NCI and FNL Researchers Turn Lessons Learned into Stepping Stones

The Werner H. Kirsten Student Intern Program has been a fixture at NCI at Frederick for 31 years, a respected and beloved tradition that has given more than 1,200 high school seniors a unique learning opportunity. This summer, it even received one of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from the National Science Foundation. So when the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to break the three-decade streak this school year, dedicated staff and scientists stepped up to ensure the tradition would continue.

A new advance in our understanding of HIV comes from what Steve Hughes, Ph.D., calls “an odd observation.” Certain people living with HIV had only partially suppressed levels of virus in their blood despite being on effective antiretroviral therapy (drugs used to manage HIV). At first, an explanation seemed like it would be simple—but it wasn’t.

COVID-19 has paused or postponed many traditions this year, but it didn’t stop the National Institutes of Health from awarding NIH Director’s Awards to 660 employees and contractors. The ceremony, usually held in Bethesda, Maryland, went virtual. Several NCI at Frederick and Frederick National Laboratory employees were among this year’s recipients.

The Scientific Library recently hosted a discussion panel on electron microscopy services at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Frederick and Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL), its third panel of 2020. This Electron Microscopy Discussion Panel brought together specialists from the Electron Microscopy Laboratory, the Center for Molecular Microscopy, and the National Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility (NCEF).

The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, in partnership with NCI and the NIH Clinical Center, recently began asymptomatic COVID-19 testing for government and Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., staff. This program is voluntary but encouraged for those currently working on-site.