By Vincent Hénault-Brunet (CASCA Awards Committee)
(Cassiopeia – Winter 2023)
Dear CASCA members,
We are now accepting nominations for the 2024 CASCA awards.
This year, the following prizes will be awarded:
- Qilak Award for Astronomy Communications, Public Education, and Outreach, awarded in even years to recent and impactful outreach activities;
- Carlyle S. Beals Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement and Community Service;
- Dunlap Award for Innovation in Astronomical Research Tools; and
- J.S. Plaskett Medal for outstanding doctoral thesis work.
Nominations for the Plaskett medal should be submitted by the department chair, and we will accept one nomination per department. This award allows the research excellence and hard work of our graduate members to be recognized. Students, don’t wait, take this email to your advisor/head of department and ask to be considered for your department’s nomination. Graduate chairs, please don’t miss this opportunity to highlight the work of your students.
Note that self-nominations are now accepted for post-PhD awards following recommendations by CASCA’s Equity and Inclusivity Committee, and the award guidelines have been updated accordingly. We would like to have a diverse group of award nominees to choose from, so we especially encourage first-time nominees. Detailed instructions for how to write a nomination letter are listed here.
Nominations for all awards above should be submitted to the Chair of the CASCA Awards committee, Vincent Hénault-Brunet, and emailed to vincent.henault@smu.ca. When applicable, external letters of support (e.g., from international experts in the nominee’s field), should also be sent directly to the Chair of the Awards committee (to ensure confidentiality of references). Nominees must be CASCA members in good standing. If in doubt, please check with the CASCA administrator at casca@casca.ca. The deadline for nominations is January 15, 2024. Please refer to the relevant CASCA award pages for additional nomination procedures.
In addition, the CASCA Board is welcoming nominations for the CASCA Executive Award for Outstanding Service, awarded to an individual who has made sustained contributions in service that have strengthened the Canadian astronomical community and enhanced its impact regionally, nationally and/or internationally. This may include, but is not limited to, innovations in education, outreach and support of research facilities or tools used by others. The Executive Award recipient is selected by the CASCA Board. The nomination procedure is to submit a 1 to 2 page letter of support to the CASCA President indicating the candidate’s qualifications, history of service, and impact of their service activities – both nationally and internationally. Consideration of nominations will begin on January 15, 2024. Please send nomination packages for the CASCA Executive Award directly to casca-president@casca.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you, and to celebrating another year of great achievements from our fellow CASCA members!
Best wishes,
The CASCA Awards committee
Vincent Hénault-Brunet, Pauline Barmby, Craig Heinke, Tracy Webb, Jon Willis