Andrew Vinard named Recipient of Research and Engagement Outstanding Employee Award

Andrew Vinard, IALS Core Facilities Director, is the sixth winner of the Research and Engagement employee recognition award. 

Andrew has been nominated multiple times throughout the R&E Outstanding Employee Award Guidelines. A few comments from his nominators include:

• Andrew is a tireless advocate for the IALS core facilities, the core directors, industrial partners, IALS staff, and the students. 
• Andrew has ensured that the UMass Amherst group of Core Facilities remain operational for the duration of the Pandemic, now more than 12 months.  This has required a huge increase in effort and time over and above the operational management of our group of 30 facilities.  Each Facility needed to come up with a unique solution related to the specifics of the equipment and Core staff availability.  
• Andrew communicated, and continuously updated each core week by week and managed all of this flawlessly, and the fact that many labs and outside companies were able to maintain some level of productivity over the last year is in large part due to Andrew's efforts. 
• Andrew is always professional, but not to a fault - he can have a laugh at a meeting which makes the workplace positive, enjoyable, and something I look forward to coming to every morning.
• Andrew is pragmatic, diplomatic, honest, and sometimes even grows a beard! 

Congratulations to Andrew on this amazing achievement.