Spring 2008, Vol. 4, No. 2 | Index

Employee News

New Employees The MBL welcomes the following new employees: Ekaterina Andreishcheva, Research Assistant, Bay Paul Center Nelson Baptiste, Custodian, Building Services, Transportation, & Grounds Services Jonathan Clapp, Software Developer, EOL Robert Follis, Custodian, Building Services, Transportation, & Grounds Services Kristen Lans, Program Administrator, EOL Adam Lazarus, Research Assistant, Bay Paul Center Roman Mate, Computer Network Associate, Information Technology Holly Miller, Scientific Analyst, MBLWHOI Library Dmitry Mozzherin, Scientific Informatics Leader, EOL Nicolas Scalfone, Research Assistant, Bay Paul Center Leisa Stenberg, Research Associate, Furie Lab Gabriel Strom, Custodian, Building Services, Transportation, & Grounds Services Anne Thessen, Scientific Informatics Analyst I, Protist Biology Data Manager, EOL Gabrielle Tomasky, Postdoctoral Scientist, The Ecosystems Center Promotions, Appointments & Awards John Murt was promoted from Research Assistant I to Research Assistant II in Marine Resources. Kelly Holzworth was promoted from Center Research Administrator to Center Administrator in the Ecosystems Center. Sarah Bordenstein was promoted from Outreach Coordinator to Research Associate in the Bay Paul Center. Animal Care Coordinator Dan Johnson recently passed both levels of the AALAS (American Association for Laboratory Animal Science) certification and is now a certified Laboratory Animal Technician. Human Resources Coordinator Cathy Schmidt has been designated a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Cathy qualified for the designation by participating in a two-year course of study and passing a series of college level national examinations on employee benefits subjects, and by meeting and attesting to high standards of business and professional conduct. Activities Committee Update Committee Sponsors first Arts Fair in Woods Hole The Activities Committee is pleased to announce a new event, The Woods Hole Artisans’ Summer Fair, planned for Friday, July 25 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The fair will feature fine artists and skilled artisans from the surrounding community. It will start in Waterfront Park and will spread down MBL Street and onto the MBL Quadrangle (depending on how many vendors are participating). If you know of a vendor who might like to participate, please send their contact information to Human Resources at humanres@mbl.edu. This is the first of what the Activities Committee hopes will be a festive annual event to add sparkle to the summer.

Milestones MBL Chairs Awarded to John Barnes and Pam Clapp Hinkle for 25 Years of Employment MBL Director and CEO Gary Borisy presented John Barnes and Pam Clapp Hinkle with MBL chairs at the State of the MBL meeting on March 4. John and Pam were acknowledged for their 25 years of service to the laboratory. John first worked for the MBL in 1974, the son of long-time MBL employee Franklin Barnes who worked in the Apparatus and Facilities departments for over 30 years. John returned to the MBL on March, 1982, and currently works as Maintenance Assistant in the Facilities and Services department. Pam Clapp Hinkle joined the MBL staff as Assistant Editor of the Biological Bulletin in October 1982, and was subsequently promoted to Associate and later, Managing Editor of the journal. She coordinated the activites and events associated with the MBL’s Centennial (1988) and was promoted to Director of Communications in 1992. She is currently serving as the Acting Director of External Affairs. Congratulations John and Pam! Benefits Update Sick Time If you are a benefits eligible MBL employee, you earn thirteen sick days per year. These days may be used for your illness or that of a family member according to our Sick Time Policy. Any sick time not used up over the course of the year may be carried over into subsequent years until a total of 1040 hours is accrued. This time is a valuable benefit meant to offer protection in the event of a long term illness. If eligible, the Long Term Disability (LTD) plan will begin to pay a benefit (60% of earnings) after you have been disabled for 90 days. Your accrued sick time is meant to fill in the gap until the LTD benefit begins. If you do not have enough accrued sick time, your absence will be unpaid. You may also use your sick time to make up the difference between your disability benefit and your regular pay. If you use all or most of your sick time each year, you put yourself in a vulnerable position. If you have to be out of work for an extended period of time due to an illness, you could find yourself without any income. Sick days are important for your financial security and should be allowed to accrue whenever possible. For more information about the MBL’s sick time policy, read Policy G.1.6 on the Staff pages of the MBL website or contact Cathy Schmidt in the Human Resources Office at cschmidt@mbl.edu, x7122.

The Collecting Net is an employee newsletter published by the Communications Office. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Call (508) 289-7423 or e-mail us at