SILVER SPRING, Md. - Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) research scientists visited Sargent Shriver Elementary School on Feb. 23 to speak and interact with students during the school’s annual Career Day event.

Lt. Yuliya Johnson, an active-duty researcher and Jennetta Green, a Navy civilian researcher spent the day with 3rd, 4th and 5th graders discussing their careers within Navy Medicine, demonstrating laboratory equipment and showing hands-on techniques.

“I think it’s always a really great opportunity and a fun challenge for us to think of creative ways to communicate what we do as Navy scientists,” said Lt. Yuliya Johnson, department head of NMRC’s Vaccine and Therapeutics Department. “Especially when the audience is 3rd-5th graders! The kids were really fun to talk to and engaging, and they loved looking at bacteria slides under the microscope.”



Shriver Elementary’s Career Day was held in the school gymnasium, where NMRC along with various occupational representatives set up tables and displays. NMRC’s table was informative and fun, and included a microscope with training slides and a prop biocontainment unit filled with Legos and coloring books that students could interact with through the unit’s built-in internal gloves, similar to how a scientist would handle bacteria.

“It was an amazing experience to interact with each of the students. To witness their enthusiasm about science and see them so inquisitive made for some really fun conversations,” said Jennetta Green, a microbiologist from NMRC’s Biological Defense Research Directorate. “Hopefully they left feeling inspired to become future scientists!”

For kids who were just starting school when the pandemic hit, it’s relevant to see these types of scientists in person with the hope of sparking an interest in STEM and to show that members of their local community contribute to public health.

“We want to open the world of careers to all our students,” said Kenneth Rogers, school counselor and Career Day coordinator. “Our students come from all around the world, so when we open them up to career exploration, representation is important. If they see people that look like them in different jobs, they see that they can do anything.”

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Shriver Elementary, located a few miles from NMRC’s headquarters, is named after Sargent Shriver, a World War II Navy Veteran who was instrumental in the creation of the Peace Corps, and who he helped spearhead Head Start, VISTA, Foster Grandparents, Legal Services, the Job Corps, Special Olympics and other community programs.

In support of the Navy, Marine Corps, and joint U.S. warfighters, NMRC researchers study infectious diseases, biological warfare detection and defense, combat casualty care, environmental health concerns, aerospace and undersea medicine, medical modeling, simulation, operational mission support, epidemiology and behavioral sciences.

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