This week’s ‘Thumbs Up’ recipients

Purdue Today’s “Thumbs Up” series gives faculty and staff members the opportunity to recognize, thank and congratulate others for their outstanding service, support and performance across the Purdue system. This week’s “Thumbs Up” recipients are:

Lori Allison

A huge thank-you to Lori (Finance and Business Operations) for offering invaluable support throughout the process of establishing the fellowship positions for the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research’s T32 grant. Lori’s expertise and guidance were instrumental in helping us navigate the fellowship hiring process. Your dedication does not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated! — Ashley Martin (Research Support) and Purdue Institute for Cancer Research team

Brandon Stephens

Brandon (Operations and Maintenance) in Zone 4 was on his way to start his break as I was struggling to exit my building with a dolly and some tables. Instead of taking that break, he took time to help me load up some heavy folding tables for an event. I had trouble lifting even one of the tables into the truck, but I was very lucky he was willing to help me get all six loaded up super quick. Thank you! — Casey Hollingsworth (Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars)

Kim Vi, Lisa Lawson, Elizabeth Barajas, Jen Ramos and Misty Clugh

The Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s Welcome Week is in the books. The Techie Welcome, Techie Tuesday, Techie Mental Toolkit, Ask a Techie and Techie Taco Friday events were all big hits with our students. This amazing week was coordinated by Kim (Polytechnic) and had tremendous support from student ambassadors and Polytechnic staff members Lisa, Elizabeth, Jen and Misty. Our students started the fall semester taking that next step into their future. — T.R. Oneal (Polytechnic)

Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s marketing and communications team

Each year the Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s “I’m A Techie” shirts are distributed to our students, faculty and staff. Heather Boswell, Payton Drake, Miah Moore, John O’Malley, Nick Pompella and Zach Rodimel do a great job of designing, ordering and, most importantly, distributing the shirts each semester. This fun tradition allows for students, as well as faculty and staff, to collect shirts during all four years of their time in Polytechnic to create quite the wardrobe of vintage shirts. — T.R. Oneal (Polytechnic)

Andrea Tener and Cyndi Lynch

Thank you to Andrea and Cyndi (both Engineering — Vertically Integrated Project) for helping launch AI Engine in the final weeks of summer. There were lots of moving parts with registration, and due to their help, we had a successful first week of classes! I’m very appreciative that they stepped up to help on short notice. — Maggie Betz (Engineering — Vertically Integrated Projects)

Julie Clugh

Julie (Hillenbrand Dining) has recently stepped in to help train our influx of new college and high school employees in the Hillenbrand dish room. With nearly 47 years of experience with us, I truly couldn’t think of a better person to take on this important role. Thank you, Julie, for sharing your knowledge, experience and dedication with our newest team members. Your willingness to help and support others is greatly appreciated. You rock, Julie! — Neal Williamson (Hillenbrand Dining)

Hillenbrand Dining Court’s student team

The beginning of the year is always a challenging time in our dining courts, and we simply could not do it without the incredible, unsung student heroes of Hillenbrand Dining Court. I wish I could recognize every one of our hardworking students by name, but I’m afraid I would quickly exceed the 150-word limit! This year has brought its share of obstacles, and through it all, our students have continued to show up, work hard and give their best every day. A special shoutout to our student manager team members Jordan Mitchell, Jessi Salvador, Sophia Redmon and Abhinav Dutta. Your leadership, support and structure make such a difference for our students and our entire team. Thank you for everything you do. We truly could not do it without you! You guys do an awesome job! — Neal Williamson (Hillenbrand Dining)

Hacene Smaine

A colleague and I were checking out rooms in Stewart Center to possibly use for an upcoming conference, and Hacene (Purdue Memorial Union) kindly offered to unlock any that we wanted to see. He was so genuine and extremely willing to share his knowledge of seating arrangement options, capacity, etc. He went above and beyond to provide us with the best customer service when he could have easily just walked down the hall and gone about his business. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to assist us and answer all of our questions! — Erin Watson (Education Store)

Amanda Scheurich

A big thank-you to Amanda (Comparative Pathobiology) for helping me find last-minute space for our instructor. The instructor came by to say thanks and how much she loves and appreciates the little corner. So, thank you, Amanda! — Aimee Holdcraft (Interdisciplinary Studies)

Brenda Serrano and Building Services team

I would like to recognize Brenda and the Building Services team that supports the Veterinary Medicine complex for the outstanding work they have done this year. Brenda transitioned to our buildings at the start of the year as the evening shift crew chief and quickly identified problem areas and addressed them with energy and attention to detail. Under her leadership, the team completed a thorough scrub and wax project that has transformed the hallways, commons and stairways — they look exceptional. Brenda is now systematically scheduling floor care in office areas she has identified as needing attention, showing both initiative and a commitment to continuous improvement. Faculty and staff regularly comment on the turnaround in the condition of our buildings. Brenda takes clear ownership of her responsibilities and takes pride in her work. She is visible in the buildings and communicates regularly with occupants, which has helped build trust and ensure that needs are met promptly. Their efforts have made a real difference in the quality of our workplace. Thank you, Brenda and team! — Scott Fix (Veterinary Medicine)

Administrative Operations employees who assisted Birck Nanotechnology Center

Thank you to those who helped clean and prepare for the recent SK hynix event. Glen Deno and Jonathan Siegal (both Operations and Maintenance) took on another special painting project, and we appreciate that we can always count on them to get the job done. Benjamin Vaughn (Grounds) came on short notice to clear our dock for a large delivery. Tyler Galema (Grounds) gave amazing attention to Birck’s landscaping, and his hard work in the heat and humidity to make our building look event-ready did not go unnoticed. And Eduardo Tovar Lopez, Dave Ocker, Margarita Villa, Alba Morales, Maria Gutierrez, Alex Figueroa and Laura Estrada (all Building Services) once again went the extra mile to make sure everything shined for the event. We appreciate everything you all do. — Michelle Radtke (Birck Nanotechnology)

Want to recognize someone for a job well done? View the submission form and guidelines on the “Thumbs Up” webpage.