(Top, L-R): Student-Faculty Programs Office members on stage with President Thomas Rosenbaum, Nora Oshima (center left).
(Bottom, L-R): Kelli Blake (center), Elvira Sepra (center) (Photos – Caltech.edu)
Caltech honored more than 200 staff members—including two with 55 years of service and one with 50 years—at its 68th annual Staff Service & Impact Awards ceremony.
By Jon Nalick
Julia McCallin, associate vice president for human resources and CHRO, served as emcee for the event, which honored Caltech’s staff members for their contributions to the advancement of the Institute’s research and education mission. For the first time since before the COVID pandemic, the event welcomed honorees as well as supporters to Beckman Auditorium to participate in the ceremony in person.
Nora Oshima
This year, Nora Oshima, grants and building manager in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences who joined Caltech in 2001, received the Thomas W. Schmitt Annual Staff Prize, which recognizes staff members whose contributions “embody the values and spirit that enable the Institute to achieve excellence in research and education.”
Student-Faculty Programs Office
The Student-Faculty Programs Office won the Team Impact Award, which recognizes “teams that make significant contributions to the work and mission of the Institute,” and demonstrate work that has impacted and supported its research or education programs. The office was honored for its work on the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) and WAVE Fellowships programs, which provide students with the opportunity to conduct research under the guidance of experienced mentors working at the frontiers of their fields.
Elvira Serpa, Kelli Blake, and Effie Sanchez
The ASCIT Staff Appreciation Award honored Elvira Serpa, who recently retired from her position on the kitchen serving staff; Kelli Blake, head coach of men’s and women’s cross country and track and field; and Effie Sanchez, housing custodial assistant.
Employees celebrating anniversaries
During the ceremony, McCallin called to the stage employees celebrating anniversaries from 10 to 55 years at Caltech, reserving special recognition for Alan Cummings, senior research scientist at the Space Radiation Laboratory; Patricia Anderson, administrative assistant for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; and Robert Logan, senior director of IMSS. Cummings was honored for 50 years of service to Caltech; Anderson and Logan were each recognized for 55 years of service.
Closing out the event, President Thomas Rosenbaum lauded the honorees, saying:
You, as staff, are the ones who glue this place together, who make sure that not only do we run but we connect, that we build upon our individual strengths and create a community that is so much greater.”
> Watch a recording of the event below. Read the full article on Caltech’s website.
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