News & Events

DEADLINE: October 29, 2021 at 11:59pm EDT

The McDonald Institute is offering recognition awards for students who have made significant contributions to research, outreach and education, equity, and innovation leadership.

Awards will consist of a $250 honorarium and a commemorative certificate in recognition of contributions to the Canadian astroparticle physics community. You are invited to nominate students to receive these awards (Deadline is Oct 29th, 2021 at 11:59pm EDT).

To be eligible for consideration:

• Nominees must have been enrolled as a student at a Canadian post-secondary institution on March 31, 2021. This applies to any college or university undergraduate or graduate student meeting this criterion.
• Nominees’ significant work or achievements for award consideration occurred between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. Nominators may reference the continuing impact of eligible work or achievements through July 31, 2021.
• Nominees’ eligible achievements and contributions have benefited, or will be likely to benefit, any portion of the Canadian astroparticle physics community other than the nominee (or any portion of the Canadian public in the Outreach & Education category).
• Nominees have not been awarded in the same category with the McDonald Institute within the last two calendar years.

This year, the McDonald Institute will consider nominations for awards in four categories (below). Nominations are submitted using a private online survey and are adjudicated by award committees of no less than one McDonald Institute administrative officer and two astroparticle physicists employed in Canada.

Please take five minutes of your time to nominate a deserving student award candidate in any of the four categories below:

 

Research Contribution (Click HERE to submit a nomination)

This recognition is suitable for a student whose scholarly work has significantly advanced particle astrophysics research in the last year. Examples might include a novel model or methodology, prototype design, important publication or outstanding thesis submission.

 

Outreach & Education (Click HERE to submit a nomination)

This recognition honours a student who has made a major contribution to the public’s understanding and appreciation of particle astrophysics and adjacent disciplines. Examples might include organizing duties in a summer camp program, interpretation of research for public audiences, public speaking accomplishments, or advocacy for Canadian astroparticle physics research.

 

Equity Leadership (Click HERE to submit a nomination)

This recognition is applicable to any student whose leadership advances inclusion and belonging of a socially diverse talent pool within Canadian astroparticle physics research. It recognizes leadership in community directed organization, research or service oriented toward improved engagement, recruitment, development and retention of research talent among under-represented groups (definable by any combination of social identities informed by Indigeneity, gender, race, sexual orientation or disability). Examples of such work might include advocacy, social research, specific organizational interventions, equity program design or delivery. The adjudicators of this award will include one or more external diversity and inclusion specialists.

 

Innovation Leadership (Click HERE to submit a nomination)

This recognition is applicable to any student whose novel approaches to problem solving have yielded benefit to the Canadian astroparticle physics community. Nominations must demonstrate how the student’s interventions have influenced the actions/planning of other members of the community. This award recognizes both ingenuity and the ability to motivate others toward common goals. Examples could include the organization of colleagues to address research problems of common interest, meeting a need of the community in a novel manner, or the utilization of existing knowledge in a manner that allows for novel technical, research or educational value creation.

 

NOTE:

Nominators may submit more than one nomination form. Eligible nominees may be forwarded for consideration in multiple award categories, but each nomination must be unique.