Two members of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Chemistry were selected to receive 2020 University Staff Recognition Awards. Read about the other winners and view the full story here>>
Kurtis Casperson
Lab Prep Tech, Department of Chemistry, College of Letters & Science
Casperson started working in the general chemistry stockroom as an undergraduate during his senior year, one of several student hourly employees hired to help the stockroom fulfill its daily tasks. Upon graduation, Casperson moved into the Lab Prep Tech position, building an online database of inventory, standard operating procedures and training materials for student workers. He also undertook some of his own initiatives in an effort to provide better service and support to the teaching assistants in the laboratory. His nominator says, “I often find myself thinking if we had another dozen or so like him, we might find ourselves in a golden age.”
Erynn Zweifel
University Services Program Associate, Department of Chemistry, College of Letters & Science
Zweifel acts as the face of the department’s Undergraduate Program, serving thousands of students, staff and faculty each semester, along with supporting all administrative functions in the Undergraduate Office. His nominator says Zweifel is the “master problem-solver” for undergraduate students. He does the work “with respect, kindness, empathy and humility. He also consistently has great ideas for how various processes in the department could be improved and is never afraid to bring forth a novel idea of something new that the undergraduate chemistry office should try.” His ideas “Inevitably, his ideas ALWAYS end up making the experience for our students, staff and faculty better.”