Apr 20, 2015 2 min read

At its March 24 Regular Meeting, the Bethel Park Board of School Directors presented a Certificate of Recognition to Bethel Park Technology Director Ron Reyer in recognition of his nomination as a finalist for the 2015 Chief Information Officer of the Year in the Education category, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Technology Council. Nominees were recognized for their contributions and achievements in planning and deploying their organizations’ technology systems, developing future technology goals, their management philosophy and service to the industry and community.

The Pittsburgh Business Times will present the award to Kutchko at an awards program set for May 14 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe. Kutchko works as a researcher at NETL in Pittsburgh and is an internationally known expert in wellbore cement. In April 2010, during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and Macondo blowout, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Justice sought her expertise regarding deep/ultra-deep offshore wells in order to conduct forensic analysis on the cement that was believed to have blown out of the well during the explosion. She has also assessed research needs regarding deep offshore cementing that was highlighted in the May 2013 issue of World Oil and included in a technical report seen as the “roadmap for future wellbore cement research.” Kutchko’s work informs federal policy and increases scientific understanding of the chemical reactions that occur under carbon storage conditions. She developed NETL’s foamed cement in early 2013. In her spare time, Kutchko volunteers as a walker and horse leader for In-Stride with Therapeutic Riding, Inc.