Kari Frederick, chemistry laboratory manager for the chemistry department, was awarded the University of Wisconsin-Platteville 2019 Academic Staff Award for Excellence. This award is presented to an instructional or non-instructional academic staff member with a minimum of 12 consecutive months of employment at UW-Platteville who has provided essential services to the university while demonstrating excellence of performance, personal interaction, initiative and creativity.
“I am humbled and grateful to be chosen for this award, as I am sure there were many deserving candidates. It is truly a great feeling to be recognized and appreciated for my efforts over my 20 years at UW-Platteville,” Frederick said. “I must also express my appreciation for my staff in the stockroom for all their hard work and dedication. It takes a team to get all the labs prepped every week so that they run smoothly for faculty and staff instructors.”
Frederick graduated from UW-Platteville and has been working in the UW-Platteville chemistry department since 1998. She works hard to make sure that all of the lab rooms are set up before each chemistry class, and she enjoys the technical aspects – math and chemistry – of working in the lab. One of her favorite parts of the job is being able to make the lives of professors and students easier, and Frederick believes that UW-Platteville students are open-minded and accepting with a “good old-fashioned Midwest work ethic that is second to none.”
“It is very rewarding to be able to make a career in the chemistry department at my alma mater. To work with a great group of faculty and staff through the years in a field I enjoy has been a blessing,” Frederick said. “It’s also neat to watch the progression of students from new freshmen to graduating seniors. I enjoy employing and working with students in the chemistry stockroom and keeping in touch after they move on to graduate school and employment opportunities.”
During the summer, on top of supervising employees, ordering supplies needed for experiments and generally preparing for the upcoming academic year, Frederick and her staff also prepare labs for summer camps and chemistry courses. Some of the camps and courses include College for Kids (grades 1-2), Full STEAM (middle school), Explore Engineering (high school), Pre-College Academy (high school), STEM Discovery (high school) and Chemistry Summer Research Program (high school), General Chemistry 1140 (college), and General Chemistry 1240 (college).
“I loved chemistry in high school and as a student here at UW-Platteville. I really enjoy seeing kids get excited about science, especially chemistry,” Frederick said. “The chemistry stockroom is always bustling with activity, getting ready for laboratory sessions for chemistry courses as well as summer camps that chemistry faculty and staff are involved in.”
Frederick will be honored at the all-campus convocation in late August.