ICMGP 2021 - Lifetime Achievement Award

Nomination Criteria for the Kathryn R. Mahaffey Lifetime Achievement Award in Mercury Research

The Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) of the 15th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant (ICMGP 2021) to be held in July 2021 in Cape Town, South Africa is now accepting nominations for the Kathryn R. Mahaffey Lifetime Achievement Award in Mercury Research. This award was established in 2011 to celebrate and recognize selected individuals who have made extraordinary lifetime achievements in mercury research, mentoring, and/or contributions to governmental policy and public outreach.

Dr. Kathryn R. Mahaffey passed away in 2009. Her career embodied all that this award is meant to honor: scholarly research on global mercury issues that met the highest scientific standards, greatly enhanced understanding of mercury as a pollutant, and support of public health protection globally. Dr. Mahaffey was a prolific writer, including the scientific literature, but also understood the importance of dissemination of her work to the broader global community of non-governmental organizations, regulators and the general public. She was a model for scientific integrity, reporting her scientific findings even when the results were unpopular. Those who worked with Dr. Mahaffey knew her as thoughtful and kind as well as someone with great intellect and tenacity.

In keeping with the tradition of prior conferences, the recipient of the 6rd Kathryn R. Mahaffey Lifetime Achievement Award in Mercury Research will be announced and celebrated at the 15th ICMGP in Cape Town, South Africa in July 2021. The awardee will have the opportunity to make a presentation at a special award ceremony and will receive a handcrafted crystal lifetime achievement award that is transferred between award recipients at each conference as well as an award from the host country as a keepsake. The conference organizers will provide complimentary registration and reimburse the awardee for the costs of travel to the conference.

The selection committee for this award will not accept self-nominations. All nominees are expected to have made contributions to global mercury research and policy, not only regional issues. All nominations must follow the formatting and length requirements outlined below or will not be considered by the selection committee. The nominations will be reviewed and the awardee selected by an independent review committee of up to seven individuals (excluding all nominees and nominators) chosen by the Scientific Steering Committee. The winner will be announced at least two months before the conference.

Nominations packages should be e-mailed to the 15th ICMGP Organising Committee no later than August 8, 2021.

Information that must be included in the nomination package is listed below.

Criteria for Nomination:

1. 1. The candidate must be internationally recognised for scientific contributions in mercury research.
2. 2. Multiple groups may nominate an individual, but the review committee will consider multiple nominations as a bundled package for the candidate. Nominees with be reviewed based on the body of their lifetime contributions on international scholarship, global public policy and outreach, and mentoring pertaining to mercury, rather than the number of nominations. The candidate should have a commitment and track record of mentoring new mercury researchers.
3. 3. The candidate’s research should have had a demonstrable impact on government policy and public outreach on mercury science or management at an international level.
4. 4. In unique situations up to two individuals might be nominated, together where those individuals have significantly collaborated on their lifetime achievements. However, institutions or organisations are not eligible for the award.
5. 5. All nominations should be written in English.
6. 6. Nominees must be living at the time of nomination.
7. 7. Individuals or groups submitting or evaluating nominations are expected to maintain the confidentiality of the nomination and selection processes.

Information to be submitted for nomination:

1. 1. A cover letter highlighting and summarising the life-long accomplishments of the nominee that are internationally recognised, including a clear statement as to why the nominee is deserving of the award with supporting detail on the individual’s scholarly contributions, mentorship and contributions to global policy, public outreach and any other significantly related activities. The cover letter is limited to a maximum of 3,000 words.
2. 2. A Curriculum Vitae of the nominee should be provided which includes:

• The nominee’s history of employment;
• A list of peer-reviewed publications;
• A list of other scientific contributions (e.g., conference communications, technical reports, professional presentations, assessment reports);
• A list relevant professional service activities, including committees, reports, testimony, briefings, public lectures, educational and other activities.

Nominations should be emailed to Prof. Jozef Pacyna.