2011 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Outstanding Mentor Award
The purpose of the DOE Outstanding Mentor Award is to recognize PNNL staff who have been exceptional mentors for students in the following DOE Office of Science Programs:
- Community College Institute (CCI)
- DOE Academies Creating Teacher Scientists (ACTS) for Middle School Science Teachers as Investigators Program
- Faculty and Student Teams (FaST)
- Pre-Service Teacher Fellowship (PST)
- Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI)
DOE Mentor Award Winners
David Anderson
Senior Research Economist, Energy and Environment Directorate
Nominated by: Laura Schmidt, Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) Program
"Outstanding" is the word that Laura chose when she described Dave as her mentor. She appreciated that Dave gave her a clear role on a project and then gave her the counsel she needed to boost her confidence and feel like a valued team member. Laura also found it particularly valuable that Dave allowed her to disagree with him on aspects of the project, and have frank discussions in a way that made her feel respected and heard.
David Chassin
Staff Scientist, Energy and Environment Directorate
Nominated by: Federico Esquivel, Matthew Hernandez, Aaron Martinez and Eric Smith, Faculty and Student Teams (FaST).
The team collectively stated that "David gives exemplary support to the vision and mission of the DOE/NSF FaST program, being truly enthusiastic about supporting undergraduate student knowledge enhancement pertaining to national research laboratory activities." David was credited with supporting the team by providing quality coaching and support, by delivering insightful feedback, and by granting the team appropriate access to the necessary resources to conduct their research.
James Cowin
Scientist, Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate
Nominated by: Marcia Parker, Academies for Creating Teacher Scientists (ACTS Cohort 5).
As a mentor, James was praised for his counsel, sense of humor, for inspiring his intern to think outside the box, and for treating Marcia and her ideas with the utmost respect. In her nomination, Marcia describes James as "a high-quality coach, adviser, and scientist"—an "idea man" who, through his research methods, "allows for a greater understanding of the natural world."
John Hail
Engineer, Energy and Environment Directorate
Nominated by: Lisa Love and Brian Smith, both of ACTS Cohort 5.
John was strongly credited with going above and beyond when mentoring his students. During their internship, the teachers appreciated the collaborative nature of the relationship—with John providing solid counsel and direction, but deferring at times to the unique perspective teachers have on projects as well. John had a clear idea of what was to be accomplished during the internship period and communicated well with Lisa and Brian, which made them feel valued as contributors to the project.
Pavel Hrma
Scientist, Energy and Environment Directorate
Nominated by: Jarrett Rice, Community College Institute (CCI)
Pavel set a good foundation for Jarrett's time at PNNL from the very beginning by taking time to provide a variety of useful documents and go over the processes of how things worked at the Lab. He further teamed with Jarrett, other interns, and project managers for Friday meetings to go over the week's projects and discuss what would happen the following week—interactions that Jarrett found particularly helpful. Pavel was enthusiastic about Jarrett's research, and treated him as an equal during his time at the Lab.
Bradley Johnson
Manager, Energy and Environment Directorate
Nominated by: Rachel Biondolillo, ACTS Cohort 5.
Brad provided Rachel numerous opportunities to grow her professional abilities during her two years of summer internships. His coaching and compassion set her at ease in an unfamiliar environment, helping her become more confident in her research. In Rachel's nomination she said, "Brad is an exemplary mentor who frequently shows compassion and concern for the well-being of his interns that extends far above normal expectations. He deserves the award not only by virtue of his impressive knowledge and professional ability, but by his incomparable moral character."
Richard Kouzes
Laboratory Fellow, Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate
Nominated by: Kenneth King, Rashe Dean and Shahzad Akbar, (FaST)
Dick impressed his team from the beginning by proactively seeing a match between their application and his research project at the Lab. He also helped them receive supplemental funding through the National Science Foundation. The FaST team praised Dick for being "accessible and friendly and treating (them) with dignity." They appreciated his patience explaining technical concepts in understandable terms, giving the team latitude to try out their ideas, and providing professional feedback that enhanced learning.
Anuj Shah
Scientist, Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate
Nominated by: Aaron Robinson, SULI
Aaron describes Anuj as "the best of the best mentors." Anuj's encouragement of Aaron to reach out of his comfort zone and grow his abilities in presentations and writing were valuable when asked to do a presentation for the Informatics Group. Anuj encouraged Aaron to attend a number of team-building activities that helped him build great professional relationships and form valuable connections to his colleagues.
Shuttha Shutthanandan
Senior Research Scientist, Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory
Nominated by: Jin Yu, CCI
From supporting Jin through the details of her project, to encouraging her to learn how to operate equipment in the labs and participating in educational activities like brown bags, Shuttha proved to be an "extremely patient" mentor who made the time to ensure that his interns have the richest possible experience at PNNL and EMSL. Jin shared, "As a mentor, Shuttha provided high-quality personal coaching and I felt absolute support from him."
James Szecsody
Scientist, Energy and Environment Directorate
Nominated by: Danielle Faurie, SULI
James worked with Danielle during her internship to help her understand the process of experimentation and the different aspects of her projects. She appreciated his perspective as she worked to understand the "big picture" of her research and gain more confidence in her abilities. At her departure, Danielle concluded that "This is one of the best summers I have ever had and I give much credit to the continued support of my mentor."
Keqi Tang
Staff Scientist, Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate
Nominated by: Connie Qiu, SULI
Connie praised Keqi for making her transition to the Laboratory a comfortable one. He took care to make sure she acclimated well into the group and was made to feel as an equal and valued colleague. Keqi's approachable nature made it easy for Connie to come to him with questions and she appreciated his constructive comments that inspired her to push further in her scientific research. Connie describes Keqi as "an exceptional mentor" who "not only taught me about science, but also how great it is to work at a national lab."