The Laws Prize 2012
Call for nominations
The Laws Prize Committee invites nominations for the 2012 award. Please see the guidelines below.
The Prize is awarded annually to an outstanding young BAS scientist who has proven aptitude for research and is likely to make a significant contribution in the future. Nominations should be submitted via the Board Member for Science Strategy, Science Delivery or Operations & Engineering and sent to Alison Teague.
Please address any queries in confidence to Professor D W H Walton (Secretary, Laws Prize Committee) at BAS, Cambridge. Closing date for nominations is 29 February 2012.
Guidelines
On the retirement of Dr R M Laws CBE, FRS as Director of the British Antarctic Survey in May 1987, a fund was established for a Prize to be awarded annually in his name. In view of Dr Laws’ major contribution to scientific knowledge, it was decided that the Prize should be awarded to outstanding young scientists of the British Antarctic Survey in recognition of their achievements, whilst fulfilling the primary purpose of the British Antarctic Survey.
The BAS Club undertakes the administration of the fund, whilst the award is made by and Awards Committee, assisted by Alison Teague.
Awards Committee
The composition of the Committee is:
- Professor John Croxall CBE FRS, Chair
- Professor N J P Owens, Director of BAS
- Mr T R Allen, Chairman of the BAS Club
- Professor D W H Walton, Secretary
The Committee is empowered to co-opt consultants, with expertise relevant to the fields of the candidates nominated in a given year.
Eligibility
The Prize will be awarded to young scientists of the British Antarctic Survey for scientific work which is worthy of recognition in the field of polar research. The nominee must be under 35 years of age on 29 February in the year of the original nomination (a note of the candidate’s date of birth should be included with any submission). Work submitted in support of the nomination must have been accepted for publication (but not necessarily published) before the closing date for nomination. In cases where the eligibility of a candidate may be uncertain the nomination will be at the discretion of the Committee. The Prize will not necessarily be awarded each year if candidates of sufficient calibre are not nominated. Exceptionally, more than one Prize may be awarded per year.
Nominations
- Candidates should be nominated through the Board Members for Science Delivery, Mike Pinnock; Science Strategy, Alan Rodger; or Operations & Engineering, John Shears. The nomination should be supported by a statement/citation from the Board Members for Science Delivery, Science Strategy or Operations & Engineering, or representative.
- Only one nomination should be made per Science Programme in a given year.
- Nominations should be accompanied by a resumé of the importance of the work, a list of the candidate’s publications, brief (one paragraph) assessments of the two most significant publications and copies of these two papers.
- The nominator should provide, as far as possible, lists of invited lectures, awards, workshops and meetings organised and public outreach activities to provide a broader view of the community contribution by each of the candidates. They should also provide some indications of future potential for the candidate.
- Nominations may be made at any time of the year, but should be sent to Alison Teague, BAS Cambridge to be received by the Secretary NOT LATER THAN 29 FEBRUARY 2012.
- Unsuccessful nominations may be reconsidered the following year, the age of the candidate being taken as that at the time of the initial nomination.
- After two years, a nomination will be deemed to have lapsed and will require re-nomination for further consideration.
- Members of the Awards Committee may not nominate candidates but may stimulate others to do so.
The Prize
The Laws Prize will consist of books, software or electronic equipment to a value decided annually by the Awards Committee.
Enquiries
Please address any queries in confidence to:
Professor D W H Walton
Laws Prize Secretary
British Antarctic Survey
High Cross
Madingley Road
Cambridge, CB3 0ET
UK
Remember - closing date for nominations is 29 February 2012.
Past recipients of the Laws Prize
| Year | Name | Area of Expertise |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Huw Griffiths | Marine biogeographer |
| James Smith | Marine geologist | |
| 2010 | Louise Sime | Palaeoclimate modeller |
| 2009 | Hamish Pritchard | Glaciologist |
| 2008 | Joanne Johnson | Geologist |
| Daniel Smaale | Marine Biologist | |
| 2007 | No Award | |
| 2006 | Andrew Hirst | Biological Oceanographer |
| 2005 | Robert Athern | Glaciologist |
| 2004 | Teal Riley | Geologist |
| 2003 | Ian Renfrew | Meteorologist |
| 2002 | Dominic Hodgson | Terrestrial Biologist |
| 2001 | Gareth Chisham | Upper Atmosphere Physicist |
| 2000 | Anna Jones | Chemist |
| 1999 | Andrew Brierley | Marine Biologist |
| 1998 | Keith Reid | Marine Biologist |
| 1997 | David Cantrill | Palaeobotanist |
| 1996 | Alan Vaughan | Geologist |
| 1995 | David Barnes | Marine Biologist |
| 1994 | Mark Clilverd | Upper Atmosphere Physicist |
| 1993 | Martin Davey | Terrestrial Biologist |
| 1992 | Adrian Jenkins | Glaciologist |
| 1991 | Angus Atkinson | Marine Biologist |
| 1990 | Duncan Pirrie | Geologist |
| 1989 | Malcolm Hole | Geologist |