MIT is a powerful magnet for innovators. So, when we’re giving out awards for innovation, you know the recipients must be very special indeed. And that’s the case with this year’s recipients of the Excellence Award for Innovative Solutions. This distinction honors those members of our community who embrace change as an opportunity for growth and innovation, create new and often unexpected solutions, and break down barriers and forge collaborations.
I’d like to invite to the stage a distinguished team. Their colleagues wanted to give them “a moment in the spotlight!” They are:
- Margaret Bisher, Microscopy
- Giovanni de Nola, Life Sciences EM Research Scientist
- David Mankus, Cryo Sample and SEM Specialist
- Dong Soo Yun, Research Scientist
This is the Nanotechnology Materials Core Staff in the office of the Vice President for Research. Their facility supplies a diverse array of groundbreaking nanotech capabilities to a broad user community stretching across the Institute.
The team works synergistically to brainstorm about every project and provide a customized workflow for each. They are being honored with this award for innovation because, basically, they have created an extraordinary culture of non-stop innovation:
They are continually inventing new tools, approaches, and workflows, devising ways to fit more into limited lab space, expanding the reach of financial resources, and innovating to extend the life of critical instruments.
In the words of one colleague: “Their collective mindset allows us to serve a large network of researchers. They help our lab be more effective and provide the highest level of quality resources to our community.”