Community

2023 Student Science Jeopardy! 16th Annual Tournament

This year’s Scientific Library student Jeopardy! game again embraced a virtual format, like the 2021 and 2022 games, to accommodate interns competing from remote locations. The competition was an enjoyable match, involving 23 participants, including the seven contestants interning at NCI at Frederick from various high schools or colleges, and a fast final round with a high-totaling winner.

The Green Team on Campus Makes Small Changes for a Big Impact

It’s a beautiful autumn day as you walk around the NCI Frederick campus taking in the fall breeze. You can hear birds chirping in their birdhouses near the Old Farm Gate, newly planted trees swaying in the wind, and you can almost picture the bees that will be buzzing around the recently added pollinator garden.

This is the work of the Green Team Initiative—a diverse group of individuals working to make the campus more environmentally friendly.

Interns Make Scientific Debut at Poster Day Event

Building 549’s atrium was abnormally crowded one late summer day. Like the cicadas buzzing just outside the building, the room thrummed with excitement, dozens of conversations going at once. The noise was so loud that it was hard to hear someone speaking even a few paces away.

Student Poster Day had returned to the NCI Frederick campus, making its first appearance since the apprehensive days of early 2020

Branch Chiefs Receive Awards, Reflect on Careers and Teamwork

Three NCI Frederick branch chiefs have joined the ranks of three esteemed societies within the last year. While they’re grateful for the honor, they’re trying to share the limelight. The three say the elections serve to applaud their teams’ contributions, acknowledge the importance of investing in other scientists, and underscore that good science happens when many minds come together.

NCI and FNL Technology Showcase Returns September 6

The National Cancer Institute and Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research will host the Technology Showcase on Wednesday, September 6, at the FNL’s Advanced Technology Research Facility in Frederick, Md. The seventh annual event highlights NCI and FNL inventions and capabilities available to the external healthcare and biotech communities and offers the opportunity for networking with others in the biomedical research field.  

August 31 Biotech Connector to Explore Advances in Protein Production

The next Biotech Connector will explore advances in protein production happening in the Frederick, Md., area with talks from three experts working in the field. It is set for 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 31, at the Frederick National Laboratory’s Advanced Technology Research Facility in Frederick. 

Tick Talk

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in Maryland, spread by bacteria found in the bite of black-legged ticks, also known as deer ticks. Though it’s common, the disease can be difficult to diagnose, sometimes resulting in debilitating symptoms that may have been prevented with proper, timely diagnosis and a simple course of antibiotics.

‘Algae’ Allies: Protein from Cyanobacteria Blocks SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Lab Studies

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, before vaccines were available and while SARS-CoV-2 was wreaking havoc worldwide, Barry O’Keefe, Ph.D., and longtime collaborators in Brazil and Spain pooled their knowledge and resources to study cyanovirin-N (CV-N), a protein from cyanobacteria, photosynthetic bacteria commonly known as blue-green algae. O’Keefe had a hunch it could be developed to fight the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Where Are They Now: Lea Jih-Vieira’s Path from Math to Data Science and Systems Engineering

Former Werner H. Kirsten (WHK) Student Intern Program participant Lea Jih-Vieira followed a narrow path of interest and discovered a plethora of possibilities. When she first learned about the WHK internship from an information session at her high school, Jih-Vieira wasn’t sure about applying because it seemed geared toward laboratory work, which didn’t capture her interest. But, with some encouragement from her mom, Jih-Vieira applied and was accepted for an internship with NCI Frederick’s Office of Scientific Operations (OSO).