Published: Dec. 2, 2016

Kathy Ramirez-Aguilar holds Go Beyond AwardKathrynÌýRamirez-Aguilar, founder and program manager of the CU Green Labs Program with Facilities Management and the Environmental Center, was presented with the for individual achievement at the 2016 International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri.

TheÌýaward recognizes organizations, individuals, productsÌýand projects that advance sustainable, high-performance laboratory facilities. Ramirez-Aguilar'sÌýGo Beyond Award commends her inspiring leadership in the sustainable laboratory communityÌýas well as her ongoing impact at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ and beyond.

With unbounded enthusiasm, a wealth of new ideas and 15 years of practical laboratory experience, Ramirez-AguilarÌýworks tirelessly to reduce the environmental footprint of scientific research, particularly by engaging action on the part of laboratory members.

A CU Boulder alumnus, Ramirez-AguilarÌýobtained her doctorate in analytical chemistry in 1999, followed by seven years of post-doctorate biochemistry work at CU.

Passionate about greening the CUÌýlaboratories, which account for nearly half of all energy consumption on campus, Ramirez-Aguilar founded one of the first green labs programs in the nationÌý()Ìýin 2009.

She is also engagesÌýwith the green labs community on a national level, regularly collaboratingÌýwith colleagues at other universities and federal agencies to increaseÌýefficiency and sustainability in lab environments.

Ramirez-Aguilar founded and leads the I2SL University Alliance Group (UAG), which focuses onÌýsystems changes that impactÌýsustainability at academic research institutions. Through her role with the UAG, she helped lead the Greening Grants Work SessionÌýat the U.S. Department of Energy's for the past two years, which brought stakeholders from federal agencies, research institutionsÌýand non-profits togetherÌýto make connections between sustainability goals and federally-supported research.

She has also been instrumental in the development and launch of the ,ÌýdesignedÌýto encourage laboratories to recognize the benefits of good cold-storage managementjust. The challenge was announced at the 2016 I2SL conference and is being managed in partnership with .Ìý

Ramirez-Aguilar'sÌýforesight, dedicationÌýand leadership haveÌýhelpedÌýmake CU Boulder a leader in the laboratory sustainability movement.