Waiting in line usually isn’t the way to prepare for a life-or-death situation, but this Friday will be an exception. NCI at Frederick will take part in an exercise that tests how quickly it could distribute antibiotics to employees, families, and visitors in response to a simulated bioterrorism anthrax attack in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Employees will be asked to go to Building 426, fill out a two-question form, briefly wait in line, and pick up the “pill bottles.” Participation is voluntary, but the Environment, Health, and Safety Directorate (EHS)—which is supervising the exercise—needs at least 50 people and is asking everyone on the NCI at Frederick campus to participate.

NCI at Frederick’s newest student interns smiled for a group photo outside the Advanced Technology Research Facility. Forty-eight young faces stared at the camera, looking excited but slightly overwhelmed. Later that same evening, the students took part in the Incoming Ceremony, the official start to what many in the past have considered one of the most meaningful journeys of their lives.