Michele Markwardt
Most Employee of the Month ceremonies occur in conference rooms, with President Perman bursting into made-up meetings to surprise the honoree in front of his/her co-workers.
But sometimes rooms are otherwise occupied and alternate measures are needed. Which is how Perman arrived at the fifth-floor lab of Mark Rizzo, PhD, in the Bressler Research Building to introduce himself to one of Rizzo鈥檚 employees, Michele Markwardt, MS, on Jan. 12.
鈥淭his meeting is all about you,鈥� Perman told Markwardt, a research specialist in the Department of Physiology who began as a research assistant in 2008. 鈥淵ou have been named January鈥檚 Employee of the Month. You were nominated because Dr. Rizzo and your co-workers felt you, as a member of their team, embodied many of the core values of the University鈥� accountability, collaboration, and excellence were repeated frequently in your nomination. They also mentioned your work, your techniques, and your publications, but mostly your commitment to excellence.鈥�
Markwardt was thrilled, especially when she saw the plaque 鈥� 鈥渋t鈥檚 spelled right!鈥� exclaimed Michele, who usually gets a double L 鈥� and learned there would be an extra $250 in her next paycheck.
Going Above the Call
Rizzo said the recognition is well deserved. In his nomination form, he mentioned Markwardt鈥檚 ability to learn new things, such as training in protein and DNA purification procedures, and that she 鈥渉as become an invaluable resource for new trainees. 鈥� The tools she has developed have been used by other research labs at UMB as well.鈥�
He added: 鈥淥ne example highlights her dedication and persistence. Early on in her time here, our laboratory鈥檚 work required development of a new type of fluorescent protein suitable for quantitative work in living cells. Michele carefully screened and characterized over a dozen variants, a painstaking process that required extremely careful comparison of the brightness of these reagents that sometimes differed by only 1-2 percent. To make progress on such a project required exceptional rigor and technique, and we would not to have been able to complete this project without her. The final variant she identified has proven to be an exceptionally useful reagent both here on campus and to the scientific community at large, as her paper has been cited over 80 times in only a few short years since its publication.鈥�
Markwardt, who also was praised for 鈥渢aking responsibility and accountability for projects鈥� and showing courtesy, respect, and a 鈥渢eam-first attitude,鈥� said being nice is easy in Rizzo鈥檚 lab.
Work But Also Fun
鈥淢ark and I have a really good working relationship,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e have the same kind of working style, just really blunt. He lays out exactly what he wants from me and then I go and do it. We also have a good time, especially now with the girls in the lab [PhD students Kendra Seckinger, Nicole Snell, and Jennifer McFarland], we all laugh a lot. It鈥檚 work but it鈥檚 also fun.鈥�
Even if sometimes the hours are long and the process of tasks such as seeking grant renewals can be grueling.
鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 easier to get it done now,鈥� Markwardt, who completed her master鈥檚 in forensic science in May, says of some 12-hour days in the lab. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 say I鈥檝e ever slept here though,鈥� she adds with a laugh.
And her feelings about being UMB Employee of the Month?
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty surreal,鈥� she says, turning serious, 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 quite a big University you know. I鈥檓 lucky. My co-workers are great, the girls in the lab are really fun. We all just get along really, really well.鈥�
鈥� Chris Zang
