Staff contributions recognized with new awards

Dan Baxter

Dan Baxter, supervising engineer for both of the Physics Department machine shops, has received the first annual ATOM Award. The Physics Department established the ATOM Award this year to recognize outstanding contributions to the department's teaching, research and service missions by staff members.

Under Baxter's supervision, the department's machine shops, located in the Nuclear Research Building and the basement of the Keen Building, make critical contributions to research programs in high energy, nuclear and condensed matter physics. With his guidance, they have also constructed equipment used in the department's teaching laboratories and lecture hall. Thanks to the efforts of Baxter and his staff, the capabilities of the Physics Department's machine shops are highly regarded by national funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. The shops provide an important edge in the intense competition for federal research funding.