Student Awards

 

STUDENT AWARDS PROGRAM

Purpose
The purposes of the student awards program are to:
1) Promote the participation of students in scientific research and dissemination of such knowledge in cryobiology, and

2) Improve scientific exchange and communication for young international cryobiology researchers. The Student Awards Program is one of the Society for Cryobiology’s outreach programs, and serves to achieve the Society’s goal “…to improve scientific understanding in cryobiology, and to disseminate and apply this knowledge for the benefit of mankind”.

Student Travel Awards
A limited number of student travel awards will be available to offset the cost of travel, lodging and meeting registration fees. To apply for a travel award, a student must submit a student awards application form by April 25, and participate in one of the student presentation competitions (see below).

Student Presentation Awards (Crystal Award and Poster Award)
Students who attend the society’s annual meeting may participate in one of the two research competitions (irrespective of whether they have applied for a travel award). These are: the Peter L. Steponkus Crystal Award and the Best Student Poster Award. The PLS Crystal Award will be given to the best oral presentation. Both competitions are open to all student attendees. The research work must be the student’s own independent research, completed while a student, and presented by the student at the annual meeting.

To participate in the competition, a student needs to:

1) Complete and submit the student award application form electronically to OSU conference services by May 9^th. Please note – if you are applying for the Student Travel Fund, the deadline for this is April 25. Please click here to send in your application.

2) Elect to participate in only one competition (either the PLS Crystal Award or the Poster Award, but not both).

3) Also remember to register and to submit your Abstract separately via the online abstract submission system by May 9th to get into the Meetings Book.

Judging

For the PLS Crystal Award competition, submitted presentations will be pre-judged to assure the highest possible rigor and quality of the contestants.

1) For pre-judging, “extended abstracts” of all student presentations will be forwarded to members of the Annual Meeting Scientific Committee and the Student Awards Committee. The format for extended abstracts is in the application form.

2) Presentations will be scored using a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 to be the highest possible score. Scores of presentations will be added and presentations will be ranked.

Five to seven active SFC members in good standing will be selected by the Student Awards Committee to serve as judges for the PLS Crystal Award competition before the annual meeting. Presentations for the Peter L. Steponkus Crystal Award will be judged on the scientific merit and delivery of the presentation, including but not limited to:

1) Significance and impact of the research findings

2) Originality of the approach and creative use of innovative methods

3) Clarity of presentation and proper use of visual materials

4) Student’s response to questions

Each judge will score presentations on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 to be the highest possible score, and shortlist her/his top three presentations. The results from judges will be tallied and deliberated among the judges and members of the Student Awards Committee to select a winner for the PLS Crystal Award.

The Best Poster Award competition will be evaluated in two phases by a separate team of 5 to 7 judges. Presentations will be judged on the scientific merit and student’s response to judge’s questions. Emphasis will be placed on the originality of the research and the significance and impact of the research findings. During the initial phase, presentations will be scored by each judge on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 to be the highest possible score. Short-listed presentations will then enter into the second phase of evaluation. The results of the second phase evaluation will be tallied and deliberated among the judges and members of the Student Awards Committee to select a winner for the Best Poster Award.

Student Awards Application Form
The application form is available in Microsoft Word and as a PDF. It must be completed to apply for Student Travel Awards, and to participate in the student presentation competitions (either Crystal Competition or Poster Competition). Completed forms should be submitted by email to OSU conference services. To submit your application, please click here.

For all Student Applicants
Remember to submit a standard length version of your abstract (500 words) to get your abstract into the Meetings Book and the journal Cryobiology.

To print a PDF of the Student Awards information, please click here.