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Feature Stories

We’ve got something for everyone here in Features — people stories, off-the-beaten-path kind of stories, science-in-action sagas. Take your pick!

Looking for more fun stories about science? Explore the basics of electricity and magnetism and the exciting discoveries that magnets enable in easy-to-understand language at Magnet Academy. 

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Researchers talk about their favorite mentors and how they made a difference.


Julia Smith (left) and Abbey Centers (right) are testing the application on iPad.

Undergrad streamlines maintenance routine with touch-screen technology


MagLab scientist  Komalavalli Thirunavukkuarasu (second from left) shares stories over lunch with a group of postdocs.

Young scientists learning the ropes find they get by better with a little help from their fellow students, postdocs and colleagues.


Joana Paulino defends her Ph.D. thesis as her advisor, Tim Cross, listens in the foreground

The culmination of years of hard work, the dissertation defense is as much an ordeal as it is a ritual.


Dorsa Komijani and mentor Steve Hill with their Nature publication.

When a grad student's first publication lands in the top-tier journal Nature, you can bet it's not beginner's luck.


Postdoc Audrey Grockowiak

Postdocs face big challenges as they learn the ropes of real-life science. The MagLab and other institutions are doing more to help them make the most…


Science teacher Jorge Natal has done two summer research projects at the MagLab

When a Florida teacher had the chance to spend a second summer doing research at the MagLab, he didn’t have to think twice.


SciGirls overcame their fears to handle a variety of non-venomous snakes.

Fun, hands-on, field trips to learn more about science is what SciGirls Summer Camp is all about.


Stephanie Reynolds

Ten years and 260 girls later, look back at the impact of SciGirls, a unique, hands-on summer camp for girls, by talking to two former campers.


Shermane Benjamin

Getting a PhD in science is an arduous feat; for some minority students, it can be especially challenging. The MagLab is working to give these student…


 Using liquid nitrogen, Kyle precools the test specimens to -320 degrees Fahrenheit (-195 degrees Celsius).

High school intern Kyle Buchholz uses his time at the MagLab to learn science hands-first, rather than head-first.


Paul Rigel with his MagLab researcher and mentor, Rongmei Niu.

Paul Rigel, a Florida middle school teacher, talks about his six weeks working at the MagLab's microanalysis lab.


Jeremy Weiss, a young MagLab materials scientist and mentor, points to some of the data plotted by MagLab intern Gerardo Nazario.

Gerardo A. Nazario, a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) intern, talks about his eight weeks working at the MagLab and at the MagLab's Appl…


Alicia Calero, foreground, aboard a deepwater oil-and-gas plant in the Gulf of Mexico.

Petroleum engineer Alicia Calero, a former participant in the lab's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, talks about two MagLab scientists…


Scientist Bob Goddard (center) and two of the teachers he mentored use 3-D glasses to examine images outside his lab.

MagLab scientist Bob Goddard talks about his 17 years as a mentor.


Middle schoolers with their certificates

Teenagers spent Fridays at the MagLab this fall working on a research project. 


Teachers in Research Experiences for Teachers program

These teachers went from their classroom to the lab to spend their summer break learning science skills.


SciGirls at animal shelter

Students take field trips designed to inspire girls to pursue careers in science.


Illustration

Anyone can have a career in science. Here are some tips and MagLab programs that will help you hone science skills for students of every age and stage…