{"id":4133,"date":"2020-07-10T09:16:46","date_gmt":"2020-07-10T09:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/communication-engagement\/?page_id=4118"},"modified":"2025-05-01T23:22:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T23:22:02","slug":"awards","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/communication-engagement\/about\/awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Recognition of important work matters.\u00a0<\/strong>Since our inception, the Communication and Engagement Section has intended to offer awards to recognize the intellectual, scientific, and civic contributions made by ESA members active in public engagement and science communication. For years, our section has worked toward being able to put money and the credibility of a professional society into our efforts to validate the essential work done by people sharing science in countless ways.<\/p>\n

The C&E in Practice award was established in 2020 to recognize individual projects, career contributions, and significant papers\/research that represent excellence in science communication and community engagement with science.<\/p>\n

Award nominations for #ESA2025 are now open! Click this link to fill out nomination form(s).<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nominations will be accepted from individuals on behalf of themselves and others continuing through Saturday<\/strong> August 9, 2025<\/strong>. Nominations for community engagement may include community partners, who if selected, would share the monetary award in recognition of their contribution. Recipients will be awarded $100 at the time of the ESA annual meeting.<\/p>\n

Contact us<\/a>\u00a0if you have any questions about the awards.<\/p>\n

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Science Communication in Practice Award ($100)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This $100 award recognizes individual projects, career contributions and significant papers\/research that represent excellence in science communication and community engagement with science. Nominations will be reviewed by a committee of C&E Section officers and members recruited before the annual meeting. Award winners will be announced at the business meeting during the annual conference.<\/p>\n

Nominations require a 500-word description and up to three links to supplemental materials. Decisions will be based on: Societal Impact, Demonstrated or advances \u201cbest practices\u201d in engagement\/communication, Innovative Approach, and Inclusivity.<\/p>\n

Nominations can be for individuals or teams. At least one of the awardees must be a member of ESA and the C&E Section. Non-ESA members may be nominated and considered for the award, but if selected by the review committee, they will be required to become an ESA and C&E member before the final awarding of the prize.<\/p>\n

Deadline<\/strong>: Saturday August 9, 2025. Nominations will be reviewed by a committee of C&E Section officers and members recruited before the annual meeting. Award winners will be announced shortly after the annual meeting.<\/p>\n

Nominate yourself or others using this form!<\/a><\/p>\n

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2024 Award Winners<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\" After receiving a very strong pool of applicants, we are excited to announce our winner of our 2024<\/strong>\u00a0Best in Practice C&E Award<\/strong>: Congratulations to Jem Baldisimo for your work on ABC\u2019s of Responsible Aquarium Keeping \u2013 an outreach project aimed to increase marine aquarium trade (MAT) awareness and influence consumers to make sustainable decisions and use of coastal resources responsibly.\u202fYou can support her work by purchasing awareness stickers<\/a>\u00a0and read more about ABC\u2019s of Responsible Aquarium Keeping<\/a> here.<\/p>\n

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We are also pleased to announce our Best Poster C&E Award for #ESA2024<\/strong>: Sydney Sauls for her poster, highlighting her work on the effects of thymol (a terpene compound from mints) on growth and nodulation of two indigenous African black-eyed pea varieties. Congratulations!<\/p>\n

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Background<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seed funding for these awards is made possible through the ESA Long-Range Planning Grant program. We are working on sustaining funding for them. If you would like to contribute to that effort in any way, please\u00a0contact us<\/a>\u00a0directly.<\/p>\n

The establishment of communications and engagement awards within ESA aligns with ESA\u2019s 2016 Strategic Plan by supporting the goal to \u201cstrengthen the programs, benefits, and networking opportunities for non-academic ecologists who are engaged in policy, communication, management, consulting, etc.\u201d The awards will be available to academic and non-academic members of ESA, and they provide a clear benefit of recognition to ecologists that are engaged in communication. The establishment of communications and engagement awards further aligns with ESA\u2019s 2016 Strategic Plan goal to \u201cidentify and highlight non-academic careers, focusing on skills that non-academic employers seek and preparation of ESA members for such jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

By specifically recognizing ecologists\u2019 achievements related to science communication and engagement, the new awards also align with ESA\u2019s 2018 Extending the Tent Initiative, specifically, its goal of \u201cbetter serving the full array of professional ecologists and those working in related fields\u201d and efforts to be \u201cmore visibly inclusive and supportive of all ecologists.\u201d Additionally, these awards are synergistic with and informed by previous LRPG- funded efforts to identify mechanisms to further integrate engagement throughout ESA (e.g., Kenney and Davis Engage ESA funding, 2018).<\/p>\n

Broader Impact Statement:\u00a0As public trust in science and scientists has declined (AAAS 2016; Pew 2015), calls for scientists to increase their public engagement efforts have proliferated (Keller et al. 2017). An extensive body of research indicates that universities and institutions such as professional societies can play a significant role in supporting, incentivizing, and rewarding the considerable investments that scientists make to public engagement (e.g.<\/i>, Bednarek et al. 2018; Jefferson et al 2018; Shanley and L\u00f3pez 2009). The establishment of these Communication and Engagement awards benefits ESA members by providing specific recognition of the broader impacts of their work and benefits ESA as a society by demonstrating a public-facing commitment to communication and engagement. In addition, by stipulating that the C&E Best Practice Award is open to all current and past ESA members, the inaugural awards serves as a means to mitigate the impact of discriminatory actions that impact member participation in a particular annual meeting. Subsequent awards will remain open to all current and past ESA members to be inclusive of all entrants that may face barriers to attending ESA annual meetings.<\/p>\n

Literature Cited<\/b><\/p>\n

American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS). 2016. Perceptions of Science in America. Retrieved 14 January 2019 from: https:\/\/www.amacad.org\/sites\/default\/files\/publication\/downloads\/PFoS-Perceptions-Science- America.pdf<\/p>\n

Bednarek, A. T., et al. 2018. Boundary spanning at the science\u2013policy interface: the practitioners\u2019 perspectives.\u00a0Sustainability Science\u00a0<\/i>13:1175-1183.<\/p>\n

Jefferson, A. J., M. A. Kenney, T. M. Hill, and N. E. Selin. 2018. Universities can lead the way supporting engaged geoscientists,\u00a0Eos<\/i>, 99, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1029\/2018EO111567.<\/p>\n

Keller, B. L., et al. 2017. Society is ready for a new kind of science\u2014is academia?\u00a0BioScience\u00a0<\/i>67:591\u2013592.<\/p>\n

Pew Research Center. 2015. Public and Scientists\u2019 Views on Science and Society. Retrieved 14 January 2019 from: http:\/\/www.pewinternet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2015\/01\/PI_ ScienceandSociety_Report_012915.pdf<\/p>\n

Shanley, P., and C. L\u00f3pez. 2009. Out of the loop: Why research rarely reaches policy makers and the public and what can be done.\u00a0Biotropica\u00a0<\/i>41(5);535-544.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n