American Society of Naturalists

The American Society of Naturalists confers several awards each year to honor scientists of great distinction.

• Honorary Lifetime Membership
• Sewall Wright Award
• E. O. Wilson Naturalist Award
• Presidential Award
• Jasper Loftus-Hills Young Investigator Award
• The American Naturalist Student Paper Award
• ASN Student Research Award
• Ruth Patrick Student Poster Award

Honorary Lifetime Membership

Honorary lifetime membership in the American Society of Naturalists is intended to recognize scientists whose research careers epitomize the mission of the society, which is the conceptual unification of the biological sciences. The society limits the number of honorary lifetime memberships to twelve.

Sewall Wright Award

The Sewall Wright Award, established in 1991, is given annually and honors a senior but still active investigator who is making fundamental contributions to the Society's goals, namely, promoting the conceptual unification of the biological sciences. The award includes an honorarium of $1,000.

Nominations for the Sewall Wright Award

The recipient need not be a member of the Society. For the 2013 Sewall Wright Award, the nomination packet, which must include a letter of nomination and a curriculum vitae (including a publication list), should be sent by January 1, 2013, to Mathew Leibold at mleibold@austin.utexas.edu. Please indicate “Sewall Wright Award” in the subject line.

Edward O. Wilson Naturalist Award

In recognition of the lifetime of outstanding contributions of Professor E. O. Wilson in the areas of ecology and evolutionary biology, including the study of social insects, biodiversity, and biophilia, this award was established in the year of Professor Wilson's retirement from Harvard University. The E. O. Wilson Naturalist Award is given to an active investigator in mid-career who has made significant contributions to the knowledge of a particular ecosystem or group of organisms. Individuals whose research and writing illuminate principles of evolutionary biology and an enhanced aesthetic appreciation of natural history will merit special consideration. The award consists of an especially appropriate work of art and an honorarium of $2,000, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Naturalists.

Nominations for the Edward O. Wilson Naturalist Award

For the 2013 Edward O. Wilson Naturalist Award, a nomination packet that includes a letter of nomination, a curriculum vitae including a publication list, and three key publications should be sent by January 1, 2013, to Rosemary Gillespie at gillespie@berkeley.edu. Please indicate "E. O. Wilson Award" in the subject line.

Presidential Award

This award is for the best paper published in The American Naturalist during the calendar year preceding the President's term of office. The President of the American Society of Naturalists (ASN) makes this award.

Jasper J. Loftus-Hills Young Investigators Award

The Jasper J. Loftus-Hills Young Investigators Award was established in 1984 to recognize outstanding and promising work by investigators who received their doctorates in the three years preceding the application deadline or who are in their final year of graduate school. Jasper Loftus-Hills (1946-1974) was an Australian biologist of exceptional promise, who had published 16 articles in the three years after receiving his degree. He was killed by a hit-and-run driver while tape recording frog calls along a Texas highway. After his death, a frog was named in his honor, Eleutherodactylus jasperi. The award includes presentation of a research paper at the annual meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, an award of $500, a travel allowance of $700, and a supplement of $500 in case of international travel.

Applications for the Jasper Loftus-Hills Young Investigators’ Award

The prize committee requests applications for the 2013 award from anyone supporting the objectives of the Society. Suggested names and addresses of people who should be encouraged to apply are also welcome. Applications should consist of no more than three pages that summarize the applicant’s work (excluding tables, figures, and references), no more than four appropriate reprints, and a curriculum vitae. Two letters from individuals familiar with the applicant’s work should also be sent to the address below. All application materials should be sent via e-mail by January 1, 2013, to Russel Bonduriansky at r.bonduriansky@unsw.edu.au. Please indicate “Young Investigators’ Award” in the subject line.

American Naturalist Student Paper Award

The American Society of Naturalists created the American Naturalist Student Paper Award to honor student work published in the American Naturalist that best represents the goals of the society. To be eligible for the award, the work presented in the paper must have been performed primarily by the first author and primarily while she/he was an undergraduate or graduate student. The editors of the American Naturalist form the committee to consider the papers published in the year before.

ASN Student Research Award

The ASN Student Research Award goes to six student members of the American Society of Naturalists, who hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. have passed to candidacy in a Ph.D. program (or equivalent), must be at least one year from completing the Ph.D., and who have not received this award previously. The recipients of the award receive $2,000 and an announcement in the American Naturalist. They will be asked to send a brief report on how the money helped to sponsor their research.

Applications for the Student Research Award

An applicant must be a member of the ASN, must hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, must have passed to candidacy in a Ph.D. program or equivalent, and must be at least one year from completing the Ph.D. Applicants should send a two-page proposal (not including references--11 point font minimum with standard margins). In addition, applicants should include a budget with justification (one page), a short curriculum vitae (two pages), a statement from the Ph.D. supervisor that verifies that the applicant meets the eligibility requirements, and the supervisor’s recommendation supporting the research proposed by the student (one page). Projects in all types of research (i.e., laboratory, field, theory) are encouraged. A total of six proposals will receive awards. Proposals will be judged on originality, strength, and significance of the questions being addressed, prospects for significant results, and the match between the proposed research and the ASN mission. All materials should be compiled into one PDF file and sent via e-mail to John K. Kelly at jkk@ku.edu with “ASN Student Research Award” in the subject line. Deadline for submission of all materials is January 31, 2013.

Ruth Patrick Student Poster Award

The Ruth Patrick Student Poster Award was established in 2012 to recognize a student who has presented an outstanding poster at the annual meeting of the American Society of Naturalists. Ruth Patrick is a renowned limnologist, past president of the ASN (1975), and a Lifetime Honorary Member of the society. The winner of the award receives $1,000 and a one year membership to the ASN, which includes a one year subscription to the American Naturalist.

Applications for the Ruth Patrick Student Poster Award

The award committee requests applications for the 2013 award. The senior author and presenter of the poster must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student at the time of the annual meeting, or have received her or his degree within twelve months, and must be a member of the ASN. Students must indicate their desire to be considered for the Award by selecting the appropriate box at the time that they register online for the meeting.