The Brookhaven National Laboratory has announced the recipients of the 2024 Brookhaven Awards. These awards honor individuals in support roles whose contributions significantly benefit the laboratory.
Daniel Dandola, from the Business Services Directorate, is recognized for his pivotal role since joining in 2018. As a business operations manager, he has contributed through financial analysis and forecasting for various departments. His work on stabilizing the Workday labor interface and advancing institutional reporting with PowerBI stands out as notable achievements. "Dandola's dedication to training and upskilling staff in tools like Excel and PowerBI exemplifies his commitment to the Lab's future success."
Michelle McQueen of the Facilities & Operations Directorate receives recognition for her leadership over nearly two decades. She played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic by integrating safety guidelines into operations and conducting virtual readiness reviews. Her efforts in improving safety performance are noteworthy. "McQueen’s professionalism, attention to detail, and ability to inspire collaboration have earned her the respect of her colleagues."
Aleida Perez from the Office of Educational Programs is acknowledged for her decade-long influence on science education and outreach. She advanced programs that offer research opportunities to students, particularly those underrepresented in STEM fields. Her leadership in DOE initiatives like RENEW highlights her impact on workforce development.
Frank Toldo of the Physics Department is honored for his long-standing contributions since 1986, notably as chief technician for sPHENIX experiments. Despite pandemic challenges, he ensured timely project completion through expert coordination across various groups.
These awardees were celebrated among 359 staff members at Brookhaven Lab during its Employee Awards event on November 13.
Citations were prepared with assistance from AI technologies such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.