ESA to Create Awards & Honors Canvassing Committee

New committee will work to identify awards candidates throughout insect science

Annapolis, MD; July 31, 2019—The Entomological Society of America Governing Board has voted to create a new member committee dedicated to ensuring that the organization's Awards & Honors Program keeps pace with the changing demographics of the entomology profession.

Every year, the Entomological Society of America operates a robust awards program, which aims to honor excellence throughout insect science. Candidates for all ESA awards are generated through an open call for nominations and applications, either nationally or first via ESA's Branches, and eligibility criteria pertain only to an award's career level (e.g., student, early-career, professional) or focus area (e.g., extension, research). Any and all ESA members who meet awards criteria are encouraged to apply or be nominated for an award.

However, because an open call for awards relies on the ESA community at-large to identify and nominate candidates, the opportunity to be recognized may or may not reach all corners of the profession. Accordingly, the Society has experienced fluctuations in the volume and makeup of candidate pools for its awards year to year.

Therefore, to grow the ESA Awards & Honors program and increase opportunities for the advancement and professional development of all Society members, the ESA Governing Board voted at its summer 2019 meeting to create an Awards & Honors Canvassing Committee, which will be dedicated to ensuring that ESA's awards candidate pools keep pace with the changing demographics of the membership by actively engaging Society membership in identifying eligible candidates throughout the profession.

ESA's Statement on Diversity & Inclusion, adopted in 2016, affirms that ESA "actively promotes inclusion, recruitment, and retention in every aspect of the Society" and that it "strive[s] to cultivate a scientific society of excellence built on mentorship, encouragement, tolerance, and mutual respect." The formation of the Awards and Honors Canvassing Committee is a further step in the ongoing pursuit of these goals.

The ESA Committee on Ethics and Rules has been tasked by the Governing Board with formulating a structure and charge for the Awards & Honors Canvassing Committee, with a proposal due to the Governing Board at its November 2019 meeting. If approved, such a committee would begin operations in 2020.

Members with questions or comments about the ESA Awards & Honors program and the new Canvassing Committee are encouraged to contact ESA Executive Director C. David Gammel, FASAE, CAE, at dgammel@entsoc.org.

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ABOUT: ESA is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 7,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, the Society stands ready as a non-partisan scientific and educational resource for all insect-related topics. For more information, visit www.entsoc.org.