Staff Awards Recognize Commitment and Service to MCS

On June 5, the Mellon College of Science celebrated hardworking, dedicated staff from across the college and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC).

The ceremony featured the winners with kind words from their nominators. During the ceremony, 44 staff members were acknowledged for their years of service to the college. They received years-of-service awards from five years to 40 years.

Interim Dean Curtis Meyer led the ceremony, and he expressed his appreciation for MCS staff members, all of whom make the college's mission possible.

Research Award: Jojo Prentice, Research Associate in the Department of Biological Sciences

The Research Award recognizes a staff member or team for their research innovation and accomplishments. Prentice works in the Bridges lab, where he discovered the mechanisms Vibrio cholorae uses to sense the death of its relatives. His research was published in Nature Communications.

Merit Award: Jeff Moreci, Business Manager for the Department of Mathematical Sciences

The Merit Award is given to a staff member who has both exceeded expectations for their position and consistently made significant contributions to their department and MCS as a whole. Moreci was chosen for his strong contributions to the Department of Mathematical Sciences over the past 19 years. Because of his work to manage the department's finances and grant funding, Mathematical Sciences has expanded its scope and the number of students it serves without having to worry about funding.

Special Award: Scott Kleinberg, Director for Social Media for University Marketing & Communications

The Special Award is given to a member of Carnegie Mellon University outside of MCS who has made significant contributions to MCS. Kleinberg has helped elevate MCS to a university-wide platform by working closely with MCS's communications team. Thanks to his work, MCS has reached a significantly larger audience, and people outside the college have learned about the work of students, faculty and staff.

Rookie Award

The Rookie Award recognizes MCS staff members who have been employed at the college for less than two years and have exceeded expectations for their position. The award is split into the junior and senior categories to recognize staff who are at the beginning of their careers and those who have arrived at MCS with years of experience.

Junior Rookie Award: Tabbitha Gordon, Administrative Coordinator for the Department of Mathematical Sciences

Gordon's colleagues describe her as eager to learn and assist other members of the Department of Mathematical Sciences. She has helped keep her team organized, and she has taken on tasks that are outside of her typical work.

Senior Rookie Award: Dana O'Connor, Machine Learning Research Scientist at PSC

O'Connor has made significant contributions to PSC's AI and Big Data Team, serving as representative for PSC on multiple National Science Foundation supported projects. Besides supporting PSC as a whole, she conducts her own research into AI and materials.

Outstanding Achievement Awards

The Outstanding Achievement Awards recognize MCS staff for their substantial achievements and outstanding job performance. Each department and center may have one recipient each year.

Biological Sciences: Iulia Dumitriu, Web Content Administrator for MCS Communications

Though Dumitriu is outside of the Department of Biological Sciences, her work to create and manage the website for the Rust Belt Microbiome Conference has made a significant impact. Dumitriu's work has allowed preparation for a conference of approximately 200 people to run as smoothly as possible.

Chemistry: Umi Davis, Academic Coordinator

Davis arrived in her position right before the 2022 commencement ceremony, the first in-person commencement after the COVID-19 pandemic, and she was able to tackle the challenge with no issues. Since, she has taken on a myriad of tasks to help the department run smoothly.

Mathematical Sciences: Erin Davis, Senior Administrative Coordinator

Davis has consistently gone beyond her job description to help members of the Department of Mathematical Sciences. She consistently plans and coordinates events from conferences to commencement.

Physics: Kristine Perez, Senior Administrative Coordinator

Perez works on a myriad of tasks from helping to hire new staff in the department to assisting students and new faculty adjust to Carnegie Mellon. She ensures departmental events run smoothly, which played a major role during the department's external review.

PSC: Stephen Deems, Assistant Director for Project Management

Deems's work connects researchers from across PSC, facilitating a collaborative environment. He has ensured that the PSC receives recognition and funding as part of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Pilot.