January 09 Issue - Employee Monthly Magazine

Kudos

Taylor selected MPA Division leader

Toni Taylor is the Materials Physics and Applications Division leader. Taylor was the Office of Science Director of the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies and group leader of MPA-CINT.

Taylor, who holds bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from Stanford University, has earned numerous awards and fellowships. Included among these are the Hertz Foundation Predoctoral Fellow and Scholar, Fellow of the American Physical Society, Fellow of the Optical Society of America, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory Fellows' Prize.

Laboratory students excel at Science and Energy Research Challenge

Laboratory students took home 7 out of 15 prizes awarded at the 2008 Science & Energy Research Challenge (SERCh) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The challenge was sponsored by the Department of Energy's Office of Science.

Pawan Rastogi of the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (Columbia University) took first place, and Jesse Resnick of Physical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Westminster College) took third place in chemistry.

Diana Donati of the LANL Institutes (University of California, Davis) took first place, and Molly Renee Nelis also of the LANL Institutes (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) took third place in materials science and engineering.

Jessica Kubicek of Physical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (University of New Mexico) took second place in biological sciences. Joseph Koby of Ground Disruption Processes (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology) took second place in environmental science, and Frank Chen of Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (Rice University) took third place in physics.

The 2008 SERCh poster competition showcased the research projects of DOE-funded students and interns at the national laboratories. Student researchers competed for awards in each of five categories.

Sosinski new general counsel

David Sosinski is the Laboratory's new general counsel. He replaces Steve Porter, who stepped down to join the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

As general counsel, Sosinski will serve as the primary source of legal advice and counsel to all levels of Laboratory management on complex legal issues affecting the Lab. He also will lead the Office of Laboratory Counsel.

He has more than 25 years of legal experience in government contracts, human resources, litigation, health and safety, and environment.

Sosinski received a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas and a law degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Thoma elected ASM Fellow

Dan J. Thoma is a new Fellow of the Materials Information Society (ASM). Thoma is leader of the Materials Design Institute in the National Security Education Center and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science in the College of Engineering at the University of California, Davis.

Being named a Fellow represents recognition of distinguished contributions in materials science and engineering and provides an opportunity for technical and professional leaders to serve as advisors to the society.

Graham takes helm of Environmental Programs

Michael Graham is the new associate director for Environmental Programs. He succeeds Susan Stiger, who left Los Alamos to take a new assignment with Bechtel National.

For the past two years, Graham has been president of Bechtel Savannah River Inc., the contractor responsible for more than $400 million per year of construction, environmental remediation, decommissioning, and dismantlement at the Department of Energy site.

Graham holds a master's degree and doctorate in geological sciences from Indiana University. He earned a bachelor's degree from Notre Dame.

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• My View: Who are the Laboratory Fellows? (S. Peter Gary)
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