The 大象传媒 Core Facilities Staff Recognition Award program recognized three recipients for the Fall 2024 award cycle. Each award recipient will receive $1,000 and a feature on the Office of Research Technologies website. The program review committee congratulates all winners and thanks those who nominated core employees for these awards during this award cycle.听听
We are excited to present our category winners鈥攌eep an eye out for special features on each category winner to follow over the next month at: /corefacilities.听 The next Core Facility Staff Recognition Award will be open for nominations in April 2025.听听
Aurora Cabrera, a Research Associate in the Michael Hooker Metabolomics and Proteomics (MAP) Core, was selected as the winner of the Performance Excellence award. Her multiple nominators spoke highly of her work ethic and the ownership she takes for whatever project or core initiative needs her attention, from learning metabolomic assay and instrumentation to assuming quality control and technical expertise while a coworker was on leave. Her contributions to the MAP Core and diligent attention to method development and quality control have resulted in multiple new service offerings and technologies, including thermal proteome profiling, multiplexed inhibitor bead studies, and metabolomics. In addition to her scientific and technical skills, Aurora鈥檚 coworkers highlighted that she is always a staff member who is helpful, thoughtful, and brings positive energy to her team. 听
Justin Fousek, from the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Bioinformatics Core, is recognized as the winner in the category of Technical Achievement. His multiple nominators highlighted Justin鈥檚 ability to find creative, compliant, and effective solutions to a myriad of technical, logistical, and com problems experienced by his clients quickly and efficiently. His documentation of problems and solutions has also been highlighted as an impactful for his peers. Justin also provides critical infrastructure to other 大象传媒 Chapel Hill core facilities, providing an impact to research far and wide across the university. 听
Finally, Jade Hollars, a team member of Abacus Evaluation, received the Customer Service award this cycle. Her nominator spoke to Jade鈥檚 excellent support of project needs and ability to center, manage, and meet the needs of customers and stakeholders. She is recognized for her ability to develop new solutions and workflows to solve the challenges faced by the core facility, including developing feedback tools for both customers and other team members which have been utilized to improve core communications and services. Jade has also taken initiative and ownership in marketing and communicating core services. Her initiative has resulted in her developing and leading workshop sessions at conferences, attending networking events, and other outreach efforts that have directly resulted in new customers and core collaborations. 听
There were many exceptional nominations to this fall鈥檚 award cycle, and we also want to acknowledge the other nominees who are all doing outstanding work in their respective core facilities:听听听
- Ryan Hansen (CFAR HIV/STD Laboratory)听
- Hao Zhou (LCCC Bioinformatics)听
- Robert 鈥淪tew鈥� Little (Biomedical Research Imaging Center)听
- Rachel Coble (Metabolomics and Exposome Laboratory)听
- Daniel Stutts (Zebrafish Aquaculture Core)听
- Taylor Baldwin (Abacus Evaluation)听