DEADLINE: February 1st, 2009

Dear IBANGS Members,

In order to further recognize the distinguished contributions of our colleagues in the field of Behavioural and Neural Genetics, the IBANGS Executive Committee initiated two new awards to be conferred at each IBANGS annual meeting: the Young Scientist Award and the Distinguished Scientist Award.

Annual Young Scientist Award

Any IBANGS member in good standing is eligible, except current members of the Awards and Executive Committees.  Criteria for evaluation are:

1. Member of IBANGS in good standing
2. Fewer than 7 years post-first faculty or faculty-equivalent appointment
3. Area of research, and importance to Behavioural and Neural Genetics
4. Scientific merit of important findings-to-date
5. Future plans and projects
6. Mentorship of students, postdoctoral fellows, and new faculty
7. Projected impact on the field

Annual Distinguished Scientist Award

Any IBANGS member in good standing is eligible, except current members of the Awards amd Executive Committees.  Criteria for evaluation are:

1. Member of IBANGS in good standing
2. 7 or more years post-first faculty or faculty-equivalent appointment
3. Area of research, and importance to Behavioural and Neural Genetics
4. Scientific merit of important findings
5. Future plans and projects
6. Mentorship of students, postdoctoral fellows, and new faculty
7. Continued impact on the field

To make a nomination, please email the items below by February 1st, 2009 to:

Andrew Holmes, Ph.D., Chair, IBANGS Awards Committee, holmesan@mail.nih.gov

1. Your letter of nomination and statement of the nominee?s scientific contributions, addressing the evaluation criteria for the appropriate award (2-page maximum total)

2. Nominee's contact information

3. Nominee's CV

Awardees will be selected by the Awards Committee, and will be announced at the The 11th Annual Genes, Brain and Behavior Meeting of the International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society to be held in Dresden, Germany June 5-8, 2009.

IBANGS Awards Committee Members:

IBANGS Distinguished Investigator Award
2008    John Belknap PhD and John Crabbe PhD
             Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, and Prtland VA Medical Center, USA
2007    Robert W. Williams PhD
             Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology,
             University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis,TN USA
2006    Doug Wahlsten PhD
             Professor of Biological Sciences,
             University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
2005    Lorraine Flaherty PhD
             Director, Genomics Institute,
             Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY, USA

IBANGS Young Scientist Award
2008   Justin Rhodes
           Department of Psychology, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
2007   Elissa Chesler PhD
           Group Leader Bioscience Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
2006   Andrew Holmes PhD
           Chief, Section on Behavioral Science and Genetics,
           National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,
           National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA