January 2019 – July 2022
Gabor Somorjai of the Materials Sciences Division has been awarded the Helmholtz Medal by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities for his outstanding scientific achievements in the field of surface chemistry and catalysis, and the catalytic effects of metal surfaces. https://chemistry.berkeley.edu/news/gabor-somarjai-awarded-helmholtz-medal
Sabeeha Merchant of the Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division has been named one of 15 Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative Investigators. Merchant will receive support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for research that will advance the understanding of aquatic symbiosis. https://biosciences.lbl.gov/2020/03/11/merchant-receives-moore-investigator-award/
She never let others determine my self worth. She helped me grow as a researcher and a person. I’m now working my dream job. These are just some of the sentiments Lab staff shared about an impactful woman in their lives. Read more and share your own stories as part of Women’s History Month. https://stratcomm-elements.lbl.gov/2020/03/10/staff-share-stories-of-inspiring-women-in-their-lives/
The second installment of this Women’s History Month series features physicist Lina Galtieri. She was part of the team that conducted groundbreaking bubble chamber experiments, which netted Luis Alvarez a Nobel prize in 1968. She also contributed to the discovery of the top quark in 1994. https://stratcomm-elements.lbl.gov/2020/02/26/pioneering-lab-women/
Doug Brunkow has been at the Lab for 13 years, supporting science by recycling Lab land to build research facilities. His team has reclaimed land in Old Town and Bayview. One challenge of Brunkow’s job is taking away parking spaces. It’s better when he gives them back. Read more about the process. https://stratcomm-elements.lbl.gov/2020/03/03/3q4-doug-brunkow-on-recycling-land-at-the-lab/
A technology developed by the Lab’s Ashok Gadgil (ETA) — which helps stem arsenic poisoning in poor, rural areas via safe drinking water — has been named by the MacArthur Foundation as a Top 100 proposal in their “100&Change” competition. The competition’s winner receives $100 million. https://ce.berkeley.edu/news/2372
Our Black History Month 3Q4 series featuring members of the African American Employee Resource Group wraps up with this profile of Kelly Johnson, a talent outreach and sourcing specialist in Human Resources. She discusses her Black heroes and how she connects with the African American community. https://stratcomm-elements.lbl.gov/2020/02/24/three-questions-for-kelly-johnson/
As part of Black History Month, Elements is featuring members of the Lab’s African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG). One of those members is Kristen McIntosh (aka Kay-Mac), a User Program Administrator at the Molecular Foundry. She has been at the Lab for nearly 10 years. https://stratcomm-elements.lbl.gov/2020/02/20/three-questions-for-kristen-mcintosh/
Four Lab scientists have been awarded 2020 Sloan Research fellowships for their scientific achievement. The fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. https://stratcomm-elements.lbl.gov/2020/02/12/four-2020-sloan-research-fellows-from-berkeley-lab/
Mariah Parker, a postdoc in the Chemical Sciences Division, is also co-chair of the Early Career Employee Resource Group. She is a sports enthusiast, has a passion for chemistry (which started early in life), and is researching how to unravel the chemical properties of actinide complexes. https://postdoc.lbl.gov/2020/02/03/mariah-parker-energy-sciences/