The Spring Research Festival came to Fort Detrick this year without its signature massive tent, the home of a sprawling equipment expo with dozens of booths. It came without audiences in auditoriums or gatherings around scientific posters. The community didn’t circulate between buildings for events. On the surface, it may have seemed that the festival didn’t come at all. But after being cancelled last year due to the pandemic, the annual two-day event did indeed return in a virtual format.

The 2020 Technology Showcase welcomed more than 300 viewers for half a day of presentations and panels on technology commercialization and collaboration. The annual event once again highlighted the capabilities of the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, and greater Frederick region—but this year, with its novel virtual format, it reached new audiences.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the biggest health topic of the year so far, but the 2020–2021 flu season is quickly approaching. With COVID-19 putting a strain on public health systems, it’s important to get a flu vaccine to protect yourself and your community from further illness and strain this winter. Occupational Health Services is offering a flu vaccine for NCI at Frederick and Frederick National Laboratory staff, including subcontractors and construction subcontractors

A recent Data Science Discussion Panel, hosted virtually by the Scientific Library, provided more than 60 participants with expert insights about data science in cancer research from six members of Advanced Biomedical Computational Science (ABCS), part of the Biomedical Informatics and Data Science Directorate of the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research.

The fourth annual Technology Showcase is making a big pivot this year, moving to an entirely virtual event on September 9, 2020. Although the move was made out of necessity, it also offers exciting new opportunities to reach more partners and licensees beyond Frederick, Md.