The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) announced that 15 of its employees were honored with prestigious awards by the Pittsburgh Federal Executive Board (FEB) for significant accomplishments, leadership, outreach, and impact on the region and beyond.

The FEB held the 2018 annual Excellence in Government Awards Program luncheon at the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The awards program recognizes outstanding federal employees for efforts that encourage innovation and excellence in government, reinforce pride in federal service; and help call public attention to the broad range of services provided by federal employees. The awards were selected by an independent committee of federal executives.

In total, NETL employees took home two Gold Awards, three Silver Awards, and two Bronze Awards. The recognized individuals and teams and their award categories are:

• McMahan Gray, Outstanding Contribution to Science Gold Award for his work to create efficient and regenerative absorbent materials that can be used in a variety of applications from cleaning lead from water supplies to recovering valuable resources like Rare Earth Elements.
• Jonathan Lekse, Ph.D., Rookie of the Year Gold Award for outstanding performance in leadership roles at NETL that are generally given to senior researchers. For example, he is the technical lead for the Advanced Reaction Systems, a $12.1 million research program, and served as a technical task coordinator for the Reaction Intensification project.
• James Cox, Administrative Employee Silver Award for being a role model of effective, efficient work practices for site support at the Laboratory. The award was based on his robust performance as a financial coordinator and program analyst ensuring that site support is carried out effectively.
• Garret Veloski, Outstanding Contribution to Science Silver Award for his work in field monitoring drone-based research. His work made significant contributions to elevating drone magnetic surveys to a quality that is comparable to magnetic surveys with manned aircraft.
• NETL Emergency Support Function, (Joseph Hanna, Donald Ferguson, Ph.D., Robert Reed, Robert Gross, James Briones, Keith Dodrill, J. Clark Robinson and Water Yamben) Outstanding Team Silver Award for conducting damage assessments, real-time situational reporting and subject matter expertise on matters related to energy during Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria recovery efforts led by FEMA.     
• NETL Ukraine Coal Team, (Anthony Armaly and Chuck Taylor, Ph.D.) Outstanding Team Bronze Award for work with Ryan Russell of the U.S. Department of Commerce to find regional coal supplies for sale and shipment to Ukraine in time for winter. The work could also open the door for greater exports of regional coal.
• Jerry Carr, Ph.D., Rookie of the Year Bronze Award recognizing his work managing 15 carbon storage projects with a value of more than $16 million.

The Pittsburgh FEB is comprised of more than 100 Federal agencies and over 20,000 Federal employees in the Pittsburgh region. FEBs, established by Presidential Directive in 1961, encourage communication and collaboration among federal agencies outside of Washington, DC. Approximately 85 percent of all Federal employees work outside the National Capital Region. FEB provides effective communications and coordination between Federal agencies and all levels of government. The goal of FEB is to be a constructive, unifying force within the Federal Government and the regional community by facilitating collaboration.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory that produces technological solutions to America’s energy challenges. For more than 100 years, the laboratory has focused on developing tools and processes to provide clean, reliable, and affordable energy to the American people. NETL conducts a broad range of energy and environmental research and development activities that support DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.

Contact:

• Shelley Martin, DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory, 304-285-0228, contact.publicaffairs@netl.doe.gov