One benefit of having over 50 scientists who have participated in Explora’s Portal to the Public (PoP) project is that scientists have become an important part of Explora’s community. Spending nine months at Explora for the PoP project, scientists have time to develop long-term relationships with Explora staff and to nurture interests in other science center projects. One example is the link between PoP and another program, Science Firsthand, which pairs scientists and teens interested in science for scientific investigations of mutual interest. In the photo, PoP scientist, Liz Schexnayder (left), works with teen, Carlos Perez, on chain reactions.