DURHAM, N.C. – In recognition of graduate student research excellence in environmental and earth sciences and policy, the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at 91ÉçÇø¸£Àû will present the first Dean's Award for the Outstanding Graduate Student Manuscript in the spring of 2008.

The award will be given each year to one student enrolled in the Nicholas School’s Ph.D. programs (ENV, EOS, MSC). The award recipient will receive a $3,000 prize and be honored at the school’s spring graduation ceremony. His or her name will be placed on a plaque hung in Hug Commons and the award will be highlighted on a special page of the Nicholas School Web site and in theDukenvironment magazine.

Currently enrolled Nicholas School Ph.D. students at all stages in their career are eligible for the award. To be considered, students must submit a nomination package to the Dean's Office by April 1, 2008. The package should include:

  • Four copies of the manuscript to be considered;
  • A copy of a letter from a peer-reviewed journal accepting the manuscript for publication and/or a reprint of the published manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal; and
  • A single-page nomination letter from the student's advisor explaining why the manuscript merits such recognition.

To be considered the manuscript must be accepted for publication and/or published in a peer-reviewed journal between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2008, and it must be lead-authored by the graduate student. 

Manuscripts will be judged on disciplinary rigor, originality, and likely depth of its contribution to the advancement of the field.