Applause Award

Eric Eisenhart, Jack Ziegler, Dustin Mollo and Larry Tenorio - Information Technology, Computer Operations System Administrators

Probably the worst thing that can happen in the IT Web Office did recently. A WebCT course with 150 students and a half semester of work disappeared mysteriously. To make things worse, a course backup was not available. Our system administrators dropped everything and performed a near miracle to restore the course. They were able to locate and repurpose hardware, then restore the entire WebCT application, sytem and database from tape backups in less than 24 hours. This amazing feat allowed us to make a backup of the course and restore it to the production server. The 150 students experienced only a few days of WebCT downtime for their course, and no loss of student or instructor work. I feel incredibly lucky to work with such skilled, responsive and resourceful professionals. Thank you Eric, Jack, Dustin and Larry! - Barbara Moore, Web Services Director

The Biology Club (Biology undergraduate students)

While the nominee is not an individual, I think it is appropriate that the Biology Club be considered for the SSU Applause Award for meritorious service to the community and university. In response to the fuel spill in the San Francisco bay, many members of the SSU Biology Club chose to forgo a planned weekend camping trip in order to travel to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network in Fairfield. They received required training in handling and de-oiling affected birds and other wildlife as a result of the spill. Members spent long hours throughout the three-day weekend assisting in all aspects of the emergency response, from making pens for animals, feeding injured wildlife, transcribing information from veterinarians, etc. This selfless action reflects well on our undergraduates and the University as a whole. - Nick Geist, Associate Professor of Biology