SWSS Awards
Clete Youmans – Awards Chair
Please see the listings below describing our award nomination procedures for 2022. For some awards, a short summary document such as a resume or CV may be attached. Please see the description below for details.
The deadline for nominations is Saturday, October 15, 2022.
The SWSS Fellow Award is the highest honor the Society presents. The purpose of this award is to recognize those members who have made significant contributions to the Southern Weed Science Society and advances in the discipline of weed science in the SWSS region.
To be eligible for the SWSS Fellow Award, the potential recipient must:
- Have been an active member of the SWSS for >20 years.
- Be at least 50 years of age at the time of the annual meeting.
- Have made significant contributions of service to the SWSS (including but not limited to: serving on committees or being an officer, hosting SWSS contests, judging at the paper/poster contest, etc.)
- Contributed substantially to the success of his/her company, university, and/or government agency and to advance the discipline of Weed Science in the SWSS region.
- Whereas the Fellow Award has been renamed to envelop both the Distinguished Service and the Weed Scientist of the Year Awards, previous recipients of these awards are not eligible for the SWSS Fellow Award.
The nomination must be by letter and 2 supporting letters are required (All sent in a single pdf file to the Committee Chair, Greg Mcdonald). The nominating letter should explain in general and specific terms the outstanding contributions of the nominee. The nominating letter should contain a listing of the various contributions to the SWSS but is limited to 2 pages in total length. The 2 supporting letters are also limited to 2 pages in length for each letter. A summary document describing the nominee (such as a CV) may be added but is limited to a total of 3 pages in length. The contributions must be in regard to SWSS and weed science in the SWSS region.
Awards Committee members are not eligible during their time of service on the awards committee. 8 Award is limited to a maximum of 0.4% of total SWSS membership each year (rounding up from the calculated percentage). The Award recipient(s) receive a plaque at the annual meeting, and each subsequent year all winners will be recognized by a Fellows ribbon to wear at the annual meeting.
The SWSS Outstanding Educator Award (OEA) is presented annually to a weed scientist in recognition of outstanding contributions to the Society and Weed Science through education. The Award is to be given in recognition of a broad range of activities including formal classroom teaching; outreach and public service or extension including workshops, seminars, short courses, or other means of communication; mentoring undergraduate and graduate students; publication of scholarly work in journals, books, or reviews.
To be eligible for the OEA award, the potential recipient must:
- Must be a voting member of SWSS in the year of nomination.
- Must be an active member of SWSS during the last five (5) years.
The nomination must be by letter and 2 supporting letters are required. (All sent in a single pdf file to the Committee Chair, Stephen Enloe). The nominating letter should explain in general and specific terms the outstanding educational contributions of the nominee. The nominating letter should contain a listing of the various educational contributions but is limited to 2 pages in total length. The 2 supporting letters are also limited to 2 pages in length for each letter. A summary document describing the nominee (such as a CV) may be added but is limited to a total of 3 pages in length. Possible information includes classes taught, number of graduate students advised, etc. Award is limited to one award per year. The Award recipient receives a plaque at the annual meeting and a $1,000 cash award presented at the annual meeting.
The SWSS Outstanding Young Weed Scientist Award (OYWSA) is presented annually to a young weed scientist one from academia (teaching, research, extension) to be sponsored by BASF and one from Industry to be sponsored by the SWSS in recognition of outstanding service to weed science.
To be eligible for the OYWSA, the potential recipient must:
- Must have been a voting member of the Society for at least three of the last five (5) years and must be a voting member of the Society in the year that the person is nominated for the award.
- Must be 40 years of age or younger on January 31 of the year she or he receives the award.
- Must have completed at least five (5) years’ work in weed science other than that related to academic studies.
- Previous recipients of this award will be ineligible for re-nomination. The nomination must be by letter and 2 supporting letters are required. (All sent in a single pdf file to the Committee Chair, Todd Baughman).
The nominating letter should explain in general and specific terms the outstanding contributions of the nominee. The nominating letter should contain a listing of the various contributions to the SWSS and to the discipline of weed science, but is limited to 2 pages in total length. The 2 supporting letters are also limited to 2 pages in length for each letter. A summary document describing the nominee (such as a CV) may be added but is limited to a total of 3 pages in length. The contributions must be in regards to SWSS and weed science in the SWSS region. 9 Awards Committee members are not eligible during their time of service on the awards committee. Award is limited to two awards each year, one award to an industry member and one to an academic member. The Award recipient(s) receive a plaque at the annual meeting and a $1,000 cash award by BASF.
The SWSS Outstanding Graduate Student Award (OGSA) (one each for students at the MS level and the PhD level) – These awards are sponsored by the SWSS Endowment Foundation and consist of a $400 cash award and a plaque for MS level and $400 cash award and plaque for PhD level. The awards are given annually to a graduate student (one at the MS level and one at the PhD level) who has demonstrated outstanding performance in graduate studies and related weed science activities. Winners at the MS level are not eligible for this award at the PhD level. Students must have received the degree for which they are nominated since the previous SWSS Annual Meeting.
To be eligible for the OGSA, the potential recipient must:
- Must be enrolled as a graduate student in the degree program for which she/he is nominated within the calendar year prior to the SWSS annual meeting in January.
- Have actively participated in SWSS sponsored activities such as the annual meeting, weed contest, student paper contest, or committee work.
- Must have been a member of SWSS during their time as a student at an SWSS member institution.
The nomination packet should include a nomination letter, 2 supporting letters, 1-3 page CV, and an unofficial copy of the student’s transcripts are required. (All sent in a single pdf file to Committee Chair, Kelly Bachscheider). The nominating letter should explain in general and specific terms the outstanding contributions of the nominee. The nominating letter should contain a listing of the various contributions to the SWSS, but is limited to 2 pages in total length. The 2 supporting letters are also limited to 1 page in length for each letter. One of the letters (nomination or supporting) must be from the student’s advisor at the time of the nomination.
A summary document describing the nominee (such as a CV) should be limited to a total of 3 pages in length. Transcripts of the student, including a listing of courses taken and grades earned should be included with the packet. Unofficial copies are acceptable, but the advisor agrees that the transcript represents the actual course of study of that student.
Students of Awards Committee members are not eligible during their time of service on the awards committee. Award is limited to two awards each year, one for MS student and one for PhD student. The Award recipient(s) receive a plaque at the annual meeting and a cash award.
The Excellence in Regulatory Stewardship Award (ERSA) is for specific collaborations in the emerging applications of science and technology that require regulatory and stewardship protocols. This award recognizes scientists that demonstrate great interaction and collaboration between public and private institutions, establish multiyear outreach and support of the new technologies, and provide non-biased feedback while extending research findings to the scientific and farming communities through publications and extension activities.
Eligible nominees include industry personnel, primary research/extension project leaders, and primary graduate students actively involved in conducting the research.
The nomination must be by letter and 2 supporting letters are required. (All sent in a single pdf file Committee Chair, Jason Norsworthy). The nominating letter should explain in general and specific terms the regulatory stewardship contributions of the nominee. The nominating letter should contain a listing of the various regulatory stewardship activities performed and how they relate to the discipline of weed science, but is limited to 2 pages in total length. The 2 supporting letters are also limited to 2 pages in length for each letter. A summary document describing the nominee (such as a CV) may be added but is limited to a total of 3 pages in length.
The selected program will be awarded a plaque and monetary awards are to be allocated as follows: Principal Investigator, $2000, and remainder of the graduate team ($250 each), to a maximum total award of $3,000 unless extenuating circumstances. The graduate students should be the primary researchers and does not include technicians. Team members should be named during the nomination process. If a project has two lead PI’s they should be awarded and the primary funds divided evenly. Graduate students providing minimal assistance should not be nominated.
The Excellence in Regulatory Stewardship Award (ERSA) is sponsored by Bayer CropScience and awarded yearly for five years or more starting in 2022.
Awards Nominations Timeline:
Nov 1, 2022 – Each Awards Subcommittee Chair sends nomination forms and ballots listing nominees for each Award to their appropriate Award Subcommittee
Nov. 15, 2022 – Each Awards Subcommittee Chair sends Award recipients and recommendations to the SWSS Exec. Board members.
Nov. 21, 2022 – Awards Committee Chair (C. Youmans) to receive confirmation of the recipients for the Exec. Board
Dec. 1, 2022 – Awards Committee Chair to inform SWSS President (D. Dodds) of the names of all Award candidates.
Dec. 8, 2022 – Inform Business Mgr so plaques may be ordered.
Jan. 25, 2023 – Awards presented to winners