Daniele Cherniak, a senior research scientist in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been honored with the highest national award bestowed by the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals. The organization recognized Cherniak with its 2021 Walt Westman Award for outstanding contributions to the mission of supporting LGBTQ+ professionals in science, technology, engineering, and math — STEM — fields.

According to the organization, this award recognizes the unselfish and outstanding contributions of Cherniak, who has served as NOGLSTP Bulletin editor for 10 consecutive years. During her time as the voice of the organization, Cherniak worked diligently to develop an efficient and professional means of communicating with the membership.

Cherniak earned her Ph.D. in physics from SUNY Albany. She now focuses on geochemistry, specifically the characterization of atomic diffusion in rock-forming minerals. In this work, she employs the accelerator-based ion beam techniques Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy and Nuclear Reaction Analysis to measure diffusion profiles on the submicron scale, focusing on optimizing experimental and analytical techniques to measure the very slow diffusivities characteristic of many species in these materials. These data can be used in a variety of fields, including studies of the early Earth, evolution of the Earth and extraterrestrial planets, and changes in chemical environments over time.

The NOGLSTP Board of Directors commended Cherniak, who has served as a model for others as an out LGBTQ+ professional. In an announcement from the organization, Cherniak acknowledged that working as an academic researcher has changed during her career as “people are more open to diversity, and the environment is more welcome to women and LGBTQ+ contributions.” When asked what advice she has for future LGBTQ+ individuals pursuing STEM, she said, “Follow your interests, and don’t be afraid to be yourself.”

Cherniak and winners of the organization’s awards for outstanding educator, engineer, and scientist will be invited to a ceremony later this year.