Deadline

Final nominations must be submitted online to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost by February 10 (or the next business day). Review college deadlines.

Description

Purpose: To recognize professional and scientific staff members for excellence in research

Eligibility: Professional and scientific staff members who have conducted research at Iowa State as a P&S employee for at least three (3) years as of January 1 of the year in which the award is to be given. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony.

Nature of the award: $2,500 one (1)-time stipend

Number of awards: One (1)

Criteria: Documented evidence of notable independent research accomplishments as evaluated by supervisors and/or experts in the nominee's field. Evidence of the impact of the contributions on the nominee's discipline. Evidence of external recognition independent of that of any mentor or supervisor. The candidates will be judged by the body of their work while P&S employees at Iowa State.

Guidelines: 

The following guidelines are intended to help units make their nominations as strong as possible.

  1. Key components to a good nomination packet for this award are: 1) a synthesis of the nominee's research accomplishments and 2) evidence of contributions independent of those attributable to any mentor or supervisor. Begin with a statement of no more than three (3) pages describing why this person deserves the award for which they are being nominated. The purpose of this statement is to persuade those reviewing the nomination that your candidate deserves the award. Cite specific examples of relevant accomplishments, publications, and recognition whenever possible. Focus on the impact of the nominee's research activities. Be sure to document the level of independence of the nominee's contributions from those of any supervisor or mentor.
  2. Include the nominee's current curriculum vita not to exceed twenty-five (25) pages. If the nominee has supervised students, it may be appropriate here to include a list of former students with information about their current employment or other research activities.
  3. Include statements from supervisors or mentors who are in a position to comment on the nominee's research. Two (2) or three (3) such statements are sufficient.
  4. Include letters from experts in the nominee's field at Iowa State and/or at other institutions who are knowledgeable about the nominee's work and its impact on the discipline. No more than three (3) such letters are normally sufficient. Be sure to provide a short paragraph summarizing the qualifications of any external references.
  5. The nominating letter should address the norms for the numbers and types of publications and level of research independence expected for persons in the nominee's position and discipline. Please discuss the quality of the journals in which the nominee has published and include a list of the two (2) to three (3) most prestigious journals or publication venues in their field.
  6. Discuss and document the nominee's success in grantsmanship (sources and amounts), if any, and to discuss the norms for grantsmanship among persons in similar positions in the nominee's field.

In a 100-word summary of the award nomination include specific accomplishments to support why the nominee should receive a specific award and any summary statements from supporting documents that address award qualifications. The Professional and Scientific Research Award will be presented at the University Awards Ceremony.

Nominations for P&S Awards may be submitted by an individual, employing unit, or college. If an individual would like to submit a nomination, please email the complete nomination document in a single PDF to award-ps-ra@iastate.edu. The nominations will be housed in a confidential file and the nominator will receive notification of successful submission within 10-15 minutes.

Selection process: Nominations are reviewed by a committee of faculty and P&S staff organized by the Office of the Vice President for Research. At least one (1) P&S representative is named by the P&S Council. Award recipients and their nominator, department chair/school director, dean, or supervisor are notified by May 1. Colleges receive feedback on unsuccessful nominations by July 1.

General Guidelines for Professional and Scientific Nominations

  • Format and electronic submission instructions
  • Staff university award nomination cover page [PDF | DOC]
  • When the file is prepared, nominators must submit their nominations to their college by the college deadline. When the college is ready to submit their nominations, the college awards coordinator must upload the nominations to the appropriate college folder on CyBox. If you do not have access to your college's folder on CyBox, please contact Rachel Haynes, rhaynes@iastate.edu.
  • If an individual would like to submit a nomination, please email the complete nomination document in a single PDF to the appropriate email address (identified in individual award guidelines). The nominations will be housed in a confidential file and the nominator will receive notification of successful submission within 10-15 minutes.

For questions or more information about award eligibility, contact:

For questions or more information about award submission, contact:

Professional & Scientific Council awards committee