NEERS Professional Awards

NEERS Achievement Award

This award was established to recognize people who "have made significant contributions over a period of years to estuarine science, education, conservation, or management"; recipients need not be members of NEERS. This award was approved at the Fall 1998 meeting. It was first presented to Scott Nixon at the Spring 2000 meeting in Portland, Maine. The only other Achievement Award to date was presented to Fred Short at the Spring 2012 meeting in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

NEERS Student Awards

NEERS offers travel support and presentation prizes based on the quality of the scholarship and presentation at a NEERS meeting. Eligibility requirements, instructions on how to apply, and judging criteria are discussed on the Student Awards Procedures webpage, found under the category of "Meetings."

The first "Student Award" for best paper was given at the Spring 1974 meeting. Since then, the original single award has been divided into multiple presentation awards. See the History of NEERS for additional information on the creation of the various student awards.

The Student Award endowment Fund was established to generate income to fund all student prizes and travel awards. Five dollars of every Regular membership goes toward the student endowment fund.

Buck Ketchum Prize for Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation ($100)

The Buck Ketchum Award is given to the best Graduate Student Oral Presentation at a NEERS meeting. The student must clearly be the senior contributing author but need not be the sole author of the paper.

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. (the original pencil sketch by Jay Moore for the "Student Award" certificate is presented here) 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." With the creation of additional prizes for presentations the Buck Ketchum Prize first was designated for best graduate student presentation and now for best Graduate Student Oral Presentation.

Rankin Prize for Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation ($100)

The Rankin Prize is awarded for the best Undergraduate Oral Presentation at a NEERS meeting. The student must clearly be the senior contributing author but need not be the sole author of the paper.

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 short stature) 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. With development of the Warren Prize for best poster, the Rankin Prize is now awarded for Best Undergraduate Student Oral Presentation.

Dean Prize for Best Graduate Student Poster ($100)

The Dean Prize is awarded to the best Graduate Student Poster at a NEERS meeting. The student must clearly be the senior contributing author but need not be the sole author of the paper.

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 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 Ketchum Prize became the award for the best graduate student oral presentation.The Dean Prize for Best Student Poster was first awarded at the Fall 1996 meeting.

Warren Prize for Best Undergraduate Student Poster ($100

The Warren Prize is awarded to the best Undergraduate Student Poster at a NEERS meeting. The student must clearly be the senior contributing author but need not be the sole author of the paper.

The R. Scott Warren Prize was recommended by the Board and approved by the membership at the Fall 2002 meeting to honor Dr. Warren's long-term commitment to the Society and especially his dedication to inspiring undergraduate students at Connecticut College to present their research at NEERS meetings. Dr. Warren has been a professor at Connecticut College since 1970 where he has been an outspoken advocate of wetland and tidal marsh preservation. He has focused his research primarily on the wetlands and marshes of New England. With the addition of the Warren Prize, the Rankin Prize now is awarded for the best undergraduate student oral presentation.

Niering Travel Awards

We award three $100 awards for each NEERS meeting and two $500 awards for CERF meetings. Additional awards may be available depending on the success of fundraising.

Priority will be given to students presenting a paper. If there are more awards available than student presenters who have submitted their names, then students who are not presenting can be chosen by lottery to receive a travel award

Instructions on how to apply are discussed on the Student Awards Procedures webpage, found under the category of "Meetings."

The Niering Travel Awards are named after William Niering (1924-1999), well-known botanist and recognized wetlands expert who taught for many years at Connecticut College and was Director of the school's Arboretum. Dr. Niering's students frequently attended and many presented their research at NEERS meetings.