Kathryn听Ramirez-Aguilar, founder and program manager of the CU Green Labs Program with Facilities Management and the Environmental Center, was presented with the for individual achievement at the 2016 International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
The听award recognizes organizations, individuals, products听and projects that advance sustainable, high-performance laboratory facilities. Ramirez-Aguilar's听Go Beyond Award commends her inspiring leadership in the sustainable laboratory community听as well as her ongoing impact at the University of Colorado Boulder and beyond.
With unbounded enthusiasm, a wealth of new ideas and 15 years of practical laboratory experience, Ramirez-Aguilar听works tirelessly to reduce the environmental footprint of scientific research, particularly by engaging action on the part of laboratory members.
A CU Boulder alumnus, Ramirez-Aguilar听obtained her doctorate in analytical chemistry in 1999, followed by seven years of post-doctorate biochemistry work at CU.
Passionate about greening the CU听laboratories, which account for nearly half of all energy consumption on campus, Ramirez-Aguilar founded one of the first green labs programs in the nation听()听in 2009.
She is also engages听with the green labs community on a national level, regularly collaborating听with colleagues at other universities and federal agencies to increase听efficiency and sustainability in lab environments.
Ramirez-Aguilar founded and leads the I2SL University Alliance Group (UAG), which focuses on听systems changes that impact听sustainability at academic research institutions. Through her role with the UAG, she helped lead the Greening Grants Work Session听at the U.S. Department of Energy's for the past two years, which brought stakeholders from federal agencies, research institutions听and non-profits together听to make connections between sustainability goals and federally-supported research.
She has also been instrumental in the development and launch of the ,听designed听to encourage laboratories to recognize the benefits of good cold-storage managementjust. The challenge was announced at the 2016 I2SL conference and is being managed in partnership with .听
Ramirez-Aguilar's听foresight, dedication听and leadership have听helped听make CU Boulder a leader in the laboratory sustainability movement.
