Honouring Women
Anna Robinson
It gives me much pleasure to advise that WISENET has started an active program of nominating members for awards, honours and prizes. We have nominated for PM Science Prizes and Queensland Smart-State Women Awards. It is very exciting and enjoyable. Just to clarify - :
(a) It is important for ALL to have a portfolio of updated professional documents - usually required for any award. Please ensure they are ready (start writing?) as timelines for awards are usually quite tight. Documentation required includes:
Curriculum Vitae (please show ‘as at’ date and date of birth as some awards are directed to specific age groups)
Citation A Citation approaches essay format and needs to describe professional development, achievements, collaborations, contributions, outreach activities, memberships etc. This can be done chronologically or following a preferred order of focus. The description should be general and contain specifics but not be esoteric. Even very experienced scientists cannot understand detail beyond a certain level in other disciplines.
Publication Record (or other record of achievement)
Contact details for three referees
(b) Documentation should be written in a format that can be readily rearranged (e.g. use dates, headings, numbered dot-points, brevity). Use specifics in description (who, what, where, when and why make a good start). Some awards specify nomination formatting such as “CV to be no more than 3 A-4 pages using 12 point Courier font”. It is essential to meet these criteria.
(c) Few nominations are made today without the nominee’s knowledge as many awards have some sort of public relations component and require the nominee’s agreement. Please accept the nomination willingly unless there is real reason for rejection. The nomination is just as important as the award. It brings the nominee, nominator, area of science, institutions and associated bodies to the attention of those involved in the awards process. Accepting is a responsible, generous and courteous gesture – and much appreciated.
(d) Be prepared to assist as much as possible with the process. Each award has a different focus; the nomination for one might have quite different requirements from another.
(e) It is important to observe timelines. Absences (especially international travel) can make timely completion of the nomination process impossible. Calendar checks are important.
It is gratifying to see that the numbers of women being honoured is increasing in parallel with its promotion given by the Office of Status of Women (http://www.osw.dpmc.gov.au/leadership_development/national_leadership_ initiative/honouring_women/index.htm). Here follow two stories of honoured women.