Applause for Daren Blythe

“Daren has made a massive impact on the well-being and smooth management of EAS since joining us. In the past year, he has taken on the job of facilitating our withdrawal from Morrill Hall 4th Floor in order to allow refurbishment by the State Museum. This has entailed the cataloguing, management, transfer, and disposal of over 100 years' worth of equipment, specimens, etc. from that space. He has also designed and constructed from components our excellent Augmented Reality Sandbox which is already a smash hit in undergraduate lab classes. In short, Daren has had a tremendous positive impact on our Department and deserves an Applause Award!”

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“It is my pleasure to nominate Mr. Daren Blythe for an Applause Award recognition. Daren is an extremely dependable and competent employee of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. I have known him for many years, initially in the role as a hot-water driller and member of the design manufacturer team, which created UNL's WISSARD - Clean Access Hot Water Drilling Systems for use in Antarctica to penetrate subglacial lakes and sub-ice shelf water bodies. His shift into the position of Instrumentation Supervisor for the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences was good for Daren and also good for the Department. Daren brings a unique skill-set into this position, with a M.S. in Physics and many years in technical support roles with his work in Antarctica, he suits this position well. By the nature of this position, he fills well the role of 'Jack-of-all-Trades' in problem-solving and dedication to improve the research, teaching and instrumentation facilities in the Dept. EAS. Daren multi-tasks well, confidently recognizing the tasks requested and finding and implementing solutions to the benefit of the EAS Facilities in Bessey Hall. In recent months, Daren has spearheaded the effort to move EAS offices, equipment and collections out of the 4th Floor of Morrill Hall, which was the home to the Department of Geology several decades ago. The complex move has apparently gone smoothly, with Daren's persistent attention to details and communication to relevant faculty members and graduate students. Daren is an ever-present element in the daily workings of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, as well as long-term planning and phased reorganization of the many pieces that comprise the Dept. of EAS. It is for Daren's steady and competent efforts in managing the apparent seamless move of materials from Morrill Hall 4th floor, and his pleasant willingness to find and implement solutions to problems that arise, that I submit this nomination to acknowledge formally and thank Daren Blythe for all that he contributes to the success of the Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. He merits recognition for his efforts, and formal receipt of 'Applause' from the College of Arts and Sciences would demonstrate our collective appreciation for his efforts! ”

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“Daren has really gone above and beyond the expectations for his position in this department. He has taken on and accomplished truly monumental tasks with remarkable ease, arranging and organizing the work so well (and so unassumingly) that people tend to barely notice what has happened. This includes the complete relocation and redesign of our rock sample preparation facility; the migration of ALL office, teaching, and research supplies from the fourth floor of Morrill Hall to Bessey Hall (an indescribably enormous undertaking); the construction of our new augmented reality sandbox; and numerous ongoing, smaller jobs necessary to the smooth running of a successful research department, many of which require innovative solutions to technical problems. Out of his own interest and with no expectation that he do so, Daren enrolled in a very difficult undergraduate course to better familiarize himself with background material relevant to the department materials and collections (and he earned a high grade!). In a relatively short period of time, he has also learned how to make rock thin sections, and almost entirely on his own--a difficult and technical task requiring considerable expertise. All of this has been accomplished quietly in a remarkably brief period of time; and in the meantime, he will still happily and generously offer to help faculty to figure out clever solutions to the daily issues that arise in their teaching and research efforts. He didn't even seem to slow down or skip a beat when he broke his foot and continued all of this work--much of it very physical--while on crutches! Daren is the kind of technical staff that every department dreams of finding: a cheerful, easygoing person who somehow keeps everything flowing like a well-oiled machine, in such a way that no one notices, and all without ever seeming to lose his own enthusiasm or interest. We are extremely lucky to have him at UNL; and his work, despite being of the type that tends to go unnoticed, deserves enthusiastic recognition and applause! ”

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“Since joining EAS in 2015, Daren has had a major positive impact on the department. He has happily taken on all that has been asked of him and is innovative in finding solutions. Last summer he built an Augmented Reality Sandbox for the department, which brought us visibility and improved our teaching. This past year, EAS has been dealing with loss of space in Morrill Hall as they expand their exhibits and consolidation of people, labs, and teaching collections into Bessey Hall. In managing this effort, Daren has made the transition smoother than we thought possible. Space reorganization in Bessey Hall to accommodate these changes is based largely on his innovative ideas. In short, Daren has proved to be an invaluable asset to EAS and he deserves our applause!”