Description

The Carl C. Smith Graduate Student Award is among the original awards offered by the Mechanisms Specialty Section. This award honors the career of Carl C. Smith and typifies the commitment of Dr. Smith and his wife Tee to the advancement of graduate education in the field of toxicology. This award is made possible by the Carl C. Smith Student Mechanisms Award Fund of the SOT Endowment. The prestige of this award is well-appreciated among Society members and the field at-large. Applicants are encouraged to submit their best work.

The requirements for the award are:

1. An abstract submitted for the 2024 SOT Annual Meeting with the graduate student as the presenting author. NEW THIS YEAR: Please note the Carl C. Smith Graduate Student Award deadline (November 15, 2023) is prior to the SOT Abstract submission deadline (December 1, 2023). Please plan your SOT Abstract submission accordingly.
2. The applicant must be a graduate student member of the SOT (pending membership status ok).
3. The applicant does not have to be a member of the Mechanisms Specialty Section; however, if not a member, one of the letters of recommendation (see below) should include a note of sponsorship by a current member of the Mechanisms Specialty Section.
4. Submission of a complete application as detailed below.

Submission process and required documentation:

1. Cover letter from the applicant simply indicating the metadata associated with the award application (abstract to be considered, personal statement, individuals providing letters, etc.).
2. Copy of the submitted abstract (including relevant abstract identifier #s obtained during the submission process).
3. A personal statement (no more than 1 page, 11pt Arial, single space) describing how the work described in the abstract fits into the overall thesis and training, as well as career goals.
4. Two letters, preferably from Mechanisms SS members, recommending the graduate student and the research project must be sent for each abstract. One recommendation must be from the Department or Section Head. This letter should verify that the work reported in the abstract was done while the student was enrolled in the graduate program. The second letter should be from the research mentor. This letter must include a description of the contribution of the student in the completion of the work, especially when there are multiple authors. If the Department Head and the mentor are the same individual, a second letter must be submitted from another member of the student’s dissertation/thesis committee. If neither the Department Head or mentor are members of the Specialty Section, a third letter of sponsorship from a member is required.

The materials must be submitted as PDF files and must be sent no later than 11:59 pm (EST) November 15, 2023. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Application review criteria and 2nd phase review for finalists:

Applications will be judged on criteria including 1) perceived scientific impact, 2) depth of mechanistic insight and approach, 3) relevance to toxicology, 4) clarity of findings, 5) quality of writing, 6) letters of recommendation, and 7) the personal statement.

Important: Top-tier finalists will be selected and will be asked to submit a full-length manuscript for final judging in a second review phase. This manuscript cannot be published or in press at the time of submission. Please note that the manuscripts will be due December 15, 2023.

Award recipients will be announced at the Mechanisms Specialty Section business meeting at the SOT Annual Meeting and will receive a plaque and cash award.

Questions? Contact SOT Mechanisms.