These groups include: women of all racial or ethnic groups; African American, Native American, and Hispanic men; and people with disabilities.

Both awards recognize an individual who has mentored and guided significant numbers of students from underrepresented groups to the completion of doctoral studies or who has impacted the climate of a department, college, or institution to significantly increase the diversity of students pursuing and completing doctoral studies.

It is important to indicate in the nomination materials how the nominee’s work resulted in departmental and/or institutional change in terms of the granting of PhDs to underrepresented students. This can be documented not only with quantitative data, but may also be demonstrated through the student and colleague letters of support. Such commitment and extraordinary effort may be demonstrated by:

• The number and diversity of students mentored;
• Assisting students to present and publish their work, to find financial aid, and to provide career guidance;
• Providing psychological support, encouragement, and essential strategies for life in the scholarly community;
• Continued interest in the individual’s professional advancement

Award Information

• Lifetime Mentor Award: A prize of $5,000 will be awarded. This individual will have served in the role of mentor for 25 or more years.
• Mentor Award: A prize of $5,000 will be awarded. This individual will have served in the role of mentor for less than 25 years.

Eligibility Criteria

• The award is open to all individuals, regardless of nationality or citizenship, who have mentored students at a U.S. institution. Nominees must be living at the time of their nomination. Lifetime Mentor Awardees will have served in the role of mentor for 25 or more years. Mentor Awardees will have served in the role of mentor for less than 25 years.
• Each nominee will be rated based on the following criteria:
  • Candidate mentored a significant number of students from underrepresented groups (i.e., women of all racial or ethnic groups; African American, Native American, and Hispanic men; and people with disabilities) who earned PhDs in a STEM field
  • Candidate has shaped or impacted the climate of a department, college, or institution to significantly increase the diversity of students who earned STEM PhDs
  • Candidate demonstrated continued interest in the educational and professional development of students mentored before and during the pursuit of the STEM PhD
  • Candidate provided students with psychological support, encouragement, and essential strategies for life in the scholarly community before and during the pursuit of the STEM PhD
  • Candidate has shaped or impacted the climate of a department, college, or institution to significantly increase the diversity of students who earned STEM PhDs

Application Requirements

• Nominations will be able to submit online. If you prefer to submit your nomination via postal mail. Please include the name of the award in the subject line of your email. In addition to the web form, complete nomination packages will include:
  • A brief citation (25 - 30 words) describing the accomplishment(s) for which the individual is nominated;
  • A Nomination Rationale that enumerates the ways in which the person reflects the purpose of this award, including scholarship, activism, and community building (3-page maximum);
  • The candidate’s curriculum vitae (5-page maximum);
  • A list of underrepresented students mentored with year PhD earned, institution and current employment. Please use the following templates:
    • Bachelor’s & Master’s Student List
    • PhD Student List
  • A maximum of five supporting letters from students and three supporting letters from colleagues representative of the different spheres in which the candidate has demonstrated effort, results, and commitment. Letters of nominations for candidates who are not direct doctoral mentors must indicate how the nominee mentored graduate students before and during the graduate school years.
• Nominations must be made in English.
• Please note: Nominees can be nominated up to three times. If you are nominating someone who has been nominated for either award in the past, please indicate so in your Nomination Rationale.

For more information, visit AAAS.