meeting room at a conference, sun shines through the windows

Annual meeting awards

L.R. Wilson Best Student Paper Award

L.R. Wilson in 1957 (from Newsletter 31-4)

Named after Leonard R. Wilson, University of Oklahoma, a pioneer in the field of palynology who published over 200 scientific papers effectively demonstrating the relationships of plants to sediments and rocks through time. Wilson was the first scientist to perceive the common uses of palynology in oil exploration and actively advanced the idea that plant microfossils could become a powerful biostratigraphic tool.

This award is given to student presenters at The Palynological Society’s annual meeting. Evaluation criteria include audibility, clarity, audience engagement, and pacing of the speaker, with emphasis placed on a clear statement of the problem, methods, and conclusions of the research. The award recipient will be selected by the Awards Committee, and the prize includes a certificate, $250 cash prize, and a two-year membership in AASP-The Palynological Society.

 

Vaughn Bryant Best Poster Award

Vaughn Bryant in 2017 (from Newsletter 54-1)

Named after Vaughn Bryant (Texas A&M University), a world-renowned palynologist, respected teacher, and long-time leader and member of The Palynological Society. He is widely recognized as the leading expert in forensic palynology and melissopalynology in the US. Bryant published over 130 articles and book chapters and co-authored two AASP Contributions Series and an AASP-TPS book. He received the Distinguished Service Award (1999), Honorary Membership (2005), the Medal for Excellence in Education (2013), and the Medal for Scientific Excellence (2016) from The Palynological Society in recognition of his contributions throughout the course of his more than 50 year-long career.

This award is given to student presenters at The Palynological Society’s annual meeting. The judging criteria, established by the Awards Committee, include neatness and attractiveness of the poster including its graphics; scientific merit of the research problem; clarity and innovativeness of the research methods; clarity and simplicity of the results.
The awardee must be (1) first author, (2) should be a student (if the awardee has formally completed a graduate degree, they cannot have been employed more than 6 months before the award is made). The award recipient will be selected by the Awards Committee, and the prize includes a certificate, $250 cash prize, and a two-year membership in AASP-The Palynological Society.