North Central Branch Awards

North Central Branch John Henry Comstock Award

North Central Branch Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension

North Central Branch Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching

North Central Branch John. Henry Comstock Award

The J. H. Comstock Award is given to one graduate student from each of the Entomological Society of America's five Branches to promote interest in the science of entomology at the graduate level and to stimulate interest in attending the ESA Annual Meeting. The award includes an all-expense-paid trip to the national meeting, a $500 cash prize, and a certificate that is presented during the ESA Annual Meeting. (Awardees are not required to present a paper at the Annual Meeting.)

The following guidelines have been established by the ESA:

  1. Applicants must be enrolled as a graduate student at half-time and in graduate school at the time of (or have completed the degree within the last 12 months preceding) the presentation of the Award (December).
  2. Students must be pursuing a course leading to a graduate degree with a major in entomology.
  3. Application for Society membership (student or active) must have been made prior to January 1 of the year the Award was made.
  4. An active member returning for graduate study is not eligible.

Nominations should include:

  1. Biographical sketch or vitae, including significant awards and achievement related to entomology (strictly limited to 1 page);
  2. Statement of nominee's interests and goals in entomology (strictly limited 2 pages double spaced);
  3. Research publications (limited to published or in-press submissions only and must provide complete citation!);
  4. List of oral and poster presentations separately for professional meetings;
  5. Letter of support for candidacy from two (2) professional references. Please request e-mail delivery of this letter (either scanned signed document [PDF] or an unsigned Word document that uses the sender's e-mail to suffice as an endorsement); and
  6. Photograph of the nominee (as a digital image file).

Note: College transcripts are not required for this award.

Note: Application materials must be submitted be submitted in electronic format. Paper nominations will no longer be accepted.

Please abide by the above rules. More information than that required will result in disqualification.

Submit a nomination

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NCB Distinguished Acheivement Award in Extension

This award is presented to honor an NCB-ESA member for excellence in Extension.

The recipient will receive plaque acknowledging achievement.  Winner will also serve as  our branch nominee for the Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension offered by the Entomological Society of America

Eligibility

The nominee must be a current NCB-ESA member, and must have demonstrated excellent performance through Extension program creativity, impact, achievement, and delivery.

NOTE:  An individual can only be nominated through one ESA branch in a given year.

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 Method

Nomination packages must be submitted directly to the chair of the NCB-ESA Professional Awards Committee.

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.

Other Items

  1. Letter of nomination that provides a brief explanation of how the individual excelled in performing his/her duties, including innovations in training, programs, and methods
  2. Up to three letters of endorsement from professional colleagues and clientele

Evaluation Criteria

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

  1. Professional Background(60 points total)
    1. Leadership and participation in professional activities (10)
    2. Honors, awards, achievements, and recognition (7)
    3. Special assignments and committee activities (10)
    4. Service outside of extension, including community activities (7)
    5. Grantsmanship (8)
    6. Recommendation of colleagues, peer groups, etc. (8)
    7. Publications (10)
  2. Program Management(40 points total)
    1. Creativity and innovation of program's concept (8)
    2. Development, educational strategy (8)
    3. Implementation, including publications (8)
    4. Diversity of program's delivery (8)
    5. Evidence of program's impact (8)

Deadline

Nomination packages must be received by the chair of the NCB-ESA Professional Awards Committee by January 10th. This deadline refers to receipt by the awards administrator 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 up to two times within the two-year period after his/her initial submission. Nomination packages will be retained for two years by the chair of the NCB-ESA Professional Awards Committee.  Nominators must send a letter of renomination to the chair of the NCB-ESA Professional Awards Committee by the nomination 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 with the results of their nomination approximately two months after the nomination submission deadline. 

For more information about this award, please contact the chair of the NCB-ESA Professional Awards Committee.

Submit a nomination

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North Central Branch Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching

This award is presented to honor an NCB-ESA member for excellence through innovations in teaching.  

The recipient will receive plaque acknowledging their achievements.  Winner will also be our branch nominee for the Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching offered by the Entomological Society of America.

Eligibility

The nominee must be a current NCB-ESA member, and must have excelled through innovations in developing   new courses, programs, and teaching methods.

NOTE:  An individual can only be nominated through one ESA branch in a given year.

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 must be submitted directly to the chair of the NCB-ESA Professional Awards Committee.

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.

Other Items

  1. Letter of nomination containing a brief explanation of how the nominee excelled in performance of teaching-related duties
  2. Up to three letters of endorsement from professional colleagues, former students, or current students (not more than two from each)

Evaluation Criteria

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

  1. Classroom Instructions(30 points total)
    1. Amount/number of courses and/or students (10)
    2. Effectiveness, innovation, and effort of methods (10)
    3. Effectiveness, innovation, and effort of materials (10)
  2. Other Aspects of Teaching(40 points total)
    1. Development of new courses or curricula (4)
    2. Grants received for teaching (2)
    3. Publications related to teaching (2)
    4. Talks related to teaching (2)
    5. Participation in committees related to teaching (2)
    6. Advising students and student organizations (20)
    7. Evaluation by students and peers (8)
  3. Outreach and Other Activities(30 points total)
    1. Presentations or activities for K-12 and/or general public (10)
    2. Workshops or short courses for professional audience (10)
    3. Other professional activities, such as research, extension, consulting, or service (10)

Deadline

Nomination packages must be received by the chair of the NCB-ESA Professional Awards Committee by January 10th. This deadline refers to receipt by the awards administrator 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 up to two times within the two-year period after his/her initial submission. Nomination packages will be retained for two years by the chair of the NCB-ESA Professional Awards Committee. Nominators must send a letter of renomination to the chair of the NCB-ESA Professional Awards Committee by the nomination 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 with the results of their nomination approximately two months after the nomination submission deadline. 

For more information about this award, please contact the chair of the NCB-ESA Professional Awards Committee.

Submit a nomination

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