STUDENT CENTER

PRESENTATION AWARDS
PRESENTATION JUDGING CRITERIA
TRAVEL AWARDS

PRESENTATION AWARDS:

At the Fall 1973 meeting, Bernie McAlice proposed the establishment of a $25 award for the best student paper. The “Student Award” was first given at the Spring 1974 meeting, when two students tied for the award and split the $25 cash prize. In the Fall of 1974 Jay Moore was commissioned to design a certificate for the Student Award. (see Appendix U for the original pencil sketch by Jay Moore for the “Student Award” certificate). Due to opposition from some members the Student Award was discontinued after the Fall 1975 meeting.

At the Fall 1982 meeting, Larry Spencer suggested that the award for best student paper be revived, and be named in honor of Bostwick H. Ketchum, who had died in July. Buck (as he was known) earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1938. After teaching at Long Island University for one year, he began, in 1940, a long and distinguished career at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, as Associate Marine Biologist, Marine Microbiologist, Senior Biologist, Senior Oceanographer, Senior Scientist, and finally Associate Director (1962-77). He joined NEERS in 1970 and was made an Honorary Member in 1973. The “Buck Ketchum Prize” for the Best Student Paper, consisting of a certificate and $50 cash, was first awarded at the Spring 1983 meeting. Initially, requirements were that the student must be sole author of the paper; in 1990 this requirement was revised such that “the student must clearly be the major contributing author.” The cash value of the award was increased beginning in Fall 1984 to $100 (additional sponsor donations raised the award to $150 at the Spring 1986 and Spring 1988 meetings).

At the Fall 1988 meeting Kathy Smith suggested creating a best undergraduate paper award, to be named the Stubby Rankin Prize, in honor of long-time NEERS member John S. Rankin, who had died in December, 1987. Stubby (the nickname originated in graduate school due to his stubborn nature) received a Ph.D. in Parasitology from Duke University in 1936. He taught at Amherst College for five years and the University of Washington for two years before moving to the University of Connecticut in 1943. Stubby founded (in 1956) and served as Director of UConn’s Marine Research Laboratory in Noank. He taught various courses in Invertebrate Zoology until his retirement in 1976, after which he served various administrative stints at AAAS, the Sea Education Association, and the National Science Foundation. Stubby joined NEERS in 1970 and was made an Honorary Member in 1981. The Stubby Rankin Prize for Best Undergraduate Student Paper was established by the Executive Committee at the Spring 1989 meeting, and was first presented at the Fall 1989 meeting by his widow and long-time NEERS meeting attendee, Julie Rankin. With the creation of the Rankin Prize for Best Undergraduate Student Paper, the Ketchum Prize became the award for the Best Graduate Student Paper. The cash value for the Rankin Prize was set at $50, with the Ketchum Prize remaining at $100.

At the Spring 1996 meeting Alan Young suggested creating a third award, the David Dean Prize, for the best student poster. David Dean received a Ph.D. from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in 1957. He taught for nine years at the University of Connecticut before moving to the University of Maine in 1966, where he served as Director of the Ira C. Darling Center from 1966 to 1979 and as Assistant Director/Director of the U. Maine Sea Grant Program from 1971 to 1979 before retiring in 1987. Dave was one of the founders of NEERS and the first elected (and only deceased) NEERS president. He joined NEERS in 1971, was made an Honorary Member in 1988, and died in 1991. The membership voted to establish the Dean Prize and to set the cash value of all three Prizes at $100. The Dean Prize for Best Student Poster was first awarded at the Fall 1996 meeting.

The Ketchum Fund was established in 1986 to provide monies for the Ketchum Prize. The Ketchum Fund was renamed the Student Award Fund when the Rankin Prize was added in 1989. From modest beginnings, the fund now has an endowment in excess of $11,000 and is used to fund all three student prizes plus travel awards to students presenting papers at ERF meetings and occasionally at NEERS meetings.

All student awards are presented at the Friday evening banquet, to which award candidates are admitted free. (spring 2002 and earlier or fall 2002 to present)

Note: The above text is excerpted from NEERS 1969-1999, a brief history of the New England Estuarine Research Society prepared by Alan M. Young, 1999.

JUDGING CRITERIA FOR ORALS PRESENTATIONS AND POSTERS:

Follow this link to see the judging criteria for the KETCHUM (graduate oral), RANKIN (undergraduate oral) and DEAN (poster) awards.

STUDENT TRAVEL AWARDS:

NEERS provides travel awards for student members to attend regular meetings and ERF meetings. Questions regarding travel awards should be directed to the NEERS Treasurer .