Offering information, publications, and conference management.
Cygnus provided a wide range of services to the Division of Basic Sciences at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), including health information management, processing, and retrieval; computer support and database development and maintenance; development of scientific publications, annual reports, presentation materials, directories, and indexes; and conference management and logistical support. The full range of services provided included publication design, development, and production support; editorial support; property and conference management; on-site computer support; database development; and web design including the following specifics:
- Prepared annual reports for 5 research programs that managed more than 1,200 research grants devoted to basic and clinical investigations;
- Developed and produced a Compendium of NCI-Designated Cancer Research Centers to publicize the program and combine fiscal and research data about each Center;
- Assisted in the Division's information dissemination activities by designing, editing, rewriting, and producing a variety of other documents, including an annual program and budget review, and quarterly site visit reports of intramural research laboratories;
- Designed and produced presentation materials such as table tents, labels, name badges, signage, exhibits, fliers, posters, program and abstract books, and slide presentations for conferences;
- Prepared charts and graphs for various publications to depict fiscal and scientific data and prepared slides and other presentation materials for administrative and program staff, including the Division's Director;
- Provided a variety of services, including scientific manuscript editing, to help intramural scientists publish their research results in peer-reviewed journals and books; copyedited, formatted, and proofread the manuscripts according to the journal's or book's specifications;
- Assisted the Division in managing approximately 12,000 property items by entering data into the NIH Property Management Information System, maintaining records and a file of property transactions, and generating periodic inventory reports;
- Supported conferences, international symposia, and advisory board and working group meetings of 50–400 attendees, held on NIH’s campus; in Washington metropolitan area commercial facilities; and in Buffalo, NY; Baltimore and Annapolis, MD; and Williamsburg, VA;
- Technical support for local area networks (LANs) on-site at the client's locations;
- Worked with a variety of well-known commercial software packages for desktop and LAN environments; provided support to the laboratories and extramural programs;
- Developed 3 major database projects: (1) Cancer Training Grants Database, (2) Cancer Biology Grants Database; and (3) Travel Tracking Database; and
- Developed a web site for information collection and dissemination among NCI's Cancer Center grantees.