The Sangster Award

Version française The CNC/CODATA is accepting applications for The Sangster Award. The Sangster award, valued at Can. $3000, enables a Canadian graduate student enrolled in a Canadian university, or recent graduate (within 3 years of graduation and of Canadian citizenship), to attend and present his or her work at International CODATA Conferences. It is expected that the award winner's field of study will support the general objectives of CODATA, namely, to help foster and advance science and technology through developing and sharing knowledge about data and data-related activities. The award was established by Dr. James Sangster of Sangster Research Laboratories, who has been a long time member and supporter of CODATA at both national and international levels. It is targeted at graduate students, or recent graduates, whose field of study supports the goals and activities of CODATA, namely to help foster and advance science and technology through developing and sharing knowledge about data and the activities that work with data. The 2012 recipient was: Dr. Daniel Ricard, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada). Dr. Ricard presented his paper entitled "Examining the knowledge base and status of commercially exploited marine species with the RAM Legacy Stock Assessment Database" at the 23rd International CODATA Conference, Open Data and Information for a Changing Planet, 28-31 October 2012, Taipei.

Daniel Ricard, 2012 Sangster Award Recipient Previous Recipients

Background

In 2003, the Canadian National Committee for CODATA (CNC/CODATA) established "The Sangster Award". This award was made possible through the patronage of Dr. James Sangster. The following document describes some of the details of the award and its administration.

[1] The Content of the Award

A maximum award of CAN $3000 will be provided to cover the following costs associated with the oral presentation (or poster presentation (see section [4])) of the award winner's work and their attendance at the biannual International CODATA Conference:

1. Return economy fare (air, train, car, etc) from the award recipient's place of study to the conference location.
2. Reasonable accommodation costs for the duration of the conference.
3. Conference registration fee for students (full conference fees will not be charged)
4. Per diems for food and out of pocket expenses. The rates for per diems will follow those established by National Research Council Canada (NRC).

1. An itemized expenses claim form together with all supporting receipts and,
2. Certification (e.g., the conference program) that a presentation was delivered by the award recipient at the conference.

In the event that the costs associated with the conference attendance exceed CAN $3000 then it is expected that the award recipient and her/his supervisor will arrange for funding from alternative sources.

The award winner will receive a framed award certificate from the CNC/CODATA Secretariat.

[2] The Intended Recipients of the Award

The intended recipients of the award are Canadian graduate students enrolled in a recognized Canadian University graduate program (either MSc or PhD) or who have completed their graduate degree within 3 years of the application deadline in a field of study that supports the goals and activities of CODATA:

• To improve the quality and accessibility of data, as well as the methods by which data are acquired
• To facilitate international cooperation among those collecting, organizing, and using data
• To promote an increased awareness in the scientific and technical communities of the importance of these activities
• To consider data access and intellectual property issues.

The award is not intended for undergraduate students.

[3] The Application Procedure

A. Competition Deadline and Timelines

The deadline for applications will be set for the last day of March in the year of the conference and the announcement of the award winner will be made by the end of April.

B. Application Package

An application for the award should contain:

1. A biographical sketch or the curriculum vitae of the award applicant.
2. A statement that details the applicants current program of study and/or research project.
3. A statement from the applicant's research supervisor that addresses the applicant's suitability for the award.
4. An abstract or brief description of the data-related research that the applicant intends to present at the conference. The work should be in harmony with the advertised themes of the Conference.
5. Any other supporting information relevant to the application.

Completed applications should be forwarded by mail/email to:

Secretariat, CNC/CODATA (Sangster Award)
Attn: Mary Zborowski, Executive Secretary CNC/CODATA
National Research Council Canada
Building M-58, Room E141
1200 Montreal Road
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0R6

Tel: (613) 990-1054
Email: cnc-codata@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

C. Selection of the award recipient

The criteria for ranking the applications will be based upon:

1. The strength of the application i.e., significance/novelty of the work.
2. The academic strength of the applicant.
3. The supplied supervisors statement of suitability.
4. Relevance to data issues.

The Awards Subcommittee of CNC/CODATA reserves the right to leave the award unfilled if their deliberations conclude that there are no worthy applications.

[4] The Award Presentation

The Chairperson of CNC/CODATA will contact the organizers of the international CODATA conference and identify the winner of the Sangster Award.

The award winner is expected to deliver an oral presentation of their work at the biannual International CODATA Conference, however at the discretion of the Conference Program Committee a poster presentation may suffice.