The AALAS Awards Selection Committee (ASC) has made significant progress in refining the awards criteria and scoring system to ensure a fair and consistent process. The seven awards which will require nominations are the Griffin, Garvey, Brewer, Collins, Technician of the Year, Bhatt Young Investigator and Cohen Animal Stewardship award. These awards all require the same basic nomination information to be considered as a complete packet. General nominations are not necessary for the AALAS Technician Publication Award or the Poster Session Awards. All eligible papers for the Technician Publication Award are selected from the previous years' Contemporary Topics and Comparative Medicine, Tech Talk, and other relevant publications. All awards except the Poster Session Awards will be presented during the AALAS Opening General Session. The Poster Session Awards will be presented during the AALAS General Membership Meeting.
Nominating and supporting letters can be challenging to write. For the best guidelines, refer to the information on the individual award descriptions and criteria below. Anyone wishing to nominate a colleague for an AALAS award must submit the required information to the Awards Selection Committee (ASC) via the AALAS national office by May 1 of the year in which you are nominating a candidate.
Summary of the Awards Selection Process
Award nomination packets are submitted via email (Award Nomination Instructions). Copies of the packets are then sent to the ASC members for review. Each packet receives a score based on the established criteria. Committee members then rank the nominees for each individual award based on the scores and send them back to the national office to be tallied with the other committee members ranks. A tally of these rankings and scores is sent back to the ASC members for their review. A conference call is then set up for the ASC members to discuss the nominees with the highest ranks or scores and finalize the award selections. The chair of the ASC notifies the Executive Director of the committees' recommendations which are subsequently submitted to the AALAS Board of Trustees for approval.
Every year many qualified candidates are nominated for AALAS awards, but only one person can be selected. The remaining top two nomination packets for each award will be retained for three years to increase the pool of high-caliber nominees. You will be informed by letter or email if your nomination packet has been retained for future award consideration. You will be asked to submit updated information to help keep the packet current.
Nomination Requirements
Nominees for all awards, other than the Nathan R. Brewer Scientific Award, must be national members of AALAS. Each of the awards, excluding the AALAS Technician Publication Award and Poster Awards, require the following information be provided to be considered a complete nomination packet. Inaccurate information may result in immediate disqualification of the nominee. Please help the ASC evaluate your nominee properly by providing the following information in one packet by May 1:
one nomination letter from a AALAS national member (ASC members cannot be nominated, nominate, or write letters of support)
4–10 letters of support.
Please do not submit audiovisual materials or include lengthy lists of abstracts seminars attended, grants or contract awards. Awards cannot be given posthumously. Recommended points to include in the nomination packet (in addition to educational/professional background information, professional memberships and activities, and recognitions and awards) are outlined below. You will help the committee evaluate your nominee properly by using the correct procedures in making a nomination. If you have questions about the nomination or selection processes, feel free to contact the AALAS office.
Charles A. Griffin Award
The oldest and most prestigious AALAS award, the Griffin Award is given annually for outstanding accomplishment in the improvement of care, quality, and environment of animals used in biologic and medical research. First presented in 1956, the Griffin Award is named after its first recipient, the late Dr. Charles A. Griffin, an eminent bacteriologist and a pioneer in the development and use of disease-free animals. The award consists of a plaque and a $2,500 honorarium.
Criteria:
Steady career advancement in laboratory animal science or a related field, with increasing responsibilities appropriate to the candidate's specialization.
Contributions or accomplishments in the laboratory animal field. Examples include publications which help to expand the laboratory animal knowledge base, contributions to improved quality of animals used in medical research, development of special techniques to enhance lab animal care, promotion of improved standards of laboratory animal care and research through training, and involvement in public education/outreach to promote the truth about lab animal care and research.
Nathan R. Brewer Scientific Achievement Award
The Brewer Award was established in 1994 in honor of Nathan R. Brewer, DVM, PhD, first president and a founding father of AALAS. Dr. Brewer was the first recipient of the award, which was presented to him at the 45th AALAS National Meeting in Pittsburgh, PA. The award is open to all members of professional scientific societies. Candidates must be over 40 years of age and have made major and repeated scientific contributions to laboratory animal science/medicine or comparative medicine. The award consists of a plaque and a $2,000 honorarium.
Criteria:
Research relevant to laboratory animal science and comparative medicine that advances current knowledge and contributes to the existing literature in those fields and is directly applicable to a variety of research settings.
Research contributes to the enhancement of local/national AALAS meetings, AALAS publications, and the scientific community. The candidate has presented research information in a variety of formats (posters, platform sessions, seminars, round tables) and frequently publishes scientific findings in CM, CT, and other high-quality scientific journals applicable to the area of expertise. The lab has generated enough quality information to enable other lab personnel to present research information.
Bennett J. Cohen Animal Stewardship Award
The Bennett J. Cohen Animal Stewardship Award is based on meritorious contribution or outstanding achievements in the advancement of methods that replace or reduce the number of animals used in research or teaching, or that refine procedures to elevate the comfort and well-being of such animals. Such achievements may represent a single significant contribution or a cumulative impact on replacement of animals, reduction of the number of animals used, or refinement of procedures to elevate the animals' comfort and well-being. AALAS standing and ad hoc committees, councils, task forces, publications, and the AALAS Foundation are precluded from eligibility. The award consists of a plaque and a $1000 honorarium.
Criteria:
Participation in support programs which relate to the care and humane treatment of animals used in research or teaching. Includes membership or participation in professional associations (e.g., veterinary associations, laboratory animal science/management/care associations) which advance the concept of responsible and humane use of animals in research and teaching.
Joseph J. Garvey Award
The Joseph J. Garvey Award selection is based on meritorious contribution or outstanding accomplishments in administration, education, or support programs relating to the care, quality, or humane treatment of animals used in biomedical research. The award is named after AALAS' first executive secretary and was first presented in 1984. It consists of a plaque and a $2,000 honorarium.
Criteria:
Administrative performance: Motivational/interpersonal skills, improvements and other contributions.
Contribution to and accomplishments for education and training in the field of lab animal science.
Participation in learning or information programs (high school career days, facility tour groups, community speaking engagements, etc.). Involvement in training programs—teaching, participating in, improving, or preparing/using novel training materials. Promotion of technician certification.
Participation in support programs related to the care, quality or humane treatment of animals in research, including membership or participation in other lab animal or veterinary associations.
Personal projects and achievements which have benefited AALAS or the candidate's workplace.
Pravin N. Bhatt Young Investigator Award
The Young Investigator Award was established in 1994 to encourage and recognize an outstanding young scientist who has made significant contributions to the fields of laboratory animal science or comparative medicine. This award is named for Dr. Pravin N. Bhatt, who studied infectious diseases of laboratory animals for 25 years and made substantial contributions to our understanding of rat coronaviruses and ectromelia virus (the etiologic agent of mousepox); Dr. Bhatt selflessly mentored undergraduate and graduate students as well as junior scientists. Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to a career in science as well as originality of thought and experimental design. The award is open to scientists who are either 40 years of age or younger or who have only been engaged in scientific research for five years or less. The award consists of a plaque and a $1,000 honorarium.
Criteria:
Research relevant to laboratory animal science and comparative medicine that advances current knowledge and contributes to the existing literature in those fields and is directly applicable to a variety of research settings.
Research contributes to the enhancement of local/national AALAS meetings, AALAS publications, and the scientific community. The candidate has presented research information in a variety of formats (posters, platform sessions, seminars, round tables) and frequently publishes scientific findings in CM, CT, and other high-quality scientific journals applicable to the area of expertise. The lab has generated enough quality information to enable other lab personnel to present research information.
George R. Collins Award
The Collins Award is presented to an individual for outstanding contributions to the field of laboratory animal training. Formerly entitled the Animal Technician Award, the Collins Award is named after George R. Collins, a member of the first AALAS Animal Technician Certification Board and a pioneer in the animal technician education and certification. Information on the candidate's participation in local/national AALAS activities, work performance, published articles or original contributions, and dedication to promotion and advancement of the field of laboratory animal science is requested. The award consists of a plaque and a $2,000 honorarium.
Criteria:
Contribution to and accomplishments for education and training in the field of lab animal science.
Participation in learning or information programs (high school career days, facility tour groups, community speaking engagements, etc.). Involvement in training programs—teaching, participating in, improving, or preparing/using novel training materials. Promotion of technician certification.
Technician of the Year Award
The Technician of the Year Award, formerly called the Technician Recognition Award, was instituted as a scholarship award in 1967. The award promotes the laboratory animal technician as an integral member of a research team and encourages continuing education. The candidate must hold an animal care position with minimal supervisory responsibility, should demonstrate an interest in attaining additional education and training, should demonstrate a dedication to furthering laboratory animal science through teaching and training junior technicians, and be respected by colleagues for dedication to the goals of AALAS. Nominees for this award are generally individuals who received the most recent Technician of the Year Award from their local branch. The award consists of a plaque and a $1,500 honorarium.
Criteria:
Contribution to the lab animal field. Responsibilities of employment, technical performance, new ideas, creativity, special techniques or contributions toward better lab animal care at their facility.
Outstanding individual work performance.
Technician Publication Award
First presented in 1974 and formerly titled the Technical Notes Award, this award is intended to promote and reward the effort of technicians and technologists for sharing information related to laboratory animal science with their colleagues. The Technician Publication Award is given to the first author of the highest quality paper published in the current year's volume of Tech Talk, Comparative Medicine or the refereed section of Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science, or the first author of an article in a relevant journal. The first author of the selected paper must be an AALAS-certified technician at any level. This award is not open for general nominations. The awardees are selected by the AALAS Awards Selection Committee and receive a plaque and $500 honorarium.
Poster Session Awards
Created in 2001, the Poster Session Awards encourage participation in the Poster Sessions and recognize outstanding posters. One poster from each category is recognized during the General Membership Meeting with an Award Winner ribbon and a $300 honorarium.
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