On Tuesday, March 8, the MIT community gathered at Kresge Auditorium to honor recipients of the 2016 Excellence Awards and Collier Medal. The MIT Excellence Awards are among the highest honors awarded to MIT staff, and acknowledge the extraordinary efforts made in the spirit of fulfilling the goals, values, and mission of the Institute. The Collier Medal honors the memory of Officer Sean Collier, whose spirit lives on as a lasting part of the MIT community.
The 2016 ceremony opened with a lively performance by Rambax MIT — an ensemble dedicated to the art of the sabar drum — and the awards were presented by MIT President L. Rafael Reif and senior leaders across the Institute.
This year’s award winners range from technical staff at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, to administrative and MIT Medical staff on campus, to professors of engineering and media arts and sciences. In each of their respective categories, the recipients have demonstrated a commitment to professionalism, best practices, and high standards of excellence.
The 2016 MIT Excellence Award recipients are:
La-Tarri Canty and the Lincoln Laboratory Employees' African American Network (LEAN) Committee — Shakti Davis, David C. Freeman Jr., Bakari Hassan, Crystal Jackson, Brandon Matthews, John O. Nwagbaraocha, Raoul O. Ouedraogo, and Jason B. Williams — in the category of Advancing Inclusion and Global Perspectives;
R. Hamilton Shepard and Gilles Simler in the category of Innovative Solutions;
Dale Eastwood, Ellen Hoffman, Marie Lee, Donna R. Savicki, and Tamara Yu in the category of Bringing Out the Best;
Tiffany Horgan, Jean R. LeBlanc, Stephen F. Newman Jr., Enrique Shadah, Jessica Van, and the MIT Medical Website Redesign Team — Ken Gagne, Elizabeth McManus Hemrajani, Rosie Huntress, Lauren Lee, and Kim Schive — in the category of Serving the Client; and
Chameé Cross, Sean Gilbert, Joshua Gonzalez, Joshua Manore, Dorothy Ryan, Georgia Santander, and Amy Shea Slattery in the category of Outstanding Contributor; and
Matthew Hubbell in the category of Sustaining MIT.
The 2016 Collier Medal recipients are professors Neri Oxman and Yoel Fink.
Additional details about the Excellence Awards and Collier Medal, and this year's winners, can be viewed on the MIT Rewards and Recognition website.
