Staff at the State Hygienic Laboratory in Ankeny gathered on May 18 to recognize staff achievements and years of service. Director Chris Atchison and Pat Kosier, director of the Office of Human Resources, presented the awards. Jennifer Terry, environmental advocacy leader at the Des Moines Water Works, was the guest speaker.

Terry graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law, and has worked for almost two years for Des Moines Water Works (DMWW), the regional water utility that serves 500,000 customers in central Iowa. She spoke about the need to strike a balance between agriculture and public health in the protection of surface water in Iowa.

Terry’s presentation discussed the problems of nutrients in surface waters in general and DMWW’s specific concerns about nutrients in its drainage area. She commended the Hygienic Laboratory for its decades of scientifically credible, unbiased, public-accessible data.

The Duncan Walker Award is probably closest to the heart of Ankeny staff, some of whom knew Duncan as a coworker from 1998 to 2003. Given since 2006, the award honors staff members who epitomize the qualities of Duncan Walker, including commitment, integrity, sincerity and a respect for diversity.

Lee Friell, former Ankeny manager, said that Walker was known for his infectious smile and willingness to help people, whether clients, colleagues or acquaintances. Fourteen years after Walker’s untimely death, people from other agencies remember him as “a gentleman who made every day seem a little better” according to Friell.

This year, Ryan Reynolds received the Ankeny Duncan Walker Award after being nominated by a group of seven coworkers as a “huge asset to SHL.” They praised Reynolds’ commitment to not only his Newborn Screening section, but to the entire Ankeny lab. His service on the Employees’ Committee and Wellness Workgroup, especially his concern for including all staff when planning events, demonstrates his lab-wide efforts. In addition to this service to the lab, Reynolds was noted for his appreciation of, and communication with, his co-workers as noted in the nomination: “No task goes unnoticed by Ryan. . . who makes sure to thank everyone for their help.”

Pam Mollenhauer was honored for 30 years of service to the State Hygienic Laboratory, and Dennis Heimdal of the Lakeside Laboratory for his 20 years with the State Hygienic Laboratory. Darin Grulkowski, Nicole Jurgensen, Ellie LeBlanc and Elizabeth McDonald received 10-year awards.

The Applause, Applause award is given to staff members to recognize “work that improves workforce relationships, customer satisfaction and day-to-day operations, or expands subject matter expertise.” This year, 58 Applause, Applause were given throughout the Hygienic Laboratory.

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Awards recognize improvement in a process or completion of a major project. CQIs were given to Pam Mollenhauer for her work on the team that developed the Quarter Century Club Staff Reunion for current and former employees with service of 25 years or more. This inaugural event was held October 7 in Coralville. Samantha Leksell received a CQI award for improving nutrient demand’s Excel worksheets to decrease calculation errors and reduce double entries for the section.

The Gene Ronald Award recognizes the outstanding intern, fellow, grad assistant or student employee in the field of clinical or environmental microbiology, or related laboratory science. It was given to Dana Bohan. His nomination stressed his reliability, attention to detail and enthusiasm for work, including learning how to perform new tests, helping others and volunteering for extra-curricular activities such as the career fair at the Des Moines Area Community College.