Academics

Hazen named 2017 Staff Excellence Award winner

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Missy Hazen, research technologist at the Huck Institutes for Life Sciences in the Office of the Vice President for Research, has been named the 2017 Staff Excellence Award winner.

Established in 1993, the award recognizes the consistently outstanding performance of a staff member who has demonstrated and practiced the philosophy of continuous quality improvement, team spirit, managerial excellence in the performance of assigned duties and leadership in establishing a quality service orientation, so as to benefit his or her unit and the University.

Researchers say Hazen, an expert at a variety of high-tech microscopes, is an invaluable resource because of her extensive knowledge of the multimillion-dollar pieces of machinery and complex software. In 2002, Hazen was hired to assist on two pieces of equipment in two areas. Since then, she’s added four more areas and numerous pieces of equipment to her duties. She is the primary technician, meeting the needs of more than 300 users from about 150 laboratories. She’s also trained dozens of others on the equipment and software.

“Many of the successes we have achieved in the past decade in the facility would not have been possible without her tenacity, drive and attention to detail,” said a nominator.

Still adding to her expertise, Hazen attended an intensive microscopy training courses in Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory and will be the primary responsible technician for three super resolution microscopes. She is also involved in an ongoing major project of cyroTEM, a $8.5 million microscope for structural analysis of single particles and E-tomography.

“Hazen is in charge of five intricate and complex microscopes. Operation and management of the user community for a single instrument requires a high level of organization and extreme attention to detail,” said a researcher. “How can Hazen skillfully and successfully manage five units? The explanation comes from her exceptional dedication to facilitating research here at Penn State. She treats each incoming project with equivalent care, attention to detail and passion. She simply loves research, and this is part of what elevates her to distinction.”
 

Last Updated April 4, 2017

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