Nominations for the ASPT's Society Awards for 2018 (Asa Gray Award, Peter Raven Award, Undergraduate Research Prize, and the renamed Engagement and Excellence in Plant Systematics Education Award) are being accepted through February 28th. For more details on all of these awards, please see the ASPT Awards Webpage.
The Peter Raven Award is given by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists to a plant systematist who has made exceptional efforts at outreach to non-scientists. Examples of outreach may include, but are not limited to 1) workshops or seminars for K--12 teachers, local horticultural societies, garden clubs, and schools or businesses; 2) special events for the general public (e.g., nature hikes, wildflower workshops); 3) newspaper columns or op-ed articles; 4) freelance articles in newspapers, on the worldwide web, and in horticultural or popular science magazines; 5) taxon-oriented websites or books that are aimed at a lay audience; 6) TV spots; 7) legislative testimony; and 8) legal defense of rare or endangered plant species. The award is intended to be international in scope. All persons, from any country, who have made significant contributions in this area, may be considered.
ASPT members are encouraged to submit nominations for the 2018 Peter Raven Award, which will be presented at the 2018 annual meeting. The nomination materials should include a letter of nomination, a fairly complete curriculum vitae for the nominee (emphasizing the outreach areas), and three or more supporting letters from others familiar with the nominee and his or her career. All nomination materials should be submitted electronically as pdf files to Jocelyn Hall at Jocelyn.hall@ualberta.ca
The Asa Gray Award may be bestowed annually by the Society upon an individual for outstanding accomplishments pertinent to the goals of the Society. The awardee need not be a member of the Society. The awardee shall be recognized at the Annual Dinner and in Systematic Botany.
ASPT members are encouraged to submit nominations for the 2018 Asa Gray Award, which will be presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting. Nomination materials, including a letter of nomination, a fairly complete curriculum vitae for the nominee, and three or more supporting letters from others familiar with the nominee and his or her career should be submitted electronically as pdf files to Jocelyn Hall, Jocelyn.hall@ualberta.ca.
Engagement and Excellence in Plant Systematics Education Award (EEPSEA). One prize ($500) will be awarded to an educator who has implemented or developed innovative resources for engaging students in plant systematics (broadly interpreted): undergraduate and/or graduate students and in the classroom, laboratory, or outreach setting. Applicants must be an ASPT member and teach at the undergraduate and/or graduate level; may be at any stage in her/his career. Mechanisms for engagement can range from (but are not limited to): whole course syllabi; online teaching materials; software packages; multimedia exercises; classroom, lab, or field modules; textbooks; digital resources; and information manuals. Ideally, any teaching innovation can be shared freely with ASPT to enhance botanical education worldwide. (previously this was the "IPSEP" award).
Nomination: Nominees can be either self-nominated or nominated by an ASPT colleague.
Application materials: A nomination letter should be submitted which includes explicit explanation and appropriate documentation of the teaching innovation. The nominator should also arrange for two letters of support (both from ASPT members) to be sent to Jocelyn Hall at the email address below. All documentation must be in English and in electronic format (i.e., pdf, MS Word). Letters of support may be sent separately by referees. Send all application materials to Jocelyn Hall, Jocelyn.hall@ualberta.ca. Applications will be evaluated by the ASPT Awards and Honors Committee; successful applicants will be notified by March 30, 2018.
Undergraduate Research Prize URP: Each year, the Society will award up to three ($300) prizes for an outstanding, independent research project in plant systematics (broadly interpreted) completed by an undergraduate student within the last two years.
Applicant criteria: Must be a current or former student who completed the research as an undergraduate within the last two years, with the guidance/mentorship of an ASPT member.
Nomination: An ASPT member in good standing must nominate the student by completing Part A of the application form, and by writing a nomination letter in support of the student.
Application materials: The student should submit an application form (available on the ASPT awards website), including a personal statement outlining the research study, its results, and implications (2 pages max), and supporting documentation (poster, abstract, papers), if applicable. The student should also provide the name and affiliation of a second individual who will provide a letter of reference (the first letter should be from the nominating ASPT member). This second reference should be faculty, staff, or a postdoc familiar with the research, and the nominated student should arrange with both writers to have their letters sent to Jocelyn Hall, Jocelyn.hall@ualberta.ca. All documentation must be in English and in electronic format (i.e., pdf, MS Word).
Send all application materials to: Jocelyn Hall, Jocelyn.hall@ualberta.ca. Letters of reference should be sent separately by the two referees to the same e-mail address.
Deadline for the receipt of nomination materials for each of these awards is February 28, 2018.