The Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Staff Awards recognize key contributors who demonstrate leadership qualities that exemplify the ideals of inclusion, diversity, and equity into practical action. The 2023 recipients were:
Ketevi Assamagan, Physics Department
Kétévi Assamagan, Distinguished Physicist in the Physics Department, was awarded the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Award for his exceptional contributions fostering a welcoming work environment at Brookhaven Lab. His distinguished career in experimental physics, focusing on the Higgs boson and the African School of Physics, reflects a deep commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
Kétévi's impactful initiatives, including founding the African School of Fundamental Physics, showcase his dedication to global physics outreach and diversity. He has contributed to DEI as a member of the Nuclear & Particle Physics (NPP) Directorate’s DEI Council, a Peer Counselor, and a Leona Woods award committee member advocating for inclusion within the directorate.
Beyond Brookhaven, Kétévi engages extensively in U.S. ATLAS programs, the Community Engagement Frontier, and mentoring African students promoting awareness of inclusion in the broader physics community. His influence extends to the Lab's strategies actively fostering collaborations with African institutions and involving African nations in the ATLAS experiment. Kétévi's multifaceted contributions made him a deserving recipient of the DEI Award embodying Lab values locally and globally.
Mickey Chiu, Physics Department
Mickey Chiu, a senior scientist in the Physics Department received the Excellence in Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Award for his exceptional efforts in fostering a welcoming and supportive work environment at the Lab since joining in 2006. Mickey's commitment to diversity and inclusion in nuclear physics is exemplified through mentorship and engagement initiatives notably with Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCU) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSI). His HBCU Collider Collaboration actively involves underrepresented students and faculty in nuclear physics research evident in the success of the sPHENIX minimum-bias detector.