College Awards

Each year there are a number of awards for CMNS faculty, staff, and students. Below are the criteria for these awards and the general timeline for nomination submission.

NOMINATION DEADLINE: March 4, 2024

BOV Distinguished Faculty Award 
BOV Junior Faculty Award
BOV Creative Educator Award
BOV Outstanding Graduate Student Award
Distinguished Research Scientist Prize
Staff Award (Non-Exempt and Exempt)
Norma M. Allewell Prize in Entrepreneurship
Dean’s Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
Dean’s Outstanding Lecturer Award
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Thelma M. Williams Advisor of the Year Award

 


Board of Visitors Awards

Each unit within the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) may nominate one candidate for each of the awards described below.  Winners are selected by members of the BOV through review and voting.

Board of Visitors Distinguished Faculty Award ($5000) given during the Spring

Eligibility: Any tenured faculty member in CMNS may be nominated for this award. 

Criteria: Candidates should be actively involved in a solid research program in basic or applied sciences that has gained significant national and international attention. It must be clear that the nominee has made a valuable and innovative research contribution to science.

Nomination Materials:

  • Letter of nomination from the unit's faculty (no more than 2 pages)
  • Supporting letter from the unit's Chair or Director
  • Brief CV

Submit nominations electronically, as attachments to e-mail, by the date in the notice to Gene Ferrick at gene@umd.edu

 

Board of Visitors Creative Educator Award ($5000) given during the Spring

Eligibility: Any member of the instructional faculty of CMNS may be nominated for this award.

Criteria: The Board particularly is looking for examples of cross-disciplinary education, collaboration with corporations and institutions outside the university, innovative approaches to education, enrichment of students' educational experience outside the classroom, and the embedding of entrepreneurship as an integral part of students' academic experience.

Nomination Materials:

  • Letter of nomination outlining the qualifications of the candidate (no more than 2 pages)
  • Supporting letter from the unit's Chair or Director
  • Brief CV
    Submit nominations electronically, as attachments to e-mail, by the date in the notice to Gene Ferrick at gene@umd.edu
     

Board of Visitors Outstanding Graduate Student Award ($5000) given during the Spring

Eligibility: All doctoral students within CMNS are eligible for this award.

Criteria: The Graduate Student Award will recognize a CMNS doctoral graduate student who has advanced to candidacy. The major criterion is demonstrated scholarly and research excellence. Each director of a doctoral graduate program may nominate a single candidate.

Nomination Materials: 

  • Letter of nomination outlining the qualifications of the candidate (no more than 2 pages)
  • Supporting letter from the unit's Chair or Director
  • Brief CV

Submit nominations electronically, as attachments to e-mail, by the date in the notice to Gene Ferrick at gene@umd.edu.  

 

Board of Visitors Junior Faculty Award ($2500) given during the Fall

Eligibility: Candidates must be Assistant Professors with a primary appointment in CMNS and have not yet been granted tenure.

Criteria: Candidates must show exceptional accomplishment in teaching and/or research, thus clearly establishing themselves as excellent faculty members. While they need not excel in all areas of faculty activity, they should be clearly superior in at least one area and not obviously deficient in any areas.

Nomination Materials:

  • Junior faculty who passed their three-year review may be nominated with the support of their chair/director. The three-year review report will serve as the nomination material.
  • Supporting letter from the unit's Chair or Director if there is no letter with the three-year package
  • Brief CV

The three-year review report will be used as the nomination materials for this award. These reports are usually due at the end of the Spring semester and no later than June.


CMNS Distinguished Research Scientist Prize

CMNS will award an annual Distinguished Research Prize ($5000) to recognize the vital role played by Research Scientists in advancing the mission of the College. 

Eligibility: Each CMNS unit may nominate one Senior or Associate Research Scientist for the Prize.

Criteria: The Prize will recognize research excellence evidenced by the discovery of new knowledge as demonstrated by published work in books, journals and leading conferences; invited talks, prizes, inventions, patents and other recognitions; and, as appropriate, the track record of their competitive research funding.

Nomination Materials:

  • The candidate's abbreviated 3-4 page Curriculum Vita
  • Nomination letter from the Chair or Director of the nominee's unit describing the candidate's distinguished contributions to scientific knowledge.

Nominations should be sent to Gene Ferrick at gene@umd.edu by the date in the notice. A winner is selected by a committee of Research Scientists and/or Professors. The winner may be asked to deliver a 45 minute "CMNS Distinguished Research Scientist Prize Lecture."

 


 

Staff Awards (Exempt and Non-Exempt)

Staff Service- Non-Exempt Staff (2 awards at $1000)

Eligibility: All CMNS non-exempt staff members with at least 2 years experience in the college are eligible.

Criteria: The candidate will be recognized for dedication to the well-being and operation of the college and the administrative units thereof. Individuals nominated shall exemplify strong capability, commitment and service to the College and the University community. Length of service as well as specific examples of the outstanding duties performed should be emphasized.

Nomination Materials:

A review committee of staff members will seek input from the staff member's unit Chair or Director before a final decision is made. Two candidates may be selected for each award.

Staff Service- Exempt Staff (2 awards at $1000)

Eligibility: All CMNS exempt staff members with at least 2 years experience in the college are eligible.

Criteria: The candidate will be recognized for dedication to the well-being and operation of the college and the administrative units thereof. Individuals nominated shall exemplify strong capability, commitment and service to the College and the University community. Length of service as well as specific examples of the outstanding duties performed should be emphasized.

Nomination Materials:

A review committee of staff members will seek input from the staff member's unit Chair or Director before a final decision is made. Two candidates may be selected for each award.


The Norma M. Allewell Prize in Entrepreneurship

The Norma M. Allewell Prize in Entrepreneurship was established to encourage and recognize faculty members for their innovation and energy directed toward cutting-edge research, technology development and entrepreneurship in the biological sciences. The Prize honors Dr. Norma M. Allewell and was established by Henry N. Wixon (B.S. '76, M.S. '80, zoology) and other Board of Visitors and faculty members of the former College of Chemical and Life Sciences at the University of Maryland. Dr. Allewell served as Dean of the College of Chemical and Life Sciences at the University of Maryland from September 2000 until June 2010.

Eligibility: 
Recipients must be CMNS Tenured/Tenure Track or Professional Track Faculty members conducting biological sciences research. The Prize is for entrepreneurship related to discoveries made at the University of Maryland and the financial award can be used for research expenses and/or student support.

Criteria:
The selection of the recipient(s) will be based on the
● Assessment of the commercial viability and quality of the faculty member's research activity being nominated
● Assessment of the faculty member's long-term commitment to entrepreneurship
● Extent to which students (both undergraduate and graduate) are involved in the research

Nomination Materials:

  • The nomination process requires a 1-2 page write-up that describes the:
  • Research and technology, product and/or service to be provided
  • Customer problem that the research, product and/or service addresses
  • Nature of student involvement in the research and development or formation of a company
  • The nomination package should also include evidence of the nominee's long-term commitment to entrepreneurship.

Prize Amount:
The purse for the Norma M. Allewell Prize in Entrepreneurship will be up to $5,000.

Selection Process:
The recipient(s) for the Norma M. Allewell Prize in Entrepreneurship will be selected each year by the Dean of CMNS or his designee based on recommendations made by a subcommittee of the CMNS Board of Visitors. Nominations may come from any student, researcher, faculty member or staff member within CMNS.

Please send nominations attached to an email to Gene Ferrick (gene@umd.edu) the date in the notice.

 


Awards Nominated by Students 

The following awards are nominated by students* and the award recipients will receive a $1000 prize.  

Dean’s Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
Dean’s Outstanding Lecturer Award
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Thelma M. Williams Advisor of the Year Award

Eligibility:
Nominees for all of these awards must be current members of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences.
A nominee may not have won the specific award in the past two years.

For the Dean’s Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award nominees may be an undergraduate or a graduate student who is performing the role of teaching assistant for a course being taught by CMNS.

Nominees for the Dean’s Outstanding Lecturer Award should have the title of lecturer or instructor.

Nominees for the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching may be a tenured or tenure track faculty member.

The Thelma M. Williams Advisor of the Year Award is open to any faculty or staff member who performs the service of advising undergraduate students in the College.

Nomination Process:

Nominations for all of the awards nominated by students* are accepted through this link (deadline is in the notice).

https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_d0d1QawajaUVfg2

*Faculty may also submit nominations for the Outstanding Teaching Assistance Award through the web form.