All day, the heavy, ominous clouds, humidity and 90-degree heat threatened thunderstorms. Luckily, for the more than 300 children attending the ninth annual Take Your Child to Work Day on July 12, the storms held off until late evening.
This year, more than 30 sessions were set up, many with enticing names such as “EnLIGHTened Science,” using molecules from fireflies and jellyfish; “From DNA to Mice,” where children could extract DNA from mouse cells and could also see adult mice and their pups; “Fuel Cell versus Solar Car Race,” during which they could use model cars in a race; “Grossis Osmosis,” in which they learned about purifying water; and “Pus Is Us,” where they visited the world of white blood cells and saw the cells eating germs, just like the old Pac Man game. In another activity, “Ready, Fire, Aim!” the children learned about fire safety and could use a big, pressurized water fire extinguisher to put out a fire.
Hub Activities
In addition to visiting the various laboratories and taking part in fascinating experiments, the children also watched K-9 demonstrations with “Roni” (rhymes with “Macaroni”) and his NIH handler, toured the NIH police mobile command center, explored the base fire truck, saw how a Hazmet team operates, watched demonstrations of In Jin Jong and met a menagerie of animals at the Take Your Child to Work Day Hub across from Building 538.
The Hazmat team—in this case, the Aeromedical Isolation Team—is a specially trained group of medical personnel that can travel to exotic locales to pick up and care for a patient who has been exposed to a highly hazardous disease such as Ebola. The children had a hands-on look at the patient transit isolator and other equipment used by the team and learned some of the terminology associated with Biosafety Level 4, the highest level of biological containment.
Glenn Burriss of Resolution Farms, near Thurmont, MD, brought two of his Clydesdales. The gentle chestnut mares with black manes and traditional long white hair around their ankles stood about 18 hands (that’s about six feet) high at the withers (the highest point of a horse’s back at the base of the neck). They stood docilely while wide-eyed children petted their noses and necks; Mr. Burriss cautioned the children to keep in front of the horses so that the horses would know where they were.
In another area of the Hub were farm animals brought in by Dr. Patricia Fritz, head of Charles Rivers Laboratories: three bantam chickens—a black White Crested Polish, a white Silkie, and a traditional speckled brown Belgian mille fleur, as well as several mixed breed chicks; two turkeys and a turkey chick (which was in the box with the baby chickens), two doe-eyed Nubian-Swiss goats, a Finn-Dorset sheep, and three farm dogs.
Take Your Snakes to Work Day
Perhaps most fascinating for the children, however, was the hands-on exhibit of—snakes. Russ Hanson and his wife, Charlotte, had several snakes that the children were able to pet and drape around their necks or cradle in their arms. Mr. Hanson noted that his wife “has been helping me at Take Your Child to Work Day every year. She even brought the snakes in one year when I couldn’t be here. I couldn’t do this without her support of my hobby.”
Mr. Hanson breeds corn snakes in his home and has been bringing the snakes for exhibit since the first year, when he was a member of the first Take Your Child to Work Day organizational committee. This year, the snakes included three small ball pythons and five corn snakes ranging in color from nearly albino to mottled orange and white and black and gray snakes.
Craig and Della Reynolds’ daughter, Sara, also exhibited her pet corn snake, “Brave Heart,” so named for the heart-shaped marking on its head. Mr. Hanson noted, “Sara has been helping me for years, is very knowledgeable about snakes, and has very good people skills. She is a big help.” The snake’s parents were among those Mr. Hanson brought to the exhibit.
Speaking of the first Take Your Child to Work Day, Mr. Hanson said, “When I offered to bring in my pet snakes, most of the people looked at me as if I had offered to do a demonstration on ax murdering. I understood their concerns and told them I had been doing similar presentations for years, that it was safe, and would be a big hit with the children. My snakes have been at every Take Your Child to Work Day. Actually, I refer to the event as ‘Take Your Snakes To Work Day.’ Over the years, my snakes have been handled by over 10,000 children with a perfect safety record with regards to both the children and the snakes.”
He added, “I must admit it is tiring to try to watch nine snakes and make sure there are no problems for three straight hours, but it is a labor of love. It's all about the kids. I find the look on their faces as they overcome fear and touch a snake for the first time absolutely priceless. It's very rewarding to me personally, and I hope to be able to support Take Your Child to Work Day for many years to come.”
Surprise Natural Science “Exhibit”
One unexpected “exhibit” at the Hub site was a Kildeer, a small brown bird which had laid about four speckled eggs in the rocky area of the field. SPGM photographer Marti Welch had discovered the bird a few days earlier and alerted EHS staff, who put some protective orange netting around the bird’s area.
However, with all the movement of people walking past her nest on the day of the event and often stopping to watch her, the bird was becoming very upset, chirping loudly and attempting to lead the “predators” away from her nest. Fire Safety specialist Peter Boving put up a few more cones and yellow tape further out from the nest to give the bird a greater comfort zone.
Away from the bird, under the shade of the pavilions in the Hub, children could learn to write their names in Braille at the Diversity team’s table. At another table there, they could do a simple and quick science experiment using vinegar and table salt to clean dingy pennies. There, they also got animal or insect “tattoos,” and learned about how type evolved as they created their own illustrations and wordplay with markers and letter stamps at the Scientific Publications, Graphics and Media table. At still another table, the children learned how a vortex is created as they turned “hourglasses” (made from two liter bottles taped together at the necks) and watched the colored water flow from one bottle and swirl into the second.
The annual “Take Your Child to Work Day” is held in partnership with the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and Fort Detrick. This year, six United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) programs, one United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program, and a Science Room station, all participated. In addition, the United States Army Garrison (USAG) provided a program and several Hub activities.
TYCTW Day Began in 1997
The first Take Your Child to Work Day, with 26 sponsored programs, was held on August 13, 1997, for children 8 to 14. Kay Kennedy, since retired, chaired the first planning committee, and Dr. Randall Morin, Environment, Health, and Safety Directorate, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., served as co-chair.
Many behind-the-scenes employees keep Take Your Child to Work Day going. Ms. Kennedy and Emily Moler worked together on the program from the first year; Barbara Birnman joined them in 1998 and Debbie Guy in 1999. Most recently, Julie Hartman and Martha Summers have been involved in the planning and supervision of this event.
Contractor staffs have supported the event since its start. These include SAIC-Frederick, Inc.’s Facilities Maintenance and Engineering directorate; its Environment, Health and Safety directorate; and its Scientific Publications, Graphics & Media department; Wilson Information Services Corporation’s Scientific Library staff; Charles Rivers Laboratories staff; and Data Management Services’ Computer Services staff.
Maritta Grau
Writer-Editor
Scientific Publications, Graphics & Media
SAIC-Frederick, Inc.
National Cancer Institute at Frederick
Nancy Parrish
Editor
Scientific Publications, Graphics & Media
SAIC-Frederick, Inc.
National Cancer Institute at Frederick
Photography Department
Scientific Publications, Graphics & Media
SAIC-Frederick, Inc.
National Cancer Institute at Frederick
Jillian DeShazer, Web Graphics and Development
Computer & Statistical Services
Data Management Services, Inc.
National Cancer Institute at Frederick
Mr. Hanson breeds corn snakes in his home and has been bringing the snakes for exhibit since the first year, when he was a member of the first Take Your Child to Work Day organizational committee. This year, the snakes included three small ball pythons and five corn snakes ranging in color from nearly albino to mottled orange and white and black and gray snakes. 
However, with all the movement of people walking past her nest on the day of the event and often stopping to watch her, the bird was becoming very upset, chirping loudly and attempting to lead the “predators” away from her nest. Fire Safety specialist Peter Boving put up a few more cones and yellow tape further out from the nest to give the bird a greater comfort zone.