Five BNLers Win 2009 Brookhaven Awards

July 27, 2009

At the annual Employee Recognition Ceremony held on June 22 in Berkner Hall, Lab Director Sam Aronson presented the Brookhaven Awards, given to recognize key contributors in support functions whose performance and achievements represent outstanding service to the Laboratory. Nominees are evaluated for the contributions’ exceptional nature, difficulty level, and benefit to BNL, as well as the length of time over which the contributions were made. The five Brookhaven Award winners of 2009 are Kathleen Barkigia, Policy & Strategic Planning Office; Patricia Carr, Energy, Environment, & National Security Directorate; Steven Coleman, Radiological Control Division; Mark Davis, Environmental Protection Division; and Thomas Dilgen, Superconducting Magnet Division. Their contributions are featured below.

Kathleen Barkigia

Kathleen Barkigia of the Policy & Strategic Planning Office has worked at Brookhaven for over 30 years. During this time, she has made numerous scientific and leadership contributions that extended from 1978-2003 when she was a research scientist working in the Chemistry Department, and from 2003 to the present, as Special Assistant to the Director in the Director’s Office.

The exceptional nature of Barkigia’s contributions lies in the scope and difficulties of the issues she faces in Laboratory planning. At its heart, this work involves addressing some of the most difficult institutional issues and questions. Among these are questions like “Where will the Laboratory be in ten years?” and “How will we get there?” Barkigia has helped to develop answers to these questions and as a result, has touched the full range of scientific activities of the Laboratory, as well as the supporting infrastructure and facilities’ needs. Recently, she has developed the scientific components of the Mission Need statements for the Interdisciplinary Science Buildings. Barkigia has helped BNL to develop one of the most refined planning processes in the DOE complex, and more importantly, a compelling and aggressive vision for the future of Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Patricia Carr

Patricia Carr, a project engineer II in the Energy, Environment & National Security Directorate (EENS), is being recognized for her outstanding service to the Laboratory in the areas of environment, safety, health, and quality (ESH&Q). She has been a valued employee at the Lab for over 30 years, and has worked tirelessly to improve BNL’s ESH&Q culture. Her dedication and hard work have helped the Lab make several important improvements to the way research is conducted.

As the Environment, Safety & Health (ES&H) Coordinator for EENS over the past 10 years, Pat has been instrumental in developing and implementing Standards Based Management Systems, as well as in securing the Lab’s certification to EMS 14000 and OHSAS 18001. She is a charter member and co-chair of the Small Science Working Group, which has provided invaluable assistance addressing ES&H issues for small science at BNL. She is also an advocate of the Electronic Experimental Safety Review process for BNL, and the Human Performance Improvement initiative. Carr’s commitment to ESH&Q and her dedication to the importance of the research at BNL have made significant contributions to improving the conduct of research at the Laboratory.

Steven Coleman

Steven Coleman, interim manager of the Radiological Control Division, is recognized for his work as the Laboratory’s Integrated Safety Management (ISM) Program Manager from 2005 to 2008, and for his key contributions to the Lab’s success in the critical DOE Review of BNL’s ISM program in 2007. As a result of Coleman’s leadership and project management skills, not one of BNL’s ISM-rated areas was found to have “significant weaknesses” by the ISM Review Team. BNL was the only Lab to have achieved this result in the prior four years of DOE inspections.

Coleman took over the ISM program in late 2005 when it faced many significant deficiencies. He worked across BNL support organizations, on a short schedule, to develop corrective actions. He organized these actions, as well as improvement initiatives, into a comprehensive, well-structured project, and established the infrastructure for effective management and review with senior management involvement. This approach was unique in the DOE complex and resulted in BNL receiving a “Noteworthy Practice” finding from DOE during the ISM review. Coleman became an expert in DOE’s ISM requirements and expectations and has been asked by other DOE Labs to brief their managers and staff on BNL’s ISM and the approaches he developed.

Mark Davis

Mark Davis, a project engineer I in the Environmental Protection Division (EPD), started in BNL’s Reactor Division in 1984 and became a Reactor Operations Supervisor for the High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR). After the HFBR closed in 1999, Davis joined the EPD where he is responsible for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and serves as Cultural Resources Program Manager. As NEPA Coordinator, he streamlined processes and ensured that projects move forward without delay. Recent noteworthy projects include the Research Support Building, CFN, and NSLS-II. Davis continues to apply his NEPA expertise to assist important projects, and is developing the Environmental Assessment for the 37 MW solar photovoltaic project proposed for BNL.

Late in 2008, Davis served as the project manager for decommissioning the HFBR, removing the control rod blades, beam plugs, and water from the system and fuel pool. This work presented an extreme demand on his abilities and time. He worked extended hours in a physically demanding environment. His reactor experience and detail-oriented approach to Conduct of Operations resulted in the project being completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Davis’s consistent high level of performance in all operations won him the recognition for this award.

Thomas Dilgen

Thomas Dilgen is a senior technical supervisor in the Superconducting Magnet Division. During his 30 years at BNL, he has become widely recognized as a highly skilled supervisor. In 1998, when he was named Mechanical Technician Supervisor for the Magnet Production Group, he took charge of 25 technical personnel located in four buildings, working on very diverse magnet programs. He also serves as Facility Building Manager and Work Control Coordinator.

Dilgen goes beyond the role of a technical supervisor, taking on tasks involving engineering supervision. For the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) program, he designed and supervised the fabrication and installation of a support system for a motor-driven MIG welding head for shell welding, and also worked with the engineering team on a design flaw in the D3 magnets, then supervised construction of a successful prototype remedy. Subsequently, he served as BNL’s representative at CERN, Switzerland, to implement repairs on all affected and previously delivered LHC magnets.

In recognition of Dilgen’s excellence in rigging and materials handling, he was called on to develop material-handling training methods with the Training & Qualifications Program Office, and he worked with the Safety Engineering Group on a problem that involved lifting hardware — the solution is now BNL policy Lab-wide.

2009-1323  |  INT/EXT  |  Newsroom