Excellence Award
The Excellence for VIMS Award recognizes a staff member who continually goes above and beyond their assigned job duties to better the institution. This individual’s contributions will likely not fit into another award category as their contributions transcend specific mission mandates.
The winner of this year’s award is Lauren Gregg.
Lauren is one of those people that always goes the extra mile. She has a habit of staying far later at work than she ought to, and her hatchery skills, insane knowledge and love of plumbing puzzles, ability to solve problems and understanding of oyster biology, have combined to make a lasting contribution to the success of VIMS over the past decade.
The Acuff Center for Aquaculture is now up and running, producing shellfish larvae and seed for VIMS Principal Investigators and collaborators outside of VIMS. Lauren has been engaged from the outset and has put tremendous effort into the facility to bring the seawater systems to life. These unique, complex, systems have provided numerous challenges during startup, but Lauren has taken it all in stride (with possibly some clenched teeth along the way) and persevered. Lauren tackles each new project and challenge with enthusiasm and dedication, making sure users in the building have the equipment and know-how to succeed.
Any time Lauren is asked to provide a tour or meet with visitors of this campus, she is happy to help. Always eager to advance the mission of VIMS and to tell the shellfish aquaculture story, Lauren's welcoming personality showcases the best of VIMS and visitors often comment on how wonderful she is and how well she explained the science taking place in the hatchery.
Finally, even after a long day Lauren is known to provide emotional support and levity to staff and students by sharing a snarky quote or surprising them with stickers and candy. She makes sure that the Acuff facility runs well and that the people working in it are well cared for.
The Excellence for VIMS Award recognizes a staff member who continually goes above and beyond their assigned job duties to better the institution. Lauren Gregg exemplifies VIMS Excellence.
Congratulations, Lauren!