The Dean is pleased to recognize Martha Frantz as a recipient of this month's COS Excellence in Mastering Challenges Continuously (E=mc²) Award! This award was recently established by Dean Quintanilla to recognize outstanding efforts among full-time staff members within the College of Science and its departments. Martha has been in her current position as a Senior Research Analyst in the BioDiscovery Institute for the past six years and has been with UNT for a total of fifteen.

"It was a great surprise to receive this award and it is nice to be recognized at a higher level," said Martha. "These awards are a great way to show appreciation to employees when many times thing go unnoticed day to day."

Martha works with grants and payroll in the BioDiscovery Institute, among other responsibilities. Her supervisor, BDI Director Dr. Kent Chapman, said Martha has been instrumental in keeping things running smooth amid staffing changes this past year.

"She has really taken charge of ensuring all required tasks are accomplished, even beyond her primary responsibility of managing grant accounting for BDI members," said Dr. Chapman. "She never complains, just knows what needs to be done and steps up to be sure it is completed. Martha definitely deserves recognition for her excellent service."

Martha's position oversees more than $3M in annual research expenditures for the institute, which she tracks and reconciles on behalf of BDI researchers.

"My favorite thing about working with grants is every award is different and they all have various issues. It keeps the job interesting day by day," she said. "It is like a fun puzzle I am putting together."

Prior to coming to UNT, Martha had already earned a surgical technology certification and an AAS degree. She received a bachelor's degree from UNT in 2020 and has plans to complete her master's soon. Outside of work, Martha spends time at her children's sports events and loves to read and interact with her favorite authors.

Ryan Bennett of UNT Physics was also a recipient of July's E=mc² Award. Dean Quintanilla plans to continue giving this award to two outstanding COS staff members every month. If you'd like a deserving staff member to receive the E=mc² award and a free meal at Avesta courtesy of the college, please complete this nomination form.