Shining Star Staff Award

Guidelines for "Shining Star" Award

• The SAC Chair will send out a call for nominations, asking that nominations be submitted through the website.
• The nominee must be a Biological Sciences staff member.
• The winner cannot have won the award withi the past 2 years.
• Current SAC members are not eligible for the award.
• The Shining Star Award is awarded to staff members who have served the department in an extraordinary fashion.  This may include, but is not limited to, outstanding performance of normal duties, efforts beyond the expected scope of their position, excellent teamwork, etc.
• The person nominating the staff member should give a brief reason for the nomination.
• SAC Members will review and vote on the nominations.
• The SAC chair will notify the recipient.
• An award will be given to the "Shining Star" with a small monetary gift.
• A plaque will be displayed on the Staff and Faculty board outside of Lilly 1-118.

Steve Wilson (December2016)

Steve Wilson is the Systems and Network Manager for Structural Biology located in Hockmeyer Hall.

Ballot comments include - "Steve is all things IT and is an invaluable asset to the structural biology group and to Hockmeyer, having expertise across many operating systems and programs. He always ensures the computing infrastructure within structural biology runs rock solid, for personal workstations, X-ray crystallography workstations, for EM workstations, and for data archiving. He even went the extra mile to help a faculty member set up remote connections for nearly 20 students so they could learn and work on the latest software available for structure determination using X-ray crystallography. When it comes to new PI’s, he makes the transition seamless."

"On many occasions, he has provided assistance outside of his normal office hours, including while on vacation. In addition, he pays close attention to new developments in the computational biology field and is implementing new hardware and software solutions that benefit our work tremendously. He listens carefully to everyone and quickly grasps individual situations or dilemmas. Usually he is on his way toward a solution in a matter of moments. He works to understand first, thoughtfully and carefully tackles the issue, checks to be certain all is well and provides clear instructions or explanations with great patience. He is very friendly, personable and easy-going but also very thorough and professional."

 

Lynn Betz (October 2015)

Lynn Betz is the Account Clerk for the Department of Biological Sciences. She has been exceptional in helping many folks with their ordering. The biggest task is ordering hundreds of items of different equipment and supplies for new faculty. As one Assistant Professor says, “This frees up more time for us to do science and prepare for teaching.”

Thank you Lynn for going above and beyond!

 

Rebecca Harding (February 2015)

Rebecca Harding is the Secretary in Hockmeyer Hall. Her presence in Hockmeyer is a great advantage to many faculty and staff members and she has served, on multiple occasions, as a liaison between the Biology Business Office and the Hockmeyer population. Becky is always attentive to questions and concerns and always finds a way to compromise and make things work.  n spite of her location just inside the front door, where some would find it difficult to work, Becky rapidly and efficiently accomplishes every task she is given. She makes a great impression on visitors with her helpful and cheerful manner. 

From helping new faculty members transition to Purdue University and assisting guest speakers with travel arrangements to last minute requests and long-term projects, Becky consistently performs above expectations. Her enthusiasm and work ethic combined with her upbeat and optimistic attitude make her approachable and fun to be around. She is always willing to help, often going far and beyond what is expected. This quality is something that people either have or don't have, and Becky has been given more than a cup full. 

 

Amanda Jenkins  (September 2014)

Amanda is the Secretary in the Main Office of Biological Sciences. She began working in the Main Office on April 30, 2012. She brings many talents to the department, is always helpful and puts people at ease. She exemplifies what a person in her position should be.  She has a warm, welcoming smile to greet you.

Amanda has been awarded "Two Thumbs Up" from multiple departments. She goes beyond the call of duty in everything she does and is always very eager to learn new skills.  For example, the monitor in the main hallway of Lilly was not updated, so she learned how to update it and took pride in making sure the pictures and information was up-to-date.  She thrives on learning new technology.

Another example is when she stepped up to help when the Administrative Assistant to the Head position was vacant. She helped with the faculty retreat and promotions. She was given tasks to do and we always knew they would be done correctly. 

We could not ask for a better person to represent the Biological Sciences Main Office. Thank you, Amanda, for your dedication to the department.