U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Outstanding Mentor Award
The purpose of the DOE Outstanding Mentor Award is to recognize Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 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)
2007 DOE Mentor Award Winners
Heather Dillon, SULI Mentor
Heather was nominated by Matthew Simon and Cameron Law. "Heather has gone above and beyond the expectations of a mentor. Not only did she mentor two students this summer who worked on separate projects, but she also made sure we were learning more of what goes on at the lab than just our respective projects, while making a conscious effort to ensure we were having a fun summer as well. While at work she took the time to give us tours of multiple labs, and introduced us to the entire Computational Mechanics team. We have become familiar with the work the rest of the team is working on and have a much broader sense of the type of work that goes on at PNNL. Heather willingly takes time out of her day to make certain we get the most out of our limited time here."
Janelle Downs, PST Mentor
Janelle was nominated by Luis Garcia who said, "Janelle had a great open door policy and would always take the time to make sure that I had a good understanding on what I was doing and never turned me away or told me not to worry about the subject matter. On the contrary she would go into detail about the project and even gave me some ideas about how I could use these experiences in the classroom." In nominating Janelle, he said she was also enthusiastic about looking over anything and everything he had written or worked on, trying to help him get the very best out of the experience. Luis closed by saying, "This experience has been that much more enriching having Janelle as my mentor and I am grateful for having the opportunity to work with such an outstanding person."
Gregory Exarhos, SULI Mentor
Gregory was nominated by Adriana Teodoro-Dier. In her nomination form, Adriana described Gregory as a fantastic mentor because of, in her words, "his focus and dedication to my project as well as my personal development as an experimentalist." Adriana said that Gregory was proactive in making sure she had the right publications and complete explanations of what was expected of her before her arrival. She said Gregory would meet with her at least once a day to discuss her progress, offer suggestions and provide directions as well as answer her questions.
Steven Goheen, SULI Mentor
Steve was nominated by Alexander N. Patananan. Alexander nominated Steve for many reasons, among them the fact that Steve facilitated Alexander "hitting the ground running" and with the tools he would need for a "grand internship." Steve was in contact with Alexander months prior to his arrival and on the first day of his internship, was immediately greeted by Steve, discussing the goals of Alexander's two cutting-edge research projects completely. Alexander said, "My questions and opinions on the topics were not only welcomed with enthusiasm, but were also elaborated in full detail with up-to-the-date information. All of my equipment was assembled prior to my arrival and a workstation was setup containing all the necessities."
Pavel Hrma, CCI Mentor
Pavel was nominated by Sharon Leonard. Sharon's experience with Pavel as her mentor was during an internship at the Applied Process Engineering Laboratory (APEL) in Materials Science. Sharon noted that Pavel made a point of contacting her prior to her arrival to ensure she had the necessary information in advance to make the experience rewarding saying he went out of his way to always be available for her. Sharon said what she most appreciated was his help with her research paper, saying "Writing is my weakest area and I was concerned and worried about it. I very much appreciated his sitting down and going over it with me and giving me tips that would help in the future. I feel much more confident about going through the process next time." Pavel helped Sharon gain a new appreciation for science, renewed her determination to succeed, and did much to help her have a great intern experience.
Mitchell Pelton, SULI Mentor
Mitch was nominated by Danielle Evans. According to Danielle, Mitch not only supported the "Summer Seminar Series for Students" but also believed that participants should always learn something from the lectures. He encouraged her to make a good journal entry of each lecture to help her recall the events of the morning and articulate the knowledge learned in a professional manner. According to Danielle's nomination write-up, "Mitch is a great mentor and co-worker. I have been treated as a part of the team from the first day of the first year and still feel the same way today." Mitch made his mark on Danielle's experience at PNNL in a positive way.
Irvin Schultz, LSTPD Mentor
Irv Schultz from the Sequim Office, was nominated by Dwight J. Warnke. Dwight told us he has had the privilege of working in a number of different DOE Laboratories during his academic life and that Irv "is by far the most engaged and dedicated mentor." He also noted that Irv would spend time each day giving his project focus and go to great lengths to explain important research data to expand Dwight's knowledge of endocrine disruption. Dwight appreciated how Irv constantly challenged and expanded his laboratory skills by adding new tasks once he felt comfortable with the old ones until multi-tasking within the lab became second nature.
Susan Southard, CCI Mentor
Sue was nominated by Elizabeth Patrick and Mia Prinzen. Elizabeth and Mia both found their experiences rewarding and insightful thanks to the mentoring from Sue. Said Elizabeth, "Before I arrived, Sue Southard was the primary contributor to my wonderful internship experience. She provided me with information to acquaint me with the project material long before I was at the laboratory. She helped me through the training hoops, acquainted me with my project, and had me in the field collecting raw data by my third day at the Lab." When Mia needed the help of a mentor, Sue instantly provided support with helping her select a project and with setting up the project including the logistics. She made an effort to get Mia involved in several other projects involving Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and other cutting edge technologies, which is what attracted her to the internship. Said Mia, "Sue was always welcoming and supportive; I never felt as though I was inconveniencing her with my questions. She respected my ideas and concerns."
