Todd Hardt, the machine-shop supervisor in the Department of Physics, was nominated by multiple members of the department.
Todd is, first of all, an excellent, accomplished machinist. He has proven capable of making delicate parts to extremely precise requirements and parts that are difficult to machine, such as the holders for the photomultipliers (PMTs) on the scintillators that are a key component of the SuperTIGER balloon-borne cosmic-ray instrument. Those PMTs must be held in place in a tightly cramped space while adapting to thermal expansion and contraction of the pieces... As shop supervisor, Todd does a superb job of organizing his work and that of the other machinists. This can be a difficult job when different research groups have time-sensitive tasks for the shop all at the same time. He deals well with a range of demands on the shop, from making small one-of-a-kind devices to organizing mass production of dozens of specialized pieces... In sum, Todd is an essential member of our department. Many of our faculty and many of our graduate students depend on him for achievement of their research goals.
