Procedures
for the Selection Committee and Committee Chair for the
Roy L. Whistler International Award in Carbohydrate Chemistry (updated
July 2004)
I.
Criteria (from
ICO minutes)
The criteria for the award are as follows: ‘The awardee shall be
an active worker in carbohydrate research, distinguished with contributions
of excellence and with promise of continued productivity’ (the last
phrase means that the award should not be given to a person about to retire).
II.
Committee Composition (from ICO minutes)
The selection committee for the Whistler Award consists of the immediate
Past-President, the President, the President-elect, the Secretary and
two additional members chosen to ensure that there is at least one person
on the committee knowledgeable about the research area of each nominee
(it was subsequently agreed that the co-opted members are not to be selected
until nominations have been received; see below under “15 months”).
The Past-President acts as chairman of the selection committee and is
responsible for appointing the co-opted members, receiving nominations,
and conducting the selection process.
III.
Procedures before the ICS
21 months before (September) Following an ICS, nominations are
solicited from the glycoscience community, via the National Representatives,
for the Whistler Award. A deadline of 15 months prior to the next ICS
(generally April) should be set for receipt of nomination material.
All nominations should be acknowledged. The selection committee has the
right to request nomination from individuals. Unsuccessful nominees in
the current round are to be automatically included in the next round of
nominations (after consultation with the National Representative responsible
for the original nomination). A nominee, after two successive unsuccessful
rounds, will be automatically deleted but can be re-nominated by a National
Representative.
15 months before (April) Immediately after the nomination deadline,
the co-opted members are chosen by the immediate Past-President to ensure
that there is at least one person on the committee knowledgeable about
the research area of each nominee, and are added to the committee, after
receiving an indication of their willingness to serve. The other committee
members are notified as to their identity.
Conduct first ballot, asking committee members to rank all nominees, with
a brief statement supporting the ranking. Deadline for return should be
30-45 days; Chair participates.
12 months before (July) Chair compiles a summary statement about
each candidate chosen as one of the top three.
Chair sends out the summary statements with a ballot containing the names
of the candidates chosen as one of the top three, asking committee members
to mark their first and second choices. Deadline for return should be
about 30 days; Chair participates.
The person selected as the awardee is notified of his/her selection, that
an award lecture at the upcoming ICS is required, and that the ICS organizer
will be contacting him/her for a lecture title. Photographs for a news
release are requested.
9 months before (October) The ICS organizer is informed of the
name of the award recipient and communication opportunities (postal and
electronic addresses, telephone and fax numbers).
ICS organizer includes the Roy L. Whistler Award Lecture information in
the Second Circular (if applicable).
The National Representative of the United States is informed of the name
of the award recipient. The USA representative arranges for preparation
of the Award Plaque and issuance of the prize cheque.
A news release is prepared and sent with a photograph to all National
Representatives and to the ICS organizer for inclusion in the program
booklet, and to the editors of the following journals:Carbohydrate Research,
Journal of Carbohydrate Chemistry, Glycoconjugate Journal, Starch/Stärke,
Carbohydrate Polymers, Glycobiology.
6 months (January)
Nominators are informed of the committee’s decisions with specific
information about their nominee, such as “clearly a strong and deserving
candidate that should (will) be re-nominated”, “insufficient
information”, “falls outside the prescribed criterion of young”,
etc.
IV:
Procedures at the Symposium
1. The ICO President presides over the opening session after any opening
ceremony. The opening session is the Whistler Award Lecture (NB. This
is not a plenary lecture). In the introduction of the award recipient,
the President should explain the significance of the award, including
the US$10 000 prize, which makes it one of the world’s major awards,
and describe the accomplishments of past recipients.
2. The program book should contain a description of the award and a listing
of past award recipients. The actual award (plaque and cheque) is presented
before or following the lecture, by the ICO President.
3. A photographer should be present to record the award presentation.