Honors and awards.

2024
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ORNL Women's Alliance Council  2024 Award for Sustained Inclusive Leadership
'For visionary leadership that extends beyond conventional boundaries, building a culture of trust and safety, and fostering interdisciplinary links between science, art, and community.'

2019 - 2024
Highly Cited Researcher, Web of Science Group, Clarivate Analytics​
‘In recognition of exceptional research performance demonstrated by production of multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% for field and year in Cross-Field or Plant and Animal Science.’

2023
Exemplifying Oak Ridge National Laboratory Core Values
  • Safety. Colleen showcased NGEE Arctic's culture of safety and inclusion in an invited talk to the DOE Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC) in October 2023.
  • Impact. NGEE Arctic showcased their scientific achievements to Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, climate scientist and head of the DOE's Office of Science, on a visit to Utqiaġvik, Alaska in September 2023.

2019
Science Communicator Award, UT-Battelle Awards Night 2019
‘In recognition of Colleen’s many contributions to science communication and outreach, and to her ability to present science in a compelling manner to audiences of all ages.'

2019
Director’s Award for Outstanding Individual Accomplishment in Mission Support, UT-Battelle Awards Night 2019
‘Among the many achievements recognized at the 2019 UT-Battelle Awards Night, yours was selected as an exceptional contribution to our success.

2018 - 2020
Inaugural cohort, New Voices in Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
"The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are launching the 'New Voices in Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine' initiative to identify outstanding early-career science, engineering, and medicine (SEM) leaders. They will engage in communicating the evidence base for addressing national and global challenges to provide new perspectives on issues of importance to the community represented by the National Academies, and to help identify ways to expand the diversity of expertise that is brought to all of the Academies' convening and advisory activities."

2017 - 2021
Early Career Fellow of the Ecological Society of America
'Elected for her leadership and creativity in linking experimentation and modeling to advance ecological understanding of the influence of fine plant roots on the fate of vast pools of carbon and nutrients held in the soils of diverse biomes.'

​2012
Stanley I. Auerbach Early-Career Award for 
​​Excellence in Environmental Sciences.
​Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

2009
Distinguished Achievement Award for Post-Graduate Research. Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.