ATW Call for Nominations for the Dr. Richard Playle Awards for Outstanding BSc and MSc Theses in Aquatic Toxicology

Nominations are now invited for the Dr. Richard C. Playle Awards for Outstanding Thesis in Aquatic Toxicology at each of the BSc and MSc levels that have been submitted and accepted at an accredited University within the past year. These awards (one for BSc and one for MSc) were established by ATW in memory of Dr. Richard Colin Playle, a Professor of Biology at Wilfrid Laurier University from 1992-2005, who was an enthusiastic supporter of ATW and whose original insight spawned what is essentially a new area of research in aquatic toxicology: Biotic Ligand Modeling.

Awards will be made annually if qualified applicants are identified, and the recipients are expected to give an oral presentation on the subject of their thesis dissertation at the next ATW conference.  The 36^th ATW meeting will be held in La Malbaie from Sept. 27-30, 2009

Selection of recipients will be made by a committee of three judges chosen from among past, present and future ATW organizing committee members.

Award recipients will be presented with a commemorative plaque at the annual meeting, plus a cheque in the amount of $300 for Honours BSc students and $700 for MSc students.

In order to facilitate attendance of the recipients to the meeting, registration at ATW for the day of the recipients oral presentation and award presentation (one day),  reasonable expenses for air travel at minimum rates, and one night's accommodation (if required) will be paid by ATW, up to a maximum of one thousand dollars ($1,000).  

Application/nomination/submission procedures:
Nominations are to be made to Dr. Les Burridge, ATW Continuity Chair:
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, 531 Brandy Cove Rd. St. Andrews, NB. E5B 2L9.
Email: BurridgeL@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Tel: 506 529 5903.
 
For nomination, a thesis must have been submitted and accepted at an accredited University within the year preceding the nomination deadline.  Only one thesis per degree (BSc and MSc) may be nominated by a department, though more than one department in a university may nominate a thesis. The nominated thesis and the candidate's CV may be submitted as hard copies (4) or electronically. A hard copy of a joint letter from the Chair of the Department and the Supervisor must be sent to the ATW Continuity Chair (see address above) by July 17, 2009 (competition closed).

Award Selection Procedures:
Theses will be judged on the quality of the science (50%) and the presentation of the thesis (20%) in each of the two categories (BSc and MSc), as well as the quality of the applicant (30%) as reflected in their CV.  Dr. Playle was also an enthusiastic supporter of the arts and literature and recognized the value of contributing to his community inside and outside the university.  Candidates whose CV demonstrates a broad range of activities and/or participation in extracurricular fields will receive a higher weighting in the competition in keeping with Dr. Playle's philosophy of leading a well rounded life.

Winners will be notified of the award by August 31, 2009 and formally announced at the 2009 ATW.