[Botanygraduatestudents] Call for nominations: 2022 Plant Biology graduate student awards

[Mariella J Valdivia]

Dear B&PS Department,

I write to request nominations for three prestigious graduate student awards in BPSC.

1.  The WW Thomson Graduate Student Achievement Award in Honor of Bill Thomson.
Professor Thomson was a Professor of Cell Biology in BPSC.  Upon his retirement in 1999, the department established a fund in his name. Several faculty members, including Professor Thomson, have been generous donors to the endowment that funds this award.  The criteria considered in choosing a recipient for this award are “Academic excellence and achievement in research.”

2. The 29th Annual Graduate Student Achievement Award.
This award is made possible from the proceeds of the Botany and Plant Sciences Graduate Student Endowment Fund.  This award was initiated by the efforts and generosity of Emeritus Professor Tim Close and his wife Sheila in 1992.  Since its establishment, this fund has accumulated value due to additional contributions of numerous faculty donors and several businesses. The goal of this award is to encourage, facilitate, and recognize graduate student achievements and creativity.  Students must be in the Plant Biology Graduate Program to be eligible and selection criteria considered in choosing a recipient in the Plant Biology graduate program involve "evidence of creativity and ambition.”

For clarification  of "evidence of creativity and ambition" Professor Close has provided this explanation:  "Making a painting related to the research subject for display in an art gallery would be creative, as would production of an app related to the research for a smartphone, or developing a podcast about science. Starting a business as an outgrowth of graduate activities, or taking on an advisory or leadership position related to the graduate research for an organization outside of UCR would be ambitious. Gathering wild germplasm from a center of diversity to establish or expand a collection would also be ambitious. In contrast, having a publication from performing technical tasks under the explicit direction of a Major Professor who is corresponding author would provide less evidence creativity or ambition. These statements of criteria are just for calibration; of course each graduate student will have a unique portfolio.”


3.  The Graduate Student Inclusivity Award. (A new award this year)
The goal of this award is to honor students who have demonstrated a deep and ongoing commitment to social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion, who have promoted a culture of equity and inclusion, who exemplify UCR’s principles of community demonstrating diversity, respect, and social responsibility in their UCR or the broader community. Students must be in the Plant Biology Graduate Program to be eligible.

Nominations may come from anyone (faculty, staff, researchers, or other graduate students). An individual may also self-nominate themselves. In the nomination letter, please make sure to touch on these questions:
• Describe the student’s specific involvement with and experience in creating a more inclusive UCR and/or community. What have they done in the past year to improve the university climate for students with marginalized identities?
• How has the student demonstrated what it means to be a student leader in equity initiatives? Please include specific examples.

The Awards Committee welcomes nomination letters for all of the above awards.  Nomination letters should are limited to a single page. Students can be nominated for more than one award.  Previous winners of one award are eligible for the other awards. Please email nominations to Mariella Valdivia (mariella.valdivia at ucr.edu<mailto:mariella.valdivia at ucr.edu>) no later than 5 pm, May 9, 2022. Mariella will collect nominations and forward them to the Awards committee.  Letters exceeding the one page requirement will be returned without consideration.
Awards will be announced at the BPSC Awards ceremony on Wed, May 25.


Patricia Springer
Professor and Chair, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences
University of California
Riverside, CA  92521

pspringer at ucr.edu<mailto:pspringer at ucr.edu>
bpschair at ucr.edu
951-827-4413 (Chair's office)
951-827-5785 (Faculty office)
http://plantbiology.ucr.edu

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