For release: May 8, 2008

Contacts: 
Steve Karsjen, Public Affairs, 515-294-5643

AMES LABORATORY SCIENTISTS RECEIVE
"OUTSTANDING MENTOR" AWARDS

Award recognizes scientists’ commitment to
Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship program

AMES, Iowa – In a ceremony on Wednesday, April 30, 2008, eight Ames Laboratory scientists received “Outstanding Mentor” awards from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The awards were for their work mentoring students in the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship, or SULI, program coordinated by the DOE’s Ames Laboratory.

Each year SULI students can nominate their mentors for the Outstanding Mentor award. Wednesday’s awards honored mentors from the past two years. Scientists who received 2006 mentor awards include Phillip Henna, graduate assistant, Iowa State University Chemistry Department; John Verkade, professor, ISU Chemistry Department; Andreja Bakac, scientist, Ames Laboratory Chemical and Biological Sciences program; Tatiana Prozorov, assistant scientist, Ames Laboratory Materials Chemistry and Biomolecular Materials program; and Masha Sosonkina, scientist, Ames Laboratory Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences program.

Scientists who received 2007 mentor awards include Tatiana Prozorov; Alex Travesset, assistant professor, Ames Laboratory Materials Chemistry and Biomolecular Materials program; Ruslan Prozorov, assistant professor, Ames Laboratory Condensed Matter Physics program; William McCallum, adjunct professor, Ames Laboratory Materials and Engineering Physics program.

The SULI program brings students from colleges and universities around the country to Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University to work with scientist mentors in a 10-week research experience. Students produce research papers or PowerPoint presentations during the 10-week program. Papers may be published either in the DOE Journal of Undergraduate Research or another journal.

Signed by Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman, the Outstanding Mentor award presented to each mentor reads, “In recognition of your dedication as a mentor. For your willingness to share knowledge and to inspire and instill confidence in -more- the next generation of scientists and engineers by setting high expectations, seeking creative solutions, and immersing inquisitive minds in the world of science.”

Since 2005, 31 students have participated in the SULI program at the Ames Laboratory and Iowa State. This summer, 12 students will participate in the program, which runs from May 27-Aug. 1.

“This program is in keeping with a key part of Ames Lab’s mission, which is to educate scientists and engineers for the next-generation workforce,” said Steve Karsjen, SULI program coordinator. “These awards are a clear indication of how much SULI students appreciate the hard work their mentors put forth for this program.”

Ames Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science research facility operated for the DOE by Iowa State University. The Lab conducts research into various areas of national concern, including the synthesis and study of new materials, energy resources, high-speed computer design, and environmental cleanup and restoration.

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