Call for Nominations: IR-4 SOAR Award

 The IR-4 Project has established the SOAR award to recognize those individuals who excel in serving growers of Specialty and Minor Use Crops. The awardees will have demonstrated clear Service toward enhancing the mission of IR-4 through participation on committees, advisory panels, or similar activities; excellent Outreach to growers educating growers on IR-4; Altruism by donating time and effort towards IR-4’s mission; outstanding Research which contributes to expanded product labels and increased understanding of product use. In other words, awardees SOAR in supporting the IR-4 mission to provide growers registrations of new and expanded pest management tools.

The SOAR award will be given to a limited number of individuals annually, but no award will be given if there are no eligible nominees during a particular year. Awardees can be anyone associated with the IR-4 Project except active PMC members and active full-time IR-4 personnel. Past winners include: John Ahrens, Lori Berger, Dan Botts and Michael Benson.

The selected awardee(s) will demonstrate excellence in 3 of the 4 elements:

Service
• Such as Participation in standing committees and ad hoc committees
• Participation in advisory panels
• Participation in similar activities which enhance the direction and mission of IR-4

Outreach
• Such as Consistent vocal supporter of IR-4 with growers and/or Lawmakers
• Routinely includes recognition of IR-4 in print and visual media elevating IR-4’s profile in the grower community

Altruism
• Such as Donation of time, extra research, plant materials, etc

Research
• Such as Participation in IR-4 Program for a minimum of 3 years
• Consistently produces stellar and timely research
• Research results contributed to new or enhanced product labels

The process to select awardee(s) will begin with a nomination made by peers or IR-4 personnel. Nominations must be made on the SOAR Award Nomination Form (found at www.ir4.rutgers.edu) and be accompanied by a minimum of 2 letters of support from individuals other than the nominator. Deadline for submission will be July 15, 2014. The SOAR award will be presented at a suitable venue.