Patrick Neri Wins The Spirit of Tom Meixner Award Sponsored by the Salt River Project

During the day of the El Día del Agua y la Atmósfera student symposium held March 19, we asked participants to nominate an individual for The Spirit of Tom Meixner Award sponsored by the Salt River Project. 

The awardee was to be chosen from among nominations collected during the conference to recognize a person who most embodied the collaborative and enthusiastic spirit of El Día, a student-sponsored event that was very important to Tom Meixner. 

We asked attendees to nominate a person who demonstrated throughout the day--through action, words, or attitude--their genuine community spirit. Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to announce the winner on the day of the conference.  

Working diligently, we have gathered the votes and are pleased to report that the participants of the 2024 El Día del Agua y la Atmósfera student symposium have unanimously selected HAS graduate student Patrick Neri as the individual who best personifies The Spirit of Tom Meixner Award.

Here are a few comments from those who nominated Patrick:

• Loud laugh + asked wonderful questions for most of the speakers :)
• Great moderator, full of energy and very positive.
• He was a great moderator and funny.
• He was a great co-host of speaking sessions that was supportive of speakers and asked engaging questions to kickstart Q&A
• His upbeat personality, willingness to fill in the Q&A gaps was greatly appreciated. Also, slick green tie!
• Patrick was a moderator and always came up with a question to break the ice and give the oral presenters the chance to elaborate on a topic and feel included.
• He was a great session moderator and really kept the energy going for the last oral session.
• Patrick gave an incredibly accessible and enthusiastic presentation that seemed to engage the entire audience and inspire them to want to learn more.
• Great multi-disciplinary presentation and effective fun communication.
• He was enthusiastic the entire time, as speaker he asked a question after each presentation.
• For asking thoughtful questions and making all speakers feel like their research is awesome and inspires curiosity!
• Patrick gave a nice talk with vivid introduction of his research. The voice is clear. The message is well delivered. The presentation slides were well designed. Good job!

Congratulations, Patrick, for receiving The Spirt of Tom Meixner Award from your colleagues, peers, and friends!

Regards,

The El Día Planning Committee