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3 Prize Logistics NOMINEE ELIGIBILITY Candidates for the Martha Muse Prize will only be identified by external nomination. All persons are eligible to make a nomination; self-nominations will not be considered. To ensure the broadest pool of potential nominees, the committee did not specifically define âearly careerâ or âmid-career.â Therefore, no age restrictions, years past a terminal degree, or scientific record (e.g., numbers of publications, grants, presentations, leadership positions held) are specified. However, a nominee should have an existing track record of sufficient depth and breadth to provide indications of future potential for success and leadership, allowing the Selection Committee to project, with reasonable assurance, that this person will remain in Antarctic science as a career choice and become a leader in his or her field. Nominators are encouraged to identify exceptional candidates from any region of the world, as well as those from groups under-represented in Antarctic science and policy. Ideally, the pool of candidates each year would be representative of the full diversity (e.g., gender, geographic location, disciplines) of the international Antarctic community of scientists, researchers, and academicians. NOMINATION PROCESS AND MATERIALS The nomination process will be entirely web-based, and nomination materials must be submitted electronically via the prize website. This will require the rapid development of a comprehensible and informative website that allows information to be submitted by nominators, and one that can be accessed securely by members of the Selection Committee. A complete nomination package will consist of the following items: A letter of nomination from an individual familiar with the candidateâs achievements and future potential, both of which should be explained succinctly in the letter. This letter should not exceed three single-spaced pages and be provided in English. It must state the nominator and nomineeâs names, professional or home contact information, present occupational titles, and institutional titles. Up to three additional letters of support from other individuals familiar with the nomineeâs qualifications directed to the Selection Committee. These letters should not exceed one single-spaced page and be provided in English. These additional letters should be significantly different in content from the nomination letter to further inform the Selection Committee of the nomineeâs qualifications for the prize and should not simply repeat the content of the nomination letter. 7
The nomineeâs curriculum vita or resume, including education record; career history; list of publications, research grants, and major presentations and awards; and a description (no more than 1,000 words) of significant activities in Antarctic science, policy, and/or educational outreach. Nomination packages for highly competitive candidates not selected for the Martha Muse Prize in a given year will be held for three years for possible consideration in subsequent years. If a nomination is carried forward, the Selection Committee will ask the nominator to submit a new cover letter and curriculum vita and to update the nomination package with recent developments in the nomineeâs career. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS If the Martha Muse Prize is enacted as anticipated in mid-2008, it will be important to announce it as soon as possible to ensure it is widely publicized and to set the nomination deadline to allow announcement of the winner in March 2009, the end of IPY 2007â2008. Thereafter, a call for nominations will be announced each year on March 1, and nominations must be received by July 1.3 Incomplete nominations and nominations arriving after the deadline date will not be considered. It is critical that, in its first year, the Martha Muse Prize be announced as widely and as prominently as possible. At a minimum, this should include the following resources: Electronic mailings to the most prominent listservs and mailing lists that reach all segments of the Antarctic community. (Personnel associated with NAS/PRB and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research [SCAR] should be consulted to identify these mailing lists.4) Electronic mailings to the major international professional societies and organizations (e.g., the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs, the Antarctic Treaty System, the European Polar Board) whose members conduct work in Antarctic science and policy, with a request that the call for nominations be forwarded to their membership. (Contact information would be available through PRB, SCAR, and the International Council for Science [ICSU].) A website developed and deployed by the administrative organization that includes the call for nominations, as well as explicit instructions about the nomination process. There are several models of other prize websites, such as the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, the Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards. (See Appendix C for more information on these and other awards reviewed by this committee and for their website addresses.) 3 These times were chosen to accommodate those doing research during the Antarctic summer. 4 A number of peripherally-relevant organizations, such as the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, may be useful sources of nominations. In order to cast the widest net, the call for nominations should be sent to as many entities as possible. 8
A brochure or announcement sent via print mail to well-respected individuals that are likely to offer nominations. (This list could be drawn up by PRB in consultation with SCAR.) If funds allow, the call for nominations advertized in major scientific journals (e.g., Nature, Science, Eos) commonly read by members of the Antarctic community. Antarctic experts and organizations should be consulted to compile and prioritize this list. 9