The Larry Larson Graduate Student Award for Leadership in Applied Entomology

Nomination packages must be received by ESA headquarters by June 1. This deadline refers to receipt by the awards administrator of a complete package in a readable format. Therefore, early submission is highly recommended. All nomination packets will not be able to be changed after June 1.

The award, which is presented at the ESA Annual Meeting, consists of an amount that varies depending on the interest earned from the endowment and a trip to the Corteva Agriscience corporate headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. The trip includes a tour of the facilities, the opportunity to meet key personnel, and a small gift commemorating the occasion. In addition, the recipient will be asked to give a seminar covering his/her research.

Applicants must be ESA members. Only final-year master's students or first-year Ph.D. students are eligible. Applicants' research should address an applied entomological question. Also, students should have demonstrated and documented capability in the following areas:

• Technical knowledge (academic achievement and research ability);
• Communication (written and oral communication skills aimed at a wide range of audiences including peers, non-entomologists, and the general public through professional, local society, inter- and intra-departmental presentations, etc.);
• Creativity (in the design, execution, and application of research, teaching, and/or extension);
• Leadership (among peers in both technical influence and outreach within the profession of entomology, including participation within his/her university);
• Professionalism (defined as the ability to work effectively with entomologists and non-entomologists through work on interdisciplinary projects, participation on cross-discipline committees, etc.);
• A broad interest in entomology and science (through outreach programs, campus science programs, and other programs besides the student's research); and
• Problem solving (through cooperation and/or applications of unique solutions, research designs, or techniques).

All nomination packages must be submitted electronically according to the following specifications:

File Specifications

• Only the following file formats will be accepted: PDF, TIF graphic files, or JPG graphic files. Please make sure scanned images can be clearly read on a computer screen.
• Font size for text may not be smaller than 10 point.
• The nomination site requires all documents to be uploaded individually.

Submission Methods

Nomination packages must be submitted online via the 

Larry Larson Graduate Student Award for Leadership in Applied Entomology Nomination website 

Nominees/candidates will be judged by the The Larry Larson Graduate Student Award for Leadership in Applied Entomology Judging Panel using the following criteria for a total of 110 points:

1. Leadership skills (10)
2. Accountability (10)
3. Technical knowledge (10)
4. Communication skill (10)
5. Creativity (10)
6. Customer focus (10)
7. Initiative (10)
8. Problem solving (10)
9. Productivity (10)
10. Teamwork (10)
11. People skills (10)

Nominations may be made by anyone. Please note there is a maximum of two self-nominations allowed per year. All nominators and nominees will be required to sign the professional conduct disclosure form. Nomination packages for this award must include:

1. CV-Related Items - Nominators must provide a CV which includes the below sections.  For a full listing of what should be included in each of the sections click here.

• Section 1 - Background Information
• Section 2 - Research
• Section 5 - Service

2. Other Items -  

• Brief summary of no more than two pages on the student's research to include questions, rationale, methods, results and specific end-user benefits (to be written by the student).
• Two letters of recommendation demonstrating research impact/outcome, communications, creativity, and leadership.
• One-page statement of student's short- and long-term career goals.
• Official or unofficial transcripts of all graduate education.  

Any candidate nominated but not selected may be renominated no more than two times within the two-year period after the initial submission. Nomination packages will be retained for two years by the awards administrator. Nominators must send a letter of renomination to the awards administrator by the nomination deadline. Previously submitted documentation will be used for the evaluation process unless the nominator submits new or updated documents. The renomination email must contain this additional documentation. New or updated documents must follow the electronic submission requirements noted above.

View the list of winners