David J. Hartnett Award for Public Engagement with Science
The David J. Hartnett Award for Public Engagement with Science will award an Atlanta based scientist or engineer who has shown excellence in their commitment to making Atlanta a “science city” by sharing science with the public. The selected recipient will show passion and enthusiasm for science/engineering and infuse their knowledge and excitement to public audiences. The recipient will receive a monetary prize of $1000, plus up to an additional $1000 to support a public engagement event created in partnership with Science ATL to be spent within the two calendar years following the award.
This award is named for Science ATL champion and friend, David J. Hartnett. David currently serves as the Chief Economic Development Officer at the Metro Atlanta Chamber and was the founding Board Chairman of Atlanta Science Festival – now Science ATL. David was the spark that brought the Festival to life in 2014, seeing the vision of the founders and helping to make it a reality. In his everyday work, David seeks to make Atlanta a better place and sees the work of Science ATL as instrumental in creating a city that values science.
Eligibility
- Nominations may be made by individuals (self nominations are allowed) or organizations. One nominator can nominate multiple candidates.
- Nominee must be an individual working in metro Atlanta (self nominations are allowed). Groups or institutions will not be considered for this award.
- Eligible nominees include active or retired scientists and engineers from all disciplines (including social sciences, mathematics, engineering, and medicine) who have contributed substantially to the public’s engagement with science or technology. They may be based in academia, government or industry. Graduate students in STEM fields are eligible. Public engagement activities must be above and beyond job responsibilities.
- The nominee’s public engagement activities must occur in the metro Atlanta area.
Application Instructions
Submit an online Nomination Form by April 9, 2023, including the following items to be uploaded in a single PDF with the Nominee’s last name in the file name, e.g., LastName_PublicEngagementAward.pdf
- 1-page statement describing the nominee’s public engagement activities. It should emphasize the nominee’s public engagement goal(s), intended audience(s), and message(s), as well as the level and type of dialogue achieved with their audiences, evaluation of public engagement work, and examples of how public engagement has affected the nominee’s scientific work.
- The nominee’s curriculum vitae or resume with a specific section highlighting public engagement activities.
- At least two (up to four) representative samples or other documentation which illustrate or describe the nominee’s public engagement contributions
- A letter of support (only one allowed) is optional. The Letter may be included with the Nomination PDF, or submitted directly by the letter writers to [email protected]. If emailing directly, please include the Nominee’s last name in the file name, e.g., LastName_PublicEngagementAward_SupportLetter.pdf
K-12 STEM Community Builder Award
The K-12 STEM Community Builder Award will recognize a metro Atlanta K-12 educator who is enriching the STEM/STEAM culture at their school. The winner will demonstrate leadership and excellence in implementing curricular/extracurricular activities, engaging under-represented students in STEM, increasing exposure to careers, and facilitating external partnerships to build a rich STEM community centered at the school.
One winner will be selected to receive a $1000 cash prize for personal use, and their school will receive an additional $1000 to support further STEM/STEAM initiatives. The winner will be an honored guest at Science ATL’s End of Year Celebration in May, and an award presentation will be scheduled for the fall at the awardee’s school.
Eligibility
Nominees must be teachers or staff members in a metro-Atlanta K-12 public school (including districts: Atlanta, Buford City, City of Decatur, Clayton, Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Marietta City, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale). Nominations may be made by individuals or organizations. One nominator can nominate multiple candidates. Self-nominations are encouraged.
Selection Criteria
- Community Building – nominees must demonstrate how they are enriching the STEM/STEAM culture and fostering a STEM/STEAM community. This can include unique approaches to STEM, or school/community engagement projects (i.e. students doing citizen science, civic engagement or community service related to STEM, transformational partnership with business or university, etc.), or activities that engage students in addressing real, local problems, or in improving the world through science.
- Leadership – nominees must demonstrate how they are leading change at their school
- Equity – nominees must demonstrate how their activities are broadening access, inclusion, and sense of belonging in STEM among students from groups that are historically under-represented in STEM.
Application Instructions
Submit an online Nomination Form by April 9, 2023, including responses to the prompts below and 1-3 Letters of Support. The Form will ask nominees to respond to the following prompts (about 400 words each):
- How are you enriching the STEM/STEAM culture and fostering a STEM/STEAM community at your school? What evidence do you have that demonstrates this change?
- Describe how you, specifically, are leading this change at your school.
- How are your efforts increasing access and inclusion for students from groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields?
Letters of Support – Nominees should include at least one, but no more than three Letters of Support from colleagues, supervisors, community members, or students. The Letters may be attached to the Nomination Form, or submitted directly by the letter writers to [email protected] with the email subject Nominee Last Name, First Initial Letter of Support.
