This is a College-level competition across all Departments/Programs for Ph.D. graduate students who are on track to receive/graduate with their conferred degree between May 2024 – December 2024. It is intended to highlight the creativity and outstanding research achievements demonstrated by our Ph.D. students. Departments/Programs may each present up to two graduate students for this award. A committee will select three student winners for this award.
Eligibility Criteria and Selection of Candidates
- Criteria for the award: creativity and outstanding research achievement.
- Graduate chairs can present up to two Ph.D. students as candidates for this award. To identify their candidate(s), we recommend using a process that allows nominations from both students and faculty, including student self-nominations.
- Students must be on-track to receive/graduate with their conferred Ph.D. degree between May 2024 – December 2024.
- Department/Program submission deadline: Friday, January 19, 2024
The nomination package must include the following as a single PDF in the order listed
- Student personal statement (up to 1500 words (approx. 3 pages max)):
- Why they should be selected for the Towner Prize.
- How has the student and/or their research been involved in/impacted our local or broader community?
- Examples include but are not limited to: involvement in student organizations, serving as a GSI, volunteer activities, and research impact on a specific community.
- Two letters of recommendation (one from the student’s advisor).
- The student’s CV with links to publications and/or patents.
- One-page abstract on the student’s research
- The abstract may include 1 figure as a part of the single-page abstract. Abstracts should not exceed 1 page. See abstract template for guidelines.
- Abstracts will be available online on the ERS website
Departments/Programs should submit these documents as one PDF file with the nomination form.
Timeline
- Dec. 7 – Call for nominations
- Jan. 19 – Nominations due from departments
- Feb. 12 – Winners are announced
- March 24 – Winners will be honored at the College of Engineering Leaders & Honors Awards Brunch
Awards & Review Process
- Candidates will be judged on their submitted materials by a panel of judges.
- The judging rubric will assess research quality, effective communication, and broader impact.
- Three winners will each receive $2,500. Winners will be highlighted on the CoE website.
Questions about the Richard and Eleanor Towner Prize for Outstanding Ph.D. Research can be directed to [email protected].