CFEB Names Lauren Greenlee "Rookie of the Year"

The Colorado Federal Executive Board (CFEB) promotes strategic partnering, communication, and collaboration among the Federal agencies located in Colorado. Each year, as part of Public Service Recognition Week, the CFEB recognizes eight Federal employees and teams for their exceptional performance in categories ranging from customer service to outstanding scientific achievement.

Lauren was recognized for her exceptional accomplishments in mentoring, collaboration, and scientific discovery during her first 18 months as a permanent NIST staff member (she first came to NIST as an NRC postdoc). Her accomplishments include co-founding the NIST-Boulder Summer High School Intern Program (SHIP), serving on the NIST Boulder Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) advisory committee, and mentoring several undergraduate students on novel synthesis of low-cost iron nanoparticles for water treatment and catalysis. Her unique nanoparticles have demonstrated significant increases in methane oxidation at ambient temperatures, forming the basis for two patent applications over the past year. This work has attracted new collaborations with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), the Colorado School of Mines, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Texas at Austin, Argonne National Laboratory, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics (China), and the National Institute of Materials Science (Japan).