KINGS POINT, N.Y., September 25, 2025 - The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) Science Club visited Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) on Sunday, September 14, 2025, as part of the Lab’s Open House Tour themed Discovery and Innovation.

The field trip was organized by the Club President Midshipman Amaya Wilson, under the guidance of faculty advisor Dr. Ping Furlan, Professor of Chemistry at USMMA. The Open House featured a wide range of tours and presentations, including Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), Computing and Data Sciences, Radio Telescopes and Quantum Computing, and OpenSpace Show.

Among these, the CFN proved to be the highlight for the Kings Pointers. Students were fascinated to learn about nanocages for gene delivery and graphene’s potential role in superconductors. The group left motivated to share these insights—especially about graphene—with their classmates back at Kings Point.

Equally exciting for the students was learning about the LuSEE-Night radio telescope and asteroid tracking in the solar system. Students saw how asteroids are monitored and explored the design process of LuSEE-Night, destined for the far side of the Moon.

“Experiences like this ignite curiosity and remind students of the global importance of scientific research,” said Dr. Furlan. “BNL’s cutting-edge facilities and welcoming outreach truly inspire future scientists and leaders.”

The trip reinforced the Club’s mission to link classroom learning with real-world science. Looking ahead, the USMMA Science Club, a Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS), will take part in the National Chemistry Week Celebration at the New York Hall of Science on Sunday, October 19, 2025. Sponsored by the New York Section of the ACS and guided by the national ACS theme, The Hidden Life of Spices, the event will bring hands-on chemistry to more than a thousand attendees, especially K-12 students from hundreds of families across the community.

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The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, located in Kings Point, N.Y, educates and graduates licensed merchant mariners and leaders of exemplary character who will serve America’s marine transportation and defense needs in peace and war. The U.S. Merchant Marine is administered by the Department of Transportation.