GLBRC’s first-ever mentoring award recognizes work of KBS research assistant

Kevin Kahmark, a W.K. Kellogg Biological Station research assistant, has received the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center’s first mentorship award.

The new award honors GLBRC members who prioritize the spirit of mentorship and who strive to promote the success and development of those around them.

Kevin Kahmark

Kahmark joined KBS in 2008, after working for years in the pulp and paper industry and later teaching eighth grade. His primary role at KBS is developing and maintaining the station’s instrumentation and infrastructure, but he’s heavily involved in mentoring undergraduate students who come to KBS for summer programs as well as developing projects with KBS graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, another avenue for mentorship.

“Kevin is genuinely the best professional mentor I have ever had,” said Maggie Jones, a former KBS undergraduate research assistant. “He provided room for me to struggle and prove to myself what I am capable of. His genuine concern for my success extended beyond the confines of our research projects as he frequently encouraged me to seize opportunities for growth outside our lab.”

Kahmark’s passion for mentorship stems in part from his own formative experiences with mentors, beginning with a couple he met while in middle school.

“From that point on I made the choice that I would always serve people in some capacity,” Kahmark said. “(Mentorship) takes your thoughts and feelings off of you and puts them toward others. And that’s why we’re on this planet.”

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