The Rising Star Award, supported by contributions from SCIEX, is designed to encourage the integration of graduate students into AOAC INTERNATIONAL, with a focus on candidates with demonstrable potential to become thought leaders and scientific influencers in their respective field.
Previous student award winners in these categories are not eligible for further awards.
Eligibility
Student applicants must:
- Be enrolled full-time in a graduate degree-granting program, and be in at least the second year of their program (domestic and international candidates are encouraged to apply)
- Be conducting basic or applied research using any (not exclusively SCIEX) LC-MS technology in support of analytical testing for food safety, foodomics, food authenticity, or cannabis compliance and characterization
Prize and Expectations for the Winner(s)
Winners receive:
- $3,500 cash prize
- AOAC student membership
- Complimentary registration to attend the AOAC Annual Meeting
- Up to $2,500 travel fund to attend the current AOAC Annual Meeting in accordance with the AOAC Travel Policy. Travel cannot be deferred.
- Invitation to VIP events held by SCIEX at the Annual Meeting
- Formal recognition during the Annual Meeting’s opening session and in the AOAC bi-monthly magazine, Inside Laboratory Management (ILM)
Winners will be expected to prepare a poster describing their award-winning research, to be presented at the AOAC Annual Meeting. Applicants must also agree that AOAC may share their contact details with SCIEX for the purpose of SCIEX-related marketing (i.e., features on social channels, etc.).
Benefits of this prize are non-transferable.
Application Guidelines
Applicants must submit:
- An abstract (300 word maximum) describing the research that details the objective and applicability of the work, methodology, results, and conclusions. Applicants must demonstrate how their work advances applied analytical capabilities that support food or cannabis testing
- Two letters of recommendation and proof of supervisory/faculty support of the submission
- Applicant and advisor contact information
- Semester and year in which the applicant began their graduate program
- Personal statement of applicant’s educational and career objectives (no more than 3,000 characters without spaces)
- Current transcript (in PDF format)
Application Deadline
Applications are due by Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
Winners will be selected by an AOAC INTERNATIONAL committee of experts.
