officeworks to educate the Fort Detrickcommunity on environmental is-sues and how to protect our plan-et. Earth Day is just one way to get

the community involved in a funand interactive way.

The EMO offers several pro-grams to keep the Fort Detrickcommunity educated on topicssuch as recycling, air quality, nat-ural and cultural resources, andclean water. During the Earth Dayevent to be held on April 16 at the

Community Activities Center, at-tendees will be able to speak withmaster gardeners, conservationspecialists, environmental expertsand more.

Formore information or to havea display at the Fort Detrick EarthDay event, contact the EMO EarthDay Coordinator at (301) 619-0646.

Earth Day - the Modern Environmental Movement

JANE GERVASONIPUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE, U.S. ARMY

PUBLIC HEALTH COMMAND

Military families value theirelectronic health record systemand are grateful that they no lon-ger have to take paper copies oftheir health records with themeach time they move. Now, theU.S. Army Public Health Com-mand is training veterinary per-sonnel on a similar system forgovernment-owned animals andprivately-owned animals belong-ing to military families.

The new system is called theRemote Online Veterinary Record,or ROVR for short. The system willoffer Army veterinary service per-sonnel worldwide new methodsfor recording andmaintaining vet-erinary clinical information aboutthe animals they treat.

“ROVR is a secure, Web-basedapplication that provides themeans to electronically record,store, retrieve and transmit theelements of veterinary clinicalencounters at all levels of care,”according to Col. Erik Torring,deputy commander for veterinaryservices at the USAPHC. “It is astate-of-the-art means to collect,manage, analyze and report dataand information rapidly and ac-curately to all levels of the Depart-ment of Defense.”

The Army provides veterinaryhealth services for all compo-nents of the DoD and to othergovernmental agencies withcomplete veterinary medical andsurgical care for all government-owned animals including thosebelonging to other governmen-tal agencies such as the SecretService, Border Patrol, CustomsService and the TransportationSecurity Administration.

Currently, veterinary personneldocument their clinical findingsand other statistical data usinghard copy records, spreadsheetsand other databases. These meth-ods lack the ability to encryptdata, do not allow access to such

data by all veterinary personnel,and are generally hard to man-age, according to Michael Tackett,U.S. Army Medical InformationTechnology Center VeterinaryServices Systems Managementprogram manager.

“The DoD veterinary servicescommunity operates in approxi-mately 144 sites worldwide,” ex-plained Tackett. “The new systemwill be capable of encrypting dataand providing worldwide accessfor veterinary service personnel intheater or garrison.”

ROVR was designed to addressmany of the concerns of the vet-erinary community and is beingtrained and fielded throughoutthe USAPHC regional commandsacross the world through April.

“Access to this system is basedon a user’s common access card,”explained Lt. Col. Kay Burkman,veterinary staff officer at JointBase San Antonio, Tx. “ROVR will

create patient records that can betransferred and shared, with ac-cess worldwide using the CAC.”

Burkman has been involvedwith this project since it was firstconceived in 2005. She has spentthe last 2 1/2 years working pri-marily on program development,beta testing and devising training.

“Every clinic is different, sowe tailor our training to meet theneeds of those using the system,”she explained. “A facility exclu-sively treating government-ownedanimals will have slightly differentneeds than one that treats primar-ily privately-owned animals.

“In February, we trained vet-erinary treatment facility per-sonnel from Aberdeen ProvingGround, Md., and Carlisle Bar-racks, Pa., on how to use thissystem,” Burkman explained.“We have already trained veteri-nary personnel at more than 100VTFs, including Joint Base San

Antonio, and veterinary person-nel have been very enthusiasticabout ROVR’s capabilities.”

The system has a lot of benefitsfor VTF users as well as pet own-ers, according to Burkman. ROVReven has more functionality thanthe current electronic health sys-tem for military beneficiaries,she said.

One of the biggest benefits topet owners is that the informationstored in the system can be trans-ferred to any military VTF aroundthe world. This will make a differ-ence for those who take pets withthemwhen they have a permanentchange of station.

The same is true for militaryworking dogs and other govern-ment-owned animals such as thecaisson horses used at Fort Bel-voir, Va. Information on the ani-mals’ past and present health willbe available to any veterinary pro-vider with a CAC.

“ROVR provides the function-alities necessary to consolidatethe 144 independent veterinarytreatment facilities into a globalpractice with the capability to pro-vide standardized, evidence-basedveterinary care to any animal, any-where,” Burkman explained.

In addition, ROVR will beable to help track animal diseasetrends, clinic inventory, manageappointments, provide billingstatements, track drug interac-tions, generate rabies and veteri-nary health certificates and sup-port clinical documentation ofpatient records.

Although the USAPHC is host-ing the training, many veterinaryservices personnel, the DoD Vet-erinary Services Activity, the De-fense Health Agency and DoD’sHealth Affairs contributed to thedesign of the system and are in-volved in the management of thesystem. These organizations, ani-mals and owners will benefit fromthe information available in thesystem, according to Torring.

“The entire program, includ-ing development, testing andfielding, has been a huge teameffort,” said Tackett. “This is apartnership that will improve pa-tient care by automating medicalrecords and providing worldwideaccess from any CAC-enabledgovernment computer.”

ROVR still has some growing todo, but so far, design defects havebeen minimal and will be fixedonce the system is fielded.

At Aberdeen Proving Ground,the veterinary clinic staff, whichreceived training in February, isalready using the new system inthe VTF.

“Change is always challeng-ing,” said Carol Bossone, non-appropriated fund veterinarianat the clinic, “but this systemseems to offer functionality thatwe have not had before. I amhopeful that the end result willbe a valuable tool that is versa-tile, flexible and seamless.”

ROVR Collects Animal Health Records

Veterinarian Carol Bossone gives Maria Schnople’s dog, Daisy, a routine check-up at the Aber-deen Proving Ground, Md., veterinary clinic. Information on the dog’s health will be entered in theROVR system and can be accessed by other Army veterinarians if Schnople and her dog move toanother military installation. Photo by Rachel Ponder, APG News


SIDNEY HINDSSPECIAL TO THE STANDARD

City of Frederick elected of-ficials, including Mayor RandyMcClement and several city alder-men, visited Fort Detrick March10 to meet with post commandersand lab directors and receive anoverview of Fort Detrick, discussways to collaborate, tour the in-stallation and identify needs of thecommunity and the installation.

Maj. Gen. Joseph Caravalho, Jr.,commanding general, U.S. ArmyMedical Research and MaterielCommand and Fort Detrick, wel-comed the elected officials at theCommunity Activities Center. Cara-valho touched on the unique andimportant work done at Fort Detrick,stating, “research and developmentis necessary and must continue.”

Caravalho said in his role asthe installation commander he iseager to maintain community tiesand to get Soldiers and employeesout as much as possible into thecommunity. He stated the need fora conference center in the com-munity and provided an updateon the auditorium. Both topicsgenerated much discussion, andall attendees agreed on the needfor both.

Col. Steven Middlecamp, U.S.Army Garrison commander, touchedon sole sourcing and saving re-sources. Specifically, he mentionedthat Fort Detrick has many of the

same programs as the city, such aschildcare centers and lifeguards atcommunity pools, and that “Wecan work together to identify waysto sole source and save resources.”Middlecamp also talked about FortDetrick’s partnerships in the com-munity with Frederick County Pub-

lic Schools and the outpouring ofinterest in the STEM program byscientists, teachers, parents and stu-dents alike.

Commanders from the UnitedStates Army Garrison, U.S. ArmyMedical Research Institute for In-fectious Diseases, Department of

Homeland Security, U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture, Departmentof Health and Human Services andthe 21st Signal Brigade also partici-pated. Each leader gave a brief pre-sentation conveying the roles andactivities relevant to their respec-tive organizations, as well as their

work in the community. After eachbrief there was time for discussionas well as questions and answers.

The guests were then givena tour of the installation to hearabout the history of Fort Detrick,the programs and services avail-able, as well as see ongoing con-struction projects, to include theNallin Farm Gate and the USAM-RIID replacement building.

To provide a hands-on expe-rience and to demonstrate thesignificant research and develop-ment work being done at Fort De-trick and how it transcends intocivilian medicine, subject expertsfrom the USAMRMC TechnologyTransfer Office/Office of Researchand Technology Applications, U.S.Army Medical Materiel Agency,U.S. Army Medical Materiel Devel-opment Activity, the Telemedicine& Advanced Technology ResearchCenter and the Director for Mate-riel, all provided exhibits relatedto the products their respectiveorganizations have developed inpursuit of improving the lives ofSoldiers on the battlefield.

The visit concluded with a tourof Area B, during which a ques-tion and answer session regard-ing ongoing environmental res-toration efforts and progress was,“extremely helpful and providedmuch insight,” according to Alder-man Michael O’Connor.

Frederick City and Fort Detrick Leadership Strengthen Partnership

Frederick City Aldermen Donna Kuzemchak and Kelly Russell are joined by Frederick MayorRandy McClement at the Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center as they learnabout the research and development at Fort Detrick. Photo by Sidney Hinds

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BY ELLEN CROWNDEPUTY PAO

The U.S. Army Medical Research andMateriel Command’s Strategic PartnershipOffice is calling for volunteers to participatein the upcoming 52nd Junior Science & Hu-manities Symposium , April 24-27.

The JSHS is a tri-service program fundedby the Army, Navy, and Air Force that en-courages high school students to conductoriginal research in the science, technology,engineering and mathematics fields.

USAMRMC will host a booth at the JSHSthat showcases the research and product

development within USAMRMC, includinghighlights on biomedical and electrophysi-ological prosthetics and orthotics. Thebooth will display several prosthetic limbdevices and will include hands-on activitiesthat demonstrate how neurons and neuro-prosthetics work.

“We are looking for volunteers thatenjoy interacting with students andparents, and are willing to give severalhours of their time,” explained HollyDague, a SPO education administrator.“Subject matter experts will train all vol-unteers on the activities in the booth sothat they can demonstrate the current

technology and engage the students withhands-on activities that explore how thebrain communicates with our senses,memories and muscles.”

About 240 high school students havequalified to participate this year by submit-ting and presenting original scientific re-search papers at the regional level. Schol-arship awards will be announced and pre-sented to the first, second, and third placewinners for each STEM category.

The JSHS is being held in conjunc-tion with the 3rd Bi-Annual USA Science& Engineering Festival The USASEF, thelargest science festival in the U.S., is a na-

tional grassroots effort to advance STEMeducation and inspire the next genera-tion of scientists and engineers. Morethan 750 STEM organizations will presenthands-on science and engineering activi-ties for people of all ages. The USASEFwill be held on April 26-27, at the Wal-ter E. Washington Convention Center inWashington, D.C.

To volunteer to support USAMRMC atJSHS or USASEF, email: usarmy.detrick.medcom-usamrmc.other.educational-out-reach@mail.mil. For more information onJSHS and USASEF, visit http://stem.amedd.army.mil/.

USAMRMC Seeks Volunteersfor Junior Science Symposium

Future scientists and engineers check out the U.S. Army Medical Research andMateriel Command demonstrations at the 2012 Junior Science & HumanitiesSymposium. This year’s event will be held at the Washington, D.C. ConventionCenter, April 24-27. Courtesy photo.

01041286



March is Women’s HistoryMonth, a timewhenwomen aroundthe world are recognized for theircontributions to history, cultureand society.

As a mother, career woman,and active member of her commu-nity, Marie O’Brien, director of theFort Detrick Logistics ReadinessCenter, serves as an example ofhow a woman canmake significantcontributions in the world aroundus. O’Brien has shown resiliencyin furthering her career, while bal-ancing a home life.

Throughout her life, O’Brien hasgained a wealth of knowledge fromnot only her travels and career ex-perience, but from her family aswell. O’Brien recalled one experi-ence in particular she had whileserving in the Army in Germany.

“[Living in Germany] was a dif-ferent world as a Soldier. It wasan opportunity to travel and learnsomething new. I had the oppor-tunity to travel to East Berlin asa Soldier. It was like going fromcolor to black and white. It is theonly way I can think to explain it.When the [Berlin] wall came downyou could see these little townsthat no one would have ever seen.These little cars that could only go30 mph were going on the auto-bahn,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien has been recognizedfor her work personally and pro-fessionally, receiving countlessawards including the 2012 FortDetrick Woman of the Year.

O’Brien, along with her hus-band of six years, Rick, wereawarded the State of MarylandMeritorious Civilian Service Med-al for their support of the FamilyReadiness Group Company A, 1stBattalion, 175th Infantry, Mary-land Army National Guard.

The O’Brien’s have seven chil-dren between the two of themfrom previous marriages and threegrandchildren. Their children’sages range from 18 to 31. One oftheir sons, Robert, currently worksfor the U.S. Army Garrison Fort De-trick Directorate of Public Works.

Prior to marrying Rick, O’Briendescribes being a single mother ofthree children as one of the mostdifficult things she has overcome.

“Separating work and family[was challenging], but I was fullycommitted to both. [I had to learn]to leave work at my job, and familyat home,” O’Brien said. “I had thegreatest friends, andmy boss was ahuge support. Going through thatwhole experience has made mewho I am today,” she added.

For her work, O’Brien has trav-eled and lived around the globe,very consistent with her upbring-ing in a military family and herown experience in the military.Now, her entire career centers ontransportation.

“The best thing that has hap-pened in my career is that I hadsupervisors that were willing toprovide constructive criticism. Youhave to be able to be receptive tocriticism without taking it person-ally. I try to instill that in all of myemployees,” O’Brien said.

After being honorably dis-charged as a Staff Sergeant in theArmy in 1995, O’Brien enteredthe civilian workforce at Fort Ir-win, Calif.

“It was [at Fort Irwin] that Iwon an award after establishingthe largest mass transit programin southern California,” O’Briensaid. “I spent nine years total atFort Irwin. That was the longest Ihad ever lived in one place.”

As a civilian, O’Brien movedback to Germany with her twoboys in March 2000.

“Living in Germany as a civil-ian was totally different than whenI lived there as a Soldier. My boyswere nine and 11 when we livedthere. We skied in the Alps. Wewhitewater rafted in Austria. Wewent to Switzerland for Boy Scouttraining. We had all these incred-ible experiences that just seemedcompletely normal for my boys,”O’Brien said.

In 2011, O’Brien came to FortDetrick as the director of the Logis-tics Readiness Center, working forthe Army Sustainment Command.She currently supervises 21 person-nel as well as all logistic support forFort Detrick. The LRC managesGeneral Services Administrationvehicles, household goods, fuel,

truck movements, and other logis-tic support services.

In her personal time, O’Brienvolunteers on the Board of Direc-tors for the United Steam Fire En-gine Co. 3. In her role, O’Brien as-sists in making the best decisionsfor each fire station including deci-

sions about budget, buildings andstaff. Her husband, a volunteerfirefighter of 31 years, is currentlya Captain and life member at thesame company where O’Brienserves on the Board of Directors.

O’Brien also serves as a lifemember for the Disabled Ameri-can Veterans, a veterans advoca-

cy and assistance program. BothMarie and her husband are alsoactively involved with supportingWounded Warrior Programs, Fall-en Fire Fighters and Co. A, 1st Bn,175th Inf.

“We try to do anything we canto support service men and wom-en,” O’Brien said.

Soldier, World Traveler, Civilian, Mother and Leader-Marie O’Brien Makes Her Own Mark on Women’s History

O’Brien currently supervises 21 personnel and oversees all logistical support for Fort Detrick as the director for the Logistics Readi-ness Center. Photo by Shannon Bishop

Marie O’Brien, director of the Logistics Readiness Center, stands in front of what used to be theBerlin Wall in 1991. Photo provided by Marie O’Brien


NICBR EDUCATION AND OUTREACHWORKING GROUP

The first National Interagency Confederation for Biologi-cal Research Exploring Careers in a Scientific EnvironmentSymposiumwas held Tuesday, Feb. 18, at the National Can-cer Institute’s Advanced Training Research Facility in Fred-erick, Maryland.

Conducted by the NICBR Education Outreach Work-ing Group, this event for teachers highlighted career pathsfor students while presenting an overview of research per-formed on Fort Detrick and at NCI-Frederick.

“The NICBR has had several NECSES events in the pastwith students, but this is our first time having one withteachers,” explained Mike Jewett, Fort Detrick InteragencyCoordinating Committee representative and associate di-rector for program integration at the National Institute ofAllergy and Infectious Diseases Integrated Research Facility.

In collaboration with Frederick County SuperintendentDr. Theresa Alban and her outreach staff, over 80 teachersand administrators of the Frederick County Public Schoolsystem spent the day discussing and learning the latest in-formation in the area of scientific research.

“Although the weather was tricky this morning, we had awonderful turnout with Frederick area teachers,” said AliceYoung, past chair of EOWG, U.S. Army Medical ResearchInstitute of Infectious Diseases.

The event totaled 74 registrants and 13 participatingagencies to include: The U.S. Army Garrison; Navy MedicalResearch Center; U.S. Army Medical Research and MaterielCommand, USAMRIID; U.S. Department of Agriculture-Ag-ricultural Research Service Foreign Disease-Weed ScienceResearch Unit; National Biodefense Analysis and Counter-measures Center, Department of Homeland Security; Na-tional Cancer Institute-Frederick and NIAID-IRF, both ofthe National Institutes of Health, Department of Health andHuman Services, and the Food and Drug Administration.

“This event is very valuable,” said Linda Mosser, a Walk-ersville High School teacher, “and we are learning what the

skill sets are that are needed for our kids. We are gainingreal life knowledge of the kids, and that is very meaningfulto teachers.”

NICBR’s goal is to sustain the local community byproviding opportunities to support the Frederick work-force of tomorrow. Participants will learn how to navi-gate this multi-faceted support structure and walk awaywith tools to help identify and support the differenti-ated needs of students.

“This is a great event to help build the bench and meshthe knowledge that students have with the knowledge thatteachers want,” Jewett said, “and we are pleased the NICBRis a part of that effort.”

Science in the Classroom

Capt. Estella Jones speaks about regulatory scienceprojects being undertaken at the Food and DrugAdministration.

Photo Courtesy of Richard Frederickson, Scientific Publica-tions Graphics and Media, Leidos Biomedical Corporation

More than 70 Frederick-area teachers attended the first annual National Interagency Confederation for Bio-logical Research Exploring Careers in a Scientific Environment Symposium that was held Tuesday, Feb. 18,at the National Cancer Institute’s Advanced Training Research Facility in Frederick, Md. to hear what they cando to encourage students to pursue careers in science and technology. Photo Courtesy of Richard Frederickson

JULIUS L. EVANSNMLC PAO

The Naval Medical Logistics Command celebrated Af-rican American/Black History Month, Feb. 26, at its head-quarters in Frederick, Md., on Fort Detrick, with a programresembling a popular game show.

‘It’s Academic’ is the nation’s foremost high school quizprogram that showcases outstanding, high-achieving teen-agers. At NMLC, command personnel participated by ex-hibiting their knowledge of thoroughly researched histori-cal facts while competing in a team setting.

Headed by Capt. Mary S. Seymour, NMLC has a long andactive history of recognizing diversity through its varied ac-tivities. This year, NMLC’s Diversity Committee called uponits members to develop the theme, envision the props andcreate all the aspects of the game show that would be fittingfor the type of recognition deserving of this observance.

“Extensive research went into developing today’s pre-sentation of ‘It’s Academic’ for the African American/BlackHistory Month celebration,” said Melanie Muscar, NMLC’ssupervisory contracting officer. “Using numerous onlinewebsites including biography.com, worldhistoryproject.com, archives.gov, naacp.org, and pbs.com, facts weretransformed into multiple choice questions, true/falsequestions and general trivia.”

This year’s theme was ‘Civil Rights in America,’ so theDiversity Committee framed some of the questions aroundpop culture and followed the traditional rules of the televi-sion game show that requires math and science questionsbe interjected into the rounds. One question asked, “If youadd three to the square root of 144, the result is the Amend-ment that couldn’t deny voting rights to a citizen on the

basis of race, color or previous condition of servitude.” (Theanswer will be revealed elsewhere in this article).

Audience members found the questions and answersfascinating and very informative. “The ‘It’s Academic’ for-mat for the Black History celebration was a refreshing andmemorable way to celebrate and increase awareness of thelasting contributions African Americans made throughoutU.S. history,” said Cmdr. Shikina Tellis, deputy director,Operational Forces Directorate. Other participants alsoshared their thoughts on the day’s event.

“Some might think playing a game on such an importanttopic, such as Black History, belittles the struggle. I disagreebecause it encourages participation and involvement. Gameshave proven a good way to reach out to those that might notnormally get involved,” said Rachel Pardo, an NMLC pro-

gram/management analyst. “Competition appeals to people.The goal is to engage and educate those who attended. Thisevent engaged people. There was no way to attend and notget involved. Also, everyone learned something they did notpreviously know. People got out of their seats, shouted, root-ed the players on and became participants!”

One of the event’s organizers commented on the signifi-cance of having commandparticipation in events like this one.

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the passage ofthe Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as assigned by the 15th Amend-ment). To think that it has only been 50 years is prettyamazing to me,” Muscar said. “But it also makes me excitedto see what types of changes the next 50 years hold for us asour nation continues to fight for equality for all citizens.”

Muscar also discussed why supporting diversity is a val-ue that takes precedence throughout the year.

“Regardless of the month being observed, NMLC’s Di-versity Committee is committed to showcasing each obser-vance in unique and interesting ways. Just as our command,community, and country are diverse, we celebrate diversityby hosting different types of events that offer something foreveryone,” she continued. “Considering NMLC’s mission,events such as today offer a break for command person-nel to laugh, recharge their batteries and to have camara-derie with the rest of our shipmates, particularly ones thatwe might not generally work with day-to-day. Support-ing events offered by the Diversity Committee not onlystrengthens our diversity footprint but it also strengthensour NMLC family relationships.”

Already looking ahead to other diversity events for theyear, commandmembers have asked that game shows suchas ‘Minute to Win It’ and ‘WhoWants to Be aMillionaire’ beconsidered for the future events.

Black History Month at the Naval Medical Logistics Command, ‘It’s Academic!’

Keeping score,MeradithMorina tracks the day’s resultsto keep the tally for the three teamscompeting inNavalMedical LogisticsCommand’s AfricanAmerican/BlackHistoryMonth version of ‘It’s Academic!’

Photo by Julius L. Evans, NMLC PAO


ARMY COMMUNITY SERVICE

What programs or services would you like ArmyCommunity Service to provide? Are your expectationsbeing met? What services are the most beneficial to you?

Make your opinion count by taking a brief ACS NeedsAssessment Survey, facilitated by the Family and Mo-rale, Welfare and Recreation Directorate and Instal-lation Management Command. The online survey isavailable to the Fort Detrick community.

The online confidential survey will be available April1 through June 1 at www.armymwr.com/ACS-survey.

The ACS Needs Assessment Survey provides you aunique opportunity to identify needs and issues thatare important to you. It also allows ACS to measureusage and helpfulness of individual ACS programsand services.

Family and MWRAnnounces Army

Community ServiceNeedsAssessmentSurvey

For more news from other bases around the Washington, D.C. area,

visit www.dcmilitary.com

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NEWLY RENOVATED APARTMENT HOMES

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The Fort Detrick community gathered March 18 at theCommunity Activities Center for the annual Women’s His-toryMonth observance, hosted by theU.S. ArmyMedicalMa-teriel Agency, the theme of this year’s observance was “Cel-ebrating Women of Character, Courage and Commitment.”

In his proclamation proclaiming March Women’s Histo-ry Month, President Barack Obama said, “During Women’sHistory Month, we recognize the victories, struggles, andstories of the women who have made our country what it istoday.” Guest speaker Dr. Theresa Alban, superintendent ofFrederick County Public Schools, has more than 30 years ofexperience as an educator. She currently serves an organi-zation of more than 5,000 employees and 40,000 students.Alban spoke about women in today’s school system.

Talking about a teacher evaluation report from 1971,Alban said the teacher was evaluated based on vitality,enthusiasm, judgment, poise, promptness, optimism,tact, dependability, culture and refinement, and objec-tionable mannerisms.

“Things have changed a bit for how we evaluate ourteachers today. Notice there were no questions about [if]the students were successful or meeting the standards ofthe time. That is very much what we are looking for today,”Alban said.

Today, although women have gained rights and moreequality in the community, discrimination still exists. Ac-cording to Obama, “[women] face workplace discrimina-tion, a higher risk of sexual assault, and an earnings gapthat will cost the average woman hundreds of thousands ofdollars over the course of her working lifetime.”

Julianna Albowitz, representing U.S. Senator BarbaraMikulski, read a letter from Mikulski stating, “Today morefamilies depend on women as the primary breadwinnerthan ever before. Women make up two thirds of minimumwage workers. We need to raise their wages and make surethey are not being redlined or sidelined by paycheck dis-crimination or outdated policies. This is not about thepast. It’s not even about the present. It’s about the future,our future.”

The Maryland Ensemble Theatre performed “FinallyHeard” during the observance. The performance broughtto life the stories of four remarkable women during thecivil war era. MET is an ensemble of 25 actors, directors,writers, musicians, technicians, and designers dedicatedto the creation and production of extraordinary theatreart through the combined voices of a diverse ensemble ofprofessional resident artists who are influential leaders inthe community and visionaries in the art of theatre, ac-cording to their website.

WomenThroughoutHistoryShowCharacter,CourageandCommitment

The Maryland Ensemble Theatre performed a skit thatbrought to life the stories of four remarkable womenfrom the civil war era. Photo by Shannon Bishop

Superintendent of Frederick County Public SchoolsDr. Theresa Alban spoke at the Women’s HistoryMonth Observance about women in today’s schoolsystem. Photo by Shannon Bishop

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The National Capitol Region ExceptionalFamily Member Program Mini-Conferencewill return to Fort Detrick, May 6, from 9a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Community ActivitiesCenter, offering EFMP professionals the op-portunity to network with other profession-als to expand the programs and services of-fered at their locations.

“This is a great event. It is a networkingopportunity and a good time to find outwhat other installations are doing in out-reach, marketing, respite care, advocacyand program activities in their own EFMP,”EFMP Manager Michelle Hewitt said. “Thisis the first mini-conference that has beenheld since 2011, it will be a great day.”

Key topics include: the role of the specialneeds advisor, the special needs accom-modation process, examples of outreach,among others. Speakers at the event includeDr. Debra Bavari, chief EFMP physician atthe Fort Detrick Barquist Army Health Clin-ic; Beverley Tuggle, child and youth servicesliaison education and outreach services di-rector; and Gillis Bolden, Fort Detrick Mili-tary Personnel Division.

“This conference is open to all EFMPmanagers, coordinators, special needs ad-visors, assistant EFMP mangers, systemnavigators and anyone else interested in theEFMP program,” Hewitt said.

The EFMP serves family members of allactive duty personnel from birth to age 21who have a special need or disability. Mili-tary sponsors who have physical custody ofa parent or relative older than 21 are also eli-gible for the program. According to Hewitt,to be eligible for services through EFMP, anindividual must have any physical, emotion-al, developmental, or intellectual disabilitythat requires special treatment, therapy, ed-ucation, training or counseling.

“Our services are available for all branch-es of the military and there are EFMP pro-grams at all military installations. Even

though the program is aimed for militaryfamilies, certain services are available forcivilians, retirees, and contractors,” Hewittsaid. “My office has resources, informationand referrals available for people eligible tobe in the program.”

For more information about the NationalCapitol Region EFMP Mini-Conference orEFMP, call (301) 619-3385.

EFMP Gears Up for a Busy Spring!EFMP will host an Adult Attention Deficit

Hyperactive Disorder seminar in the Com-munity Activities Center from 11:30 a.m. to1 p.m., April 2. The event is geared towardshelping adults navigate issues related toADD/ADHD. “Most people think this is achildhood issue, but adults struggle with ittoo. They just become savvier at navigatingthe challenges by making lists and settingreminders,” Hewitt said.

Additional EFMP programs this springinclude:

- Military Spouse Appreciation Day/Spouse Appreciation Day, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30p.m. at the Fort Detrick Balfour Beatty Com-munity Center, May 9.

- Army Emergency Relief Fun Run, 6:30a.m., at the Blue and Grey Field, May 16.

National Capitol RegionExceptional Family

Member ConferenceReturns to Fort Detrick

Camaraderie Between MembersMaj. Gen. Joseph Cara-valho, Jr., command-ing general, U.S. ArmyMedical Research andMateriel Command andFort Detrick, addressedthemembers of the FortDetrick Silver Cadu-ceus Society onMarch19. The SCA, estab-lished in 2003, supportscamaraderie betweenmembers of theMedi-cal Service Corps.Photo by Sidney Hinds

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