2015 AP and Classified Staff Excellence Awards

2015 AP and Classified Staff Excellence Awards

Congratulations to Sarah Sutton, recipient of this year's LPL Appointed Personnel Staff Excellence Award, and to Eneida Guerra de Lima, recipient of the 2015 Classified Staff Excellence Award!

Sarah Sutton is a Photogrammetry and Image Processing Scientist with the HiRISE project. She began working for Alfred McEwen as a student in 2006 and moved into a staff position in 2008. The group she leads, which includes 4 undergraduate students, produces digital terrain models (DTMs) from HiRISE, LROC, and CTX images. The nomination letters for Sarah cite many notable contributions, including:

  • development of methods to correct geometric distortions of images (produced by spacecraft pointing jitter), which not only improve DTMs and orthoimages, but are also valuable and applicable to other scientific studies and to certifying landing sites;
  • volunteering to support special studies, proposal preparation, and educational and outreach activities;
  • implementing innovations and automations that increase DTM production;
  • exceeding job expectations by providing service such as training LPL graduate students in production and analysis of DTMs.

Eneida Guerra de Lima joined LPL in October 2013 as an Information Technology Support Analyst, Principal, and immediately began making positive changes and contributions to LPL, improving the quality and effectiveness of IT services, identifying weaknesses and making recommendations and improvements. Eneida brought to LPL her expertise and previous experience with UA computing resources such as UAConnect and Outlook, and desktop support. Some specific examples of Eneida's superior performance include:

  • identifying weakness in data security for business operations, and making suggestions for updating and consolidated LPL services;
  • making time to multitask and resolve routine problems while carrying on other responsibilities of a more technical nature;
  • providing excellent customer support, being available, responsive, and communicative, providing follow-up service and detailed inquiry, with results that often apply to other users/areas;
  • taking on setup and networking of new copiers, including working with users to understand needs and working with the vendor to install and implement required software and networking, allowing the department to get full functionality from the machines;
  • advising and supporting academic AV enterprises, resulting in improvements to videoconferencing, and to classroom projection and computing.

Sarah and Eneida received their kudos at the LPL Spring Awards reception, held on April 22. Also acknowledged at the reception were Kenny Fine (Senior Systems Administrator with PIRL/HiRISE) and Maria Schuchardt (Program Coordinator, Senior with the Space Imagery Center). Kenny and Maria each received an Honorable Mention in the Appointed (Fine) and Classified (Schuchardt) categories; Maria is a previous recipient of the Staff Excellence Award (2005). As the classified staff recipient, Eneida's contributions were also acknowledged by Dean Joaquin Ruiz at the annual College of Science Staff Excellence Awards Luncheon held on April 15.

Congratulations Sarah and Eneida, and Kenny and Maria, and thank you for all you do!