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Meet Leonard Freedman, Frederick National Laboratory’s New Chief Science Officer

For Leonard Freedman, Ph.D., a lifetime in the sciences began serendipitously at Kalamazoo College, a small liberal arts school in Michigan. Freedman, who is Frederick National Laboratory’s new chief science officer, was drawn to the college’s strong science and premedical programs. However, he says many other subjects were equally attractive during his studies.

16th Annual Protective Services Chili Cook-Off: Plenty of Beef, But No Hard Feelings

For 16 years running, Tom Miller, Protective Services manager, has sought an elusive prize: a victory at his own chili cook-off. This year, he had high hopes … but once the votes were tallied, it was clear that Christina Robinson, research associate II, Animal Research Technical Support, had won the competition going away.

“A Stellar and Beautiful Building”: 538 Renovation Reaches Completion

When NCI at Frederick began receiving royalty money from the HPV vaccine research by Doug Lowy, John Schiller, and colleagues, a portion was set aside for facilities renovations on the NCI at Frederick campus. One of the first spaces slated for renovation was Building 538, which was mainly occupied by Center for Cancer Research (CCR) scientists.

Holiday Decorating Contest Spreads Joy, Friendly Competition, and Some Mischief

Standing outside of Building 362, there was little to indicate anything out of the ordinary, but inside, a holiday mascot had run over Grandma with a golf cart. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, even though the wrecked cart and the crime-scene outline of Grandma’s body on the floor suggested otherwise. Nearby NCI at Frederick employees offered assurances that it was all in good fun. The unusual scene—a golf-themed nod to the Christmas song “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”—was just one of the many creative decorations in the R&W Club Frederick’s Fifth Annual Holiday Decorating Contest.

Where Are They Now: Kaylee Towey Drafts Public Policy Proposals

Former Werner H. Kirsten (WHK) intern Kaylee Towey spent her most recent college semester drafting policy proposals to solve education issues in Prince George’s County. It was part of a semester-long project for the Public Leadership Scholars Program, an extracurricular activity she fits into her busy schedule as a student at University of Maryland, College Park.

Where Are They Now: For Smruti Hariprakasha, Science Runs in the Family

In retrospect, it’s not surprising that Smruti Hariprakasha, the daughter of two scientists, ended up at the National Cancer Institute as a Werner H. Kirsten intern. She says that the family profession spurred her interest in science from an early age, and her experiences on the NCI at Frederick campus, such as attending Take Your Child to Work Day with her parents when she was young, helped her feel at home when she began her internship. 

Inside the Scientific Arsenal: A Nobel-Prize-Winning Method for 3D Modeling

Every Monday morning, Ulrich Baxa, Ph.D., and his colleagues enter their Gaithersburg, Md., laboratory and begin calibrating their Titan Krios, a massive, $7-million transmission electron microscope that can capture high-definition images at near-atomic magnification. They load several flash-frozen biological samples into the Krios and, by 5 p.m., program the instrument to collect data. As the team leaves for the evening, the Krios begins shooting beams of energy into the samples and taking photos.

Inside the Scientific Arsenal: The Two-Armed Tool That’s Faster Than a Scientist

Sitting at a computer in an NCI at Frederick laboratory, Todd Hartley writes an automated method for an experiment. With a final swipe of the mouse, he clicks an on-screen button that says “Run.” The large device sitting to his left, a Biomek FXP Laboratory Automation Workstation, whirrs to life. A robotic arm hovers over a deck containing various microplates then lowers a group of pipette tips to draw liquid from a reservoir, raises and moves again, and deposits the fluid in a nearby microplate with superhuman accuracy.