June 08 Issue - Employee Monthly Magazine

Rising to the challenge

A star amongst many

Felicia Taw of Inorganic, Isotope, and Actinide Chemistry is an avid rock climber. Photo by Dixon Wolf

Whether studying the properties of nuclear nano-particles, serving as chair for the Worker Safety and Security Team, skiing, or scaling rock formations, Felicia Taw of Inorganic, Isotope, and Actinide Chemistry isn't afraid of a challenge.

Recognized for her work as chair of the WSST, Taw was chosen as one of this year's LANL Stars by the Women's Diversity Working Group.

"It was an honor, and it was totally unexpected," said Taw. "I didn't even know I had been nominated.

"I think that it is a great program, and I am thinking about nominating someone for next year's award," said Taw.

Taw came to the Lab as a postdoc in November 2002. These days, she's working on small-scale detectors for sensing gamma and neutron radiation, but her interests go well beyond the work she does in the chemistry lab.

"I'm also interested in exploring research in the energy arena, a direction the Lab should take in light of today's energy concerns," said Taw.

"One thing that the Lab does really well is allow for the opportunity to work with other staff in diverse fields," she noted. "In fact, it is nothing to pick up the phone and talk to someone about collaborating on a project."

Taw, whose research efforts have earned her high kudos at the Laboratory, also believes being able to interact with scientists of different backgrounds is the key to developing novel solutions to current problems.

In addition to her LANL Star award, Taw has been honored and recognized at the Lab with an LAAP Award in 2008, a Laboratory Postdoctoral Publication Prize in Experimental Sciences in 2005, a Laboratory Director's Achievement Award in 2005, and the Laboratory Director's Postdoctoral Fellow award for four years, from 2003 to 2006.

—Ed Vigil