Holly Shepherd (on left)) and Holly Thacker (on right)
UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics gives out Staff Excellent Award every year. This award is given to staff members who display dedication, service, and commitment to Biochemistry and Biophysics.
Congratulations to Holly Shepherd and Holly Thacker our 2021 honorees!
About the Awards
The Department’s Staff Recognition Program was established to annually recognize staff members for their outstanding achievements and service.
Nominations are made with the following criteria in mind:
teamwork
creativity and innovation
positive attitude
enthusiasm
productivity
flexibility
leadership
Announcement
On December 20, 2021, the announcement was made virtually
Thanks to everyone for their nominations. The selection committee, comprised of Gabby Budziszewski, Kanishk Jain, and Beverly Errede, had a large number of nominations and the decision was not easy. The two nominees that will receive this year’s staff excellence award are Holly Shepherd (Student Services Representative) and Holly Thacker (Research Technician, Brian Button lab)!
Major congratulations to the both of you for going above and beyond and for your hard work and excellence. Please help me congratulate them on a job well done! Thanks also to the selection committee for your effort in helping us decide.
– Dr. Brian Strahl, Interim Chair of Biochemistry and Biophysics.
2021 Awardees
Staff Excellent Award for Administration: Holly Shepherd
Holly Shepherd, Student Services Manager
Holly joined the department in 2020 as the Student Services Manager. With a background in student counseling, she became involved in department initiatives to advocate for student success in all aspects of graduate education programming. As the co-chair of the Graduate Education Committee Organization, she is working towards establishing student-centered practices to provide support to students in all stages of their degree progress. In addition to student services, she is a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee and Environmental Task Force. Holly feels that it is important to be an active member of the Biochemistry and Biophysics community to foster connections and contribute to the mission and vision of the department.
Staff Excellent Award for Research: Holly Thacker
Holly Thacker, Research Technician in Button lab
Holly joined our group in 2017 as a Research Technician in Button lab. She attended UNC Greensboro as an Interior Architecture major for two years, then she decided to work full time while exploring a career path in research.
The Button lab studies the role of the cell-surface glycocalyx in limiting viral infections in the lungs, including SARS-CoV-2. Key to the glycocalyx function is the presence of large, heavily-glycosylated, membrane-bound mucins which form a tight mesh “barrier” at the airway cell surface. During the past year, Ms. Thacker’s work has focused on using DNA modification and crisper activation (CRISPR-a) to create novel human airway epithelial cell lines that enhance the expression of several of these membrane-bound mucins. Holly’s overall goal is to identify mucin subtypes that can be overexpressed to limit viral infection of our airways. In addition, she assists with cell culture and provides organization and management for Button lab and undergrads.
Holly Thacker’s Fun facts:
She has a lot of pets: 4 rats, 3 snakes and 1 lizard and they’re all named after different foods. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her loved ones.
