International Branch John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Award / International Branch Graduate Student Award

The J. H. Comstock Award is given to an outstanding advanced graduate student (usually Ph.D. level) from each of the Entomological Society of America's six Branches to promote interest in the science of entomology at the graduate level and to stimulate interest in attending the ESA Annual Meeting.

First place prize includes an all-expense-paid trip to the national meeting, a US$250 cash prize, and a certificate that is presented during the ESA Annual Meeting. Reimbursed expenses include airfare (economy), hotel arrangements, meeting registration and a per diem allowance. In addition, the name and a short biography of the winning candidate will be displayed on the website of the International Branch of Entomological Society of America.

Runner up will receive the title of International Branch Graduate Student Award and will receive a $750 cash prize, and a certificate that is presented during the ESA Annual Meeting.

Eligibility
Nomination Requirements
Submission Requirements
Previous Winners
Deadline
Submit a Nomination


The following guidelines have been established by the ESA-IB:

  • Applicants must be enrolled as a graduate student in graduate school at the time of the presentation of the Award (November 2021), or have completed the degree within the last 12 months preceding.
  • Students must be pursuing a course leading to a graduate degree with an emphasis in entomology.
  • Application for Society membership must have been made prior to May 1 of the year the Award is presented. Members must be affiliated with the International Branch.
  • An active member returning for graduate study is not eligible.
  • Students may apply to only one of the International Branch Student Awards on a given year.
  • Student may apply to only one ESA Branch J. H. Comstock Award on a given year.
  • Final scores will be weighted relative to the opportunity of each candidate

Nomination Requirements

Nomination packages should include the following:

  • Statement of nominee's interests and goals in entomology (strictly limited 2 pages double spaced) including details of originality, difficulty of research and collaborations. If they exist, details of proficiency in fields other than Entomology should also be provided.
  • Description of significant awards, scholarships, and achievements (strictly limited 2 page double spaced).
  • Curriculum vitae (limited to 2 pages), with:
    • A list of research publications (refereed or non-refereed; limited to published or accepted submissions; please provide complete citation)
    • A list of oral and poster presentations (professional meetings, seminars, invited presentations, etc.); please provide complete citation.
    • Significant awards, grantsmanship including scholarships and other grants, and achievements related to entomology
    • Teaching experience (academic, outreach, extension)
    • Professional activities (such as committee participation, membership of professional societies, etc.)
  • Letter of support for candidacy from two (2) professional references.
    • Please request e-mail delivery of this letter (either scanned signed PDF document or an unsigned Word document that uses the sender's e-mail to suffice as an endorsement).
  • College transcripts are not required for this award.

Submission Requirements

All nomination packages must be submitted to the International Branch John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Award / International Branch Graduate Student Award website according to the following specifications (paper nominations will not be accepted):

  • 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 11 point.
  • The maximum upload size is 2 MB per file.
  • The nomination site requires all documents to be uploaded individually.

Providing more information than that required will result in disqualification.


Evaluation Criteria

Nominees will be judged using the following three criteria (to of a total of 100 points):

Research Activities (50 points)                                                 

Publication record (20 points)                                                   

    • Refereed publications, senior and junior author  (17)                       
    • Non-refereed publications (3)                                    

Presentations (15 points)                                                             

    • Professional meetings, senior and junior author (11)                                       
    • Invited presentations (2)                                             
    • Seminar presentations (2)                                           

Research (15 points)                                                      

    • Originality (5)                                    
    • Difficulty (5)                                      
    • Grantsmanship (5)                         

Service (20 points)                                                          

    • Teaching experience (8)                               
    • Outreach/Extension (6)                                
    • Committee participation (3)                                       
    • Professional societies (3)                                             

Competency (30 points)                                               

    • Statement of interest and goals (10)                                       
    • Letters of recommendation (10)                               
    • Honors and Awards (5)                               
    • Collaboration, proficiency in other fields (5)        
       

Previous Winners

View the list of those who have previously received this award.


Deadline

Nomination packages must be submitted online via the International Branch Comstock Award nomination site by December 15th annually at 11:59 PM EST. This deadline refers to receipt by the Awards Administrator of a complete package in a readable format. 

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