President's Prizes for Outstanding Achievement in Primary and Secondary Education

Funded by ESA

These awards recognize educators who have gone beyond the traditional teaching methods by using insects as educational tools. One winner will be chosen from among primary teachers (grades K-6) and one from among secondary teachers (grades 7-12). The recipients will receive:

• A $400 donation made payable to the winner's school to purchase teaching materials required to expand the use of insects in the teaching curriculum;

• A $400 award paid directly to the winner for expenses associated with travel required to present a paper or poster on the use of insects in primary or secondary educational programs at a peer professional venue of their choosing;

• Gratis registration to attend ESA’s Annual Meeting; and

• An $800 award paid directly to the winner for expenses associated with travel, hotel arrangements, and all other costs associated with attending the ESA Annual Meeting.

These annual awards are presented at the ESA Annual Meeting.

Eligibility

Membership in ESA is not required. Also, a separate nominator is not required; applicants may nominate themselves.

Previous Winners

Please click here to see a list of those who have previously received this award.

Electronic Submission Requirements

All nomination packages must be submitted electronically according to the following specifications (paper nominations will not be accepted):

Page Limits

• The entire nomination package must not exceed 20 pages total. This includes letters of nomination or recommendation and publication lists.

• Letters of nomination and recommendation must be included in the electronic package. Printed letters sent in lieu of electronic versions will not be accepted.

File Specifications

• Only the following file formats will be accepted: PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format), RTF (Rich Text Format), TIF graphic files, or JPG graphic files. Files created on either PC or MAC platforms will be accepted. Please make sure scanned images can be clearly read on a computer screen.

• Font size for text may not be smaller than 10 point.

• A nomination package may contain no more than 6 separate files, and the size of each file must not exceed 3 MB.

Submission Methods

Nomination packages may be submitted by either of two methods:

• PREFERRED METHOD: Submit online via the Nomination Submission Website. This method eliminates problems associated with e-mailing large files. Nominators are strongly encouraged to use this method.
  OR

• E-mail the nomination package as attached files to the awards administrator. In the submission e-mail, please include the title of the award in the subject of the e-mail. In the body of the e-mail, provide the name of the nominee, the nominator's contact information, and a list of the attached files.

Nomination Requirements

Nomination packages for this award must include:

CV-Related Items

Nominators must provide the information called for in the CV template, either in the template's format or in their own format. To view the CV-related nomination requirements for this award, as well as the CV template, please click here.

Other Items

• A two-page letter by the nominee that includes: (a) the grade level at which the nominee teaches, (b) an explanation of why insects were selected over other models, (c) an explanation of ways insects are used in the classroom, and (d) a summary of the nominee's teaching philosophy

• Three letters of recommendation, describing the nominee's use of insects in instruction and increased student awareness of the field of entomology. These letters should be written from the following: (a) one letter from a colleague, (b) one from a current or former student, and (c) one additional letters by a colleague or student.

• An example of an original activity, lesson, or exercise that demonstrates the use of insects as educational material. This example should be presented in a format that could be submitted for publication to other science teachers, and is limited to a maximum of four pages.

Evaluation Criteria

Nominees/candidates will be judged using the following criteria for a total of 100 points:

1. In the use of insects in instruction, does nominee express the following? (50 points total)

   1. Imagination, creativity and originality (25)

   2. Scientific accuracy (25)

2. Does the teacher use entomological resources such as the following? (20 points total)

   1. Entomologists and community resources (10)

   2. Books, computer sources, other media (10)

3. Does the quality of references serve as indications of esteem among the following? (15 points total)

   1. Colleagues and former and current students (15)

4. Does the nominee's teaching style exhibit the following? (10 points total)

   1. A philosophy of teaching (5)

   2. Dedication and/or concern for the students (5)

5. Have the teaching materials received recognition from the following? (5 points total)

   1. From other professional organizations (2)

   2. From the media and/or community (3)

Deadline

Application/nomination packages must be received by the awards administrator by July 1. This deadline refers to receipt of a complete package in a readable format. Therefore, early submission is highly recommended. The awards administrator will confirm receipt of nomination packages within two business days, and also notify nominators of any problems with nomination package files within that time.

Renomination

Any candidate nominated, but not selected, may be renominated no more than two times within the two-year period after his/her initial submission. Renomination packages will be retained for two years by the awards administrator. Nominators must send a letter of renomination to the awards administrator by the award deadline above. Previously submitted documentation will be used for the evaluation process unless the nominator submits new or updated documents. The renomination e-mail must contain this additional documentation. New or updated documents must follow the electronic submission requirements noted above.

Notification

The awards administrator will notify all candidates and their nominators, where applicable, with the results of their application approximately two months after the application/nomination submission deadline.

For questions about this award, please click here.