ATAP researchers and operations staff have been recognized in this year’s Director’s Awards for their exceptional contributions to supporting Berkeley Lab’s mission and strategic goals. The 2024 Director’s Achievement Awards ceremony will be held on Friday, November 8, 2024, at 3 p.m. Pacific Time in the Building 50 Auditorium at Berkeley Lab. A reception will follow in Building 91 IGB. The event will also be live-streamed at streaming.lbl.gov.
Ina Reichel
ATAP’s IDEA, Education & Outreach Coordinator, Ina Reichel, has been honored with the 2024 Berkeley Lab Director’s Award for Exceptional Achievement in the IDEA and Lab Community category. The award was presented for “Collaborative, consensus-driven leadership and a combination of a scientific approach and tireless effort in driving positive change to make Berkeley Lab a more attractive and equitable workplace, as well as for extensive and selfless work in STEM outreach.”
Throughout her 23 years at Berkeley Lab, Reichel has worked tirelessly and selflessly to make Berkeley Lab an attractive and equitable workplace where all are encouraged and empowered to succeed. Through personal leadership and extensive collaboration with others, her dedication and commitment to IDEA principles and practices have made the Lab a better workplace, with implications for recruiting, retention, and an atmosphere that empowers achievement.
The award recognizes her commitment to the Lab’s mission and values by helping to develop the next generation of STEM and support professionals, many of whom are from traditionally underrepresented demographics.
Paolo Ferracin

Deputy Director of ATAP’s Superconducting Magnet Program Paolo Ferracin. (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)
Deputy Director of ATAP’s Superconducting Magnet Program, Paolo Ferracin, was honored with the 2024 Berkeley Lab Director’s Award for Exceptional Achievement in the IDEA and Outreach category. The award was presented for “Exemplary dedication and commitment in proactive teaching and mentorship at levels ranging from high schools to graduate particle accelerator schools, offering education not available through traditional venues—in addition to a demanding job as a research leader.”
Ferracin’s dedication to educational outreach extends from high school through the specialty graduate-level coursework offered by U.S. and international particle accelerator schools. He also conducts outreach activities at local high schools, bringing knowledge and an inspiring message to the local community, including to underserved demographics.
The award recognizes his efforts, which are in addition to the demands of his job, to provide high school, graduate-level, and early-career professionals with specialty educational opportunities unavailable through traditional channels.
Asmita Patel and Pat Thomas

Multi-Lab Safety Week Leadership Team, Pat Thomas (l) and Asmita Patel. (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)
ATAP’s Deputy Division Director for Operations, Asmita Patel, and recently retired Division Safety Coordinator, Pat Thomas, were honored with the 2024 Berkeley Lab Director’s Award for Exceptional Achievement in the Safety category. The award was presented for the “visionary leadership that created ATAP Safety Day and evolved it into the present Multi-Lab Safety Week, which offers an annual safety-culture reset and enriched learning opportunities to multiple Divisions at Berkeley Lab and three other national laboratories.”
Patel and Thomas created Safety Day in the ATAP Division in 2015. Over the years, they led its evolution into a highly engaging, feature-rich, multi-divisional, and now multi-laboratory safety-culture event held annually across a workweek. (Check out https://atap.lbl.gov/about-us/safety/safety-week-archive/.) In addition to strategizing continuous improvements and enhancements and encouraging others to join us, they have planned, led, and (in an extensive effort that ensures participants have the resources they need) managed the event each year.
The evolution of a divisional Safety Day into Multi-Lab Safety Week, which now includes participants from other divisions at the Lab, Fermilab, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has involved effort above and beyond the call, with many late nights and weekends (and early mornings—the effort spans three time zones) as they continued their many other demanding responsibilities while planning and leading these events.
High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider Accelerator Upgrade Project Cabling Core Team

Members of the HL-LHC-AUP Cabling Core Team: ((l-r) Andy Lin, Asmita Patel, Chris Georgiou, Elaine Buron, Elizabeth Lee, George Fraley, Ian Pong, Jean-Francois Croteau, Karen Lingua, Mike Naus, Paolo Ferracin, Patricia Thomas, Soren Prestemon, and Stephanie Chan-Shum (the team also included Brian Zatkow and Hugh Higley). (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)
The HL-LHC-AUP Cabling Team, which includes scientists, engineers, technicians, and operations staff from across the Lab, was honored with the 2024 Berkeley Lab Director’s Award for Exceptional Achievement in the Team Scientific category. The award was presented for “Leadership and performance in completing the large, complex, and technically challenging multi-year Cabling Task of the High-Luminosity LHC Accelerator Upgrade Project (HL-LHC-AUP). This DOE 413.3b project greatly enhances the LHC’s position as the forefront particle accelerator for high-energy physics.”
The team, which includes Ian Pong, Andy Lin, Mike Naus, Jean-Francois Croteau, Elaine Buron, Soren Prestemon, Paolo Ferracin, Elizabeth Lee, Asmita Patel, Pat Thomas, Chris Georgiou, Stephanie Chan-Shun, George Fraley, Karen Lingua, Brian Zatkow, and Hugh Higley, completed the extensive, managerially complex, and technically challenging multi-year Cabling Task essential to the Luminosity Upgrade of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It represents the first major use of a niobium-tin superconductor in a particle collider, requiring different techniques for making the wire into cables and then fabricating magnets from them.
This remarkable achievement, part of creating much stronger magnets to focus the particle beams more tightly at the interaction points, will be central to achieving the higher collision rates needed for the next generation of particle physics. These could include new discoveries beyond the Standard Model for understanding the mysteries of dark matter and exploring the world of supersymmetry. ATAP’s Superconducting Magnet Program was central to this, with the Cabling Team exemplifying the Lab’s values of team science and upholding EH&S standards (including COVID protocols).
For more information on ATAP News articles, contact caw@lbl.gov.