Southwestern Branch Excellence in Early Career Award

This award honors a student transition or early professional working within the field of entomology who has demonstrated excellence in all the major aspects of intellectual life, including research, extension, teaching and outreach. The candidate will have made outstanding contributions to entomology, shown commitment to extension or outreach, and excelled in entomological education. The recipient will receive complimentary registration to the Southwestern Branch Meeting, a $500 check, and an award plaque.

Eligibility
Nomination Requirements
Evaluation Criteria
Submission Requirements
Renomination
Previous Winners
Deadline
Submit a Nomination


Eligibility

The nominee must be a current member of the Southwestern Branch of the Entomological Society of America or the Society of Southwestern Entomologists and be registered as a student-transition or early career member, who is no more than five years out from earning their terminal degree (B.S., M.S. or Ph.D.) working within the field of entomology. The nominee may belong to any area of entomology, but must be practicing entomology.  Applying to the national awards targeting ECP members does not preclude consideration for this Branch-specific award.


Nomination Requirements

Nomination packages should include:

  • CV-Related Items: Nominators must provide a CV which includes the below sections. View the full listing of what should be included in each of the following sections. The CV should be limited to 2 pages, plus peer-reviewed publications.
    • Section 1 - Background Information
    • Section 2 - Research
    • Section 3 - Teaching
    • Section 4 - Extension/Outreach
    • Section 5 - Service
  • Other Items: 
    • A nomination letter describing the work on which the nomination is based, and the caliber of the candidate.
    • Two letters of recommendation from faculty members or other knowledgeable individuals who can comment on the activities of the candidate in one or more areas covered by the award (research, teaching, extension/outreach, or service).
    • A brief summary, no longer than two pages single-spaced, of the professional’s work touching on each area covered by the award, discussing innovative approaches used, the results or outcomes, and the significance.
    • Photograph of the nominee (as a digital image file [JPG]) as well as a short bio for the program

Evaluation Criteria

Nominees will be judged using the following criteria for a total of 100 points:

  • Research in Entomology (25 points total)
    • Quality and quantity of contributions (7) (e.g. Importance to the field of entomology, broader impacts, publication record)
    • Originality and creativity used to achieve the contributions (7)
    • Scope and breadth of relevance of the contributions to science and society (7)
    • Letters of support (4)
  • Teaching in Entomology (25 points total) 
    • Quality of contributions (e.g. number and type(s) of program(s) or class(es) taught)(7)
    • Originality and creativity used to achieve the contributions (7)
    • Scope and breadth of relevance of the contributions to science and society (7)
    • Letters of support (4)
  • Outreach and Extension in Entomology (25 points total)
    • Quality and quantity of contributions (e.g. number and type(s) of program(s) or class(es) taught, diversity of people reached, extension publications)(7)
    • Originality and creativity used to achieve the contributions (7)
    • Scope and breadth of relevance of the contributions to science and society (7)
    • Letters of support (4)    
  • Engagement with the Scientific Community (25 points total)
    • Participation and leadership in professional societies (25)

Submission Requirements

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

  • Page Limits - The entire nomination package must not exceed 20 pages total. This includes letters of nomination or recommendation and publication lists.
  • Letters of nomination and recommendation must be included in the electronic package. Printed letters sent in lieu of electronic versions will not be accepted.
  • Only the following file formats will be accepted: PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format), RTF (Rich Text Format), TIF graphic files, or JPG graphic files. Files created on either PC or MAC platforms will be accepted. Please make sure scanned images can be clearly read on a computer screen.
  • Font size for text may not be smaller than 11 point.

Renomination 

Any candidate nominated, but not selected, may be renominated no more than two times within the two-year period after his/her 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 above. Previously submitted documentation will be used for the evaluation process unless the nominator submits new or updated documents. The renomination e-mail must contain this additional documentation. New or updated documents must follow the electronic submission requirements noted above.


Previous Winners

View the list of those who have previously received this award.


Deadline

Nomination packages must be submitted online via the award nomination website by December 13 (11:59 PM EST). This deadline refers to receipt by the Awards Administrator of a complete package in a readable format. 

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