The Soil Ecology Society (SES) is soliciting nominations for four awards recognizing outstanding soil ecologists. Awards will be presented at the Soil Ecology Society meeting in Toledo, Ohio, May 28-31, 2019.
- Career Achievement Award
- Early Career Research Award
- Service Award and our newest award
- Best Student-Authored Paper Award
SES is also pleased to offer a limited number of Student Travel Awards to support travel to our 2019 Meeting. Applications for student travel awards are separate from the four awards described here. See Parkinson Student Travel Awards for details and application instructions.
Additionally, SES sponsors a Student Presentation Award competition during its biennial conference. To participate, indicate that you want to enter the Student Presentation Award Competition during abstract submission. For more information on the criteria used to judge student presentations, please see http://www.soilecologysociety.com/meetings/2019-meeting/information-for-presenters/.
Career Achievement Award
This special award honors a long-term member of SES who has made enduring and outstanding contributions to scientific advancement, student mentoring, and service in the field of soil ecology. Prior participation in SES is required to be considered for this award.
Early Career Research Award
This award will recognize an early career soil ecologist within 5 years of earning their PhD who has begun making, and shows exceptional promise to continue making, outstanding research contributions to the broad field of soil ecology. The candidate is expected to have demonstrated excellence and outstanding future potential in research and discovery within soil ecology. Prior participation in SES may be considered during the selection process but is not required.
Service Award
This award will recognize a soil ecologist who has demonstrated outstanding community outreach and sustained service to SES and the broader scientific community. Definable, high-impact contributions may include those in teaching and public outreach; and/or service to the public through engagement in policy and application of soil ecology concepts to management of ecosystems. Prior participation in SES may be considered during the selection process but is not required.
Outstanding Student-Authored Paper Award
This award will recognize an outstanding peer-reviewed article contribution to the field of soil ecology written by, or about research conducted by, a student author. This award serves as a bridge between the student Best Presentation Award and the 5-yr Early-Career Award. It is differentiated from early career in that the Early-Career Award is about overall trajectory, whereas the Outstanding Paper award will acknowledge a “flash” of excellent activity through one paper. Requirements: Must be published from student work (PhD, Masters, or undergrad). The publication date of the paper may be after graduation, but the work was done as a student, and the paper must have come out within three years prior to the current meeting. In addition to the requirements outlined below, the nomination packet for this will include a pdf of the paper itself (in leu of a CV) as well as an explanation of the timing and ecological significance in the letter of nomination.
Nomination Process
Nominations must be received by March 15, 2019, and include the following:
- A letter of nomination
- One to three additional letters of recommendation (in addition to the letter of nomination)
- The nominee’s curriculum vitae of at most four pages that clearly demonstrates:
- for the Career Achievement Award a sustained and high impact contribution to the field of soil ecology;
- for the Early Career Award a record of success and potential for future success in research, demonstrated by the publication of high-impact papers, success in grant writing, and recognition by the broader research community of the originality and potential of a candidate’s research;
- for the Service Award a sustained commitment to measurable impacts in teaching, public outreach, and/or service to SES, the broader scientific community, and the public at large and
- for the Outstanding Student-Authored Paper, the paper itself in leu of the CV.
Submitting Nominations
Submit nomination packets as one pdf and questions to SES Secretary Jennifer Krumins (kruminsj@montclair.edu). Please place the name of the award in all email correspondence.