Photo By Michael Wilson | BALTIMORE (June 15, 2024) A child attending Maryland Fleet Week uses a microscope...... read more read more
BALTIMORE - Naval Medical Research Command (NMRC) Sailors and staff took part in Maryland Fleet Week & Flyover Baltimore 2024, discussing research efforts and command activities with attendees from June 14-16.
The NMRC exhibit, located in Baltimore’s inner harbor, featured several activities for attendees, including demonstrations of an electric microscope and a portable bio containment unit. Kids and parents alike lined up for an up-close look at bacteria samples though the microscope and were able to put their hands into the bio containment unit and interact with building blocks to simulate how a scientist might handle medical samples in the field.
The exhibit, just steps away from Fleet Week’s biggest draw, the littoral combat ship USS Marinette (LCS 25), was flanked by two banners; one that showcased the four directorates that comprise NMRC, and one illustrating the missions of the eight commands, led by NMRC, that make up the Navy Medicine Research & Development enterprise.
15 staff from NMRC, including 13 active-duty Sailors in their summer whites, volunteered throughout Fleet Week’s Inner Harbor Festival to engage with the public on command activities. Capt. Franca Jones, commander of NMRC, took part in the exhibit on Friday, June 14.
“It is so exciting that we were able to participate,” Jones said. “So little is known around the Fleet and local community about what the Navy Medicine Research & Development enterprise does to ensure the health and readiness of our service members, and how our medical products and knowledge can benefit the general public. Participating in this event and others like it enables us to get the word out about what we do, educate the community and recruit others to join us in the future.”
Fleet Week draws attendees from all over Maryland to engage with ships, Sailors and representatives across multiple services. NMRC staff had the chance to speak with a wide range of individuals both from other Navy organizations, but also the general Maryland public. The diversity of NMRC’s on-site Sailors resonated with the attendee audience, and is representative of Maryland itself, which is the most diverse state on the East Coast as of the 2020 census, and the fourth most diverse state in the country overall.
“Engaging with the awesome people of Baltimore was a rewarding experience,” explained Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Alejandra Ramirez Alarcon. “I spoke with people from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and other parts of Latin America; they were excited to see how diverse our Navy is and thanked me for serving my country and embracing my Latin roots.”
NMRC Sailors spoke about the various intern programs and pathways to service through research offered by the command. The NMRC exhibit also provided pamphlets and contact information for individuals interested in becoming donors for the command’s DoD Bone Marrow Program, or volunteering to take part in medical trials run by NMRC’s Clinical Trials Center.
“We built positive connections with the public and fostered a greater awareness of the enterprise,” added Lt. Cmdr. Danett Bishop, a microbiologist with NMRC, “from the excited seven-year-old budding plant scientist who promised to come back to see us next year, to a deaf family who engaged via sign language with one of our public affairs staff, Mike Wilson.”
Headquartered in Silver Spring, with locations in Frederick, Bethesda and Rockville, NMRC has increased outreach to local Maryland communities, to include awards ceremonies, civic projects such as road clean-ups, clothing drives, visits to local schools for STEM activity and career days. This year marks NMRC’s second appearance at Maryland Fleet Week, as the command displayed a mobile expeditionary laboratory in 2022.
“This was a huge success,” said Tommy Lamkin, NMRC public affairs officer and exhibit coordinator. “Our Sailors showed the fleet and the Maryland public our research capabilities, and our demonstrations were a huge hit, especially with the kids. I loved seeing the long lines to look in the microscope or use our bio containment tent, and I’m really looking forward to the next Maryland Fleet Week.”
Maryland Fleet Week is a biannual public event that celebrates the contributions of the U.S. sea services and maritime capabilities from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard. Throughout the week, participants can tour ships, experience military static displays and see drill and musical performances that showcase the expertise, excellence and patriotism of America’s maritime services.
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.
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2024 16:27 |
| Story ID: | 474198 |
| Location: | BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 168 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NMRC Wraps up Attendance at Fleet Week Baltimore 2024, by Sidney Hinds, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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