Janie Johnston changed the world through her two careers: Education and Science. To honor her legacy and devotion to science, we are establishing a memorial grant in her name to drive discovery in CJD research and make progress toward better diagnostics, treatment, and maybe, one day, a cure.

Janie taught middle school, high school, and college/university classes for many years, covering a wide variety of subjects but often involving Geology or Environmental Science. She was also very active in encouraging students to participate in citizen science projects, including in conjunction with the Field Museum in Chicago.

In her Science career, Janie studied volcanos with field work in Guatemala, and worked on Carbon-14 dating. While employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory and later Argonne National Laboratory, she focused on hazardous waste management, long-term nuclear waste storage, environmental issues, and homeland security. She was the recipient of numerous awards for her work.

Janie was involved for years (officially and unofficially) in educational outreach, curriculum development, and mentoring/advising hundreds of high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students. She was particularly active in encouraging females and minorities to pursue STEM education and careers. In 2003, Janie was named by the Governor as one of New Mexico’s 20 Most Outstanding Women for these activities.

Janie visited over 20 countries in her lifetime, often for geo-tourism accompanied by her husband, Roger Johnston. She served on numerous advisory boards for environmental and earth science organizations.

After retiring, Janie continued to mentor/advise undergraduate and graduate students. She also served as a reviewer for research proposals and geoscience curricula for various government agencies and educational organizations. This was all in addition to devoting considerable effort to spoiling her 3 grandchildren.