Divisions – Chemistry Outstanding Mentorship Awards

Call for Nominations, 2025 ChemCUR Outstanding Mentorship Awards

CUR’s Chemistry Division seeks to honor exceptional mentoring and advising by higher education faculty across all subdisciplines of chemistry with Outstanding Mentorship Awards. These awards recognize:

• transformative mentoring and advising of undergraduate students in mentor-led chemistry research projects, and at least one of the following three categories:
• mentorship of undergraduate students through the integration of undergraduate research into the academic curriculum and coursework in chemistry
• mentorship of undergraduate students and/or faculty with demonstrated evidence of supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in chemical education and research
• mentorship of undergraduate students and/or faculty by establishment of programmatic infrastructure

Each award will consist of a plaque, a small cash award, and a letter of commendation from CUR that shall be sent to the recipient’s institution. In each award cycle, one award will be given.

Nomination deadline

January 31, 2025

Eligibility Criteria

• The award recipient must be a full-time faculty member in chemistry or a subdiscipline of chemistry at an accredited higher education institution in the United States, the District of Columbia, or any U.S. territory.
• Full-time faculty with ten or more years of experience teaching and mentoring undergraduates are eligible.
• Faculty with interdisciplinary appointments or with appointments in related fields are eligible if mentoring activities and research projects involve a major chemistry focus.
• Faculty at institutions that do not primarily serve undergraduates are eligible if the meritorious mentorship activities directly involve undergraduate students and/or faculty who teach undergraduates.
  
  Nominations from colleagues of the nominee are encouraged.  Past students wishing to nominate a faculty mentor are encouraged to work with an institutional official who shall advance the nomination.  Each qualified institution may submit one nomination per award cycle. Previous winners of major ACS or CUR national awards (such as the ACS Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution, the CUR Fellows Award, and the CUR-Goldwater Scholars Faculty Mentor Award) are not eligible. Self-nominations and nominations from current students will not be accepted.

Nomination Materials 

Nominator must provide these in one PDF file, 16 GB Maximum:

1. Nomination letter (2-page maximum; font size 12-pt Times New Roman; 1-inch margins). The nomination letter should include a statement about the University’s mission and the impact of teaching load on  undergraduate research activities. The nomination letter should highlight the nominee’s accomplishments in the mentoring and advising of undergraduate research students and/or faculty that are relevant to the award. Although some nominees may be exceptional across all award categories, the nominator should emphasize the nominee’s commitment to mentoring and advising through discussion of specific outcomes. The letter should also explain the nominee’s effectiveness in at least one of the additional three award categories listed in the eligibility criteria. Outcomes should include peer-reviewed manuscripts featuring undergraduate student work, external grants, conference presentations by or with students, matriculation of mentees in graduate-level chemistry study, employment of student mentees as a professional in a STEM field, development of programs that enhance undergraduate research, and/or career advancement of faculty mentees.  Particular attention should be given to the quality of outcomes and broader impacts achieved, not the quantity of the outcomes. Insights into the nominee’s mentoring and advising philosophy, including significant consequences of the nominee’s efforts, should be addressed. For the category on integration of undergraduate research into the academic curriculum and coursework in chemistry, specific details on the nominee’s contributions to the development, application, and assessment of research experiences in chemistry courses or across curricula are required. For the category on diversity and inclusion, details about how the nominee tailors mentoring and advising strategies to fit needs and strengths of students and faculty are required. Likewise, for the category on establishment of programmatic infrastructure, specific details on the nominee’s contributions to the development, sustainment, and assessment of programs are required. 
2. Two support letters (2-page maximum; font size 12-pt Times New Roman; 1-inch margins). Two support letters, including at least one from a former student, should be provided to the nominator for inclusion in the nomination package. Support letters from colleagues at the nominee’s institution are welcome, but letters will not be accepted from currently enrolled students. Support letters should personalize the mentoring and advising efforts of the nominee by explaining how the nominee has made a difference as a mentor and adviser to undergraduate researchers, peer faculty, and/or more broadly to the institution.
3.  Nominee CV (10-page maximum). The nominee’s CV should be tailored to showcase engagement in the mentoring and advising of undergraduate students and/or faculty across the primary areas of professional life.  Professional leadership and service rooted in mentoring and advising of undergraduates or faculty who teach undergraduates also should be highlighted. For the category of undergraduate students in mentor-led chemistry research projects, all publications with undergraduates mentored by the nominee should be underlined and the corresponding author should be noted with an asterisk. Include only publications that are indexed in a major scientific database. The supervisory and mentoring roles of the nominee, graduate students, and post-docs in the group should be clarified. Likewise, stated grant activities should clearly identify the roles of each investigator (e.g. PI, Co-PI, Senior Personnel, etc.). Include details about placement of students after graduation. 

Review and Notification

The CUR Chemistry Division chair will appoint a committee composed of present and past division Councilors to review the nominations and select one awardee. The award recipient will be notified of award decision in March.

Questions

Have a question? Contact Joe Reczek, Chair, CUR Chemistry Division.

Chemistry Outstanding Mentorship Award Recipients