When Joshua Yu became a semifinalist in the 2019 Regeneron Science Talent Search, he continued a tradition he didn’t even know existed. A Werner H. Kirsten (WHK) intern, Yu is the latest in a long line of students hailing from Nadya Tarasova, Ph.D.’s lab to make the semifinals in the Regeneron competition, which bills itself as the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

Ben Orsburn, Ph.D., stood in the middle of a 180-square-foot laboratory, speaking over the white noise that flooded the room. The source of the din—large, desk-sized objects called mass spectrometers—filled nearby rows of lab benches. Orsburn pointed to one along the periphery of the room, a white-and-black box with the words “Orbitrap Fusion” emblazoned on the front in small blue text.

Technology transfer at national laboratories presents challenges, and the Frederick National Laboratory is no exception. But that hasn’t stopped Claudia Haywood, Tom Sova, and Candice Garner-Groves from notching a series of accomplishments that span their tenure at FNL.

The Educational Outreach Program, known colloquially as the EOP, gives elementary and middle school students access to and experience in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields through engaging, hands-on activities such as science fairs and community events.

Butterflies in the stomach, a cold sweat, a feeling of dread: most of us know and fear the nervousness that accompanies public speaking. It was a pleasant surprise, therefore, to see apparently fearless Werner H. Kirsten student interns speak at NCI at Frederick’s WHK Student Intern Program Winter Poster Session. The event gave the dozen or so high school students a chance to present their hard-won research to NCI at Frederick staff. For many, it was their first time speaking about their projects in public.