SEMS 2010 RUSKA AWARD STUDENT COMPETITION

The Ruska Award was named in honor of Ernst Ruska an inventor of the electron microscope, and his brother Helmut, who collaborated in the development of this powerful research instrument. The award recognizes excellence in the biological and physical sciences by student researchers using microscopy as the primary research tool. To qualify for this award, students must follow the Ruska Award Guidelines outlined below and present their work in the form of a PowerPoint presentation at the annual SEMS meeting. The presentation should be 12 minutes in length followed by a 3-minute question and answer period. The Ruska Award Committee will evaluate the scientific merit of the abstract, quality of the writing, quality of the micrographs, and the oral presentation.

All Ruska participants receive meeting registration, housing at the meeting hotel (applicants must be willing to share a room with other students), a banquet ticket, and a certificate of participation. The first place Ruska Award winner will receive the Ruska Award plaque and $300.00 at the SEMS banquet.

Ruska Award Guidelines

1. Applicants must be a member of SEMS. If you are not yet a member and wish to be go to http://southeasternmicroscopy.org/membership_form.php.
2. Applicants must be, or have been, an undergraduate or graduate student during the academic year of the meeting. The applicant cannot be a previous Ruska Award winner.
3. Students must present original research conducted by the student. The research may be co-authored by the student's advisor.
4. Applicants must submit the following:
1. An Abstract [following the guidelines in the Call for Papers SEMS 2010 found at http://southeasternmicroscopy.org/index-2.html]. Please go to the link at the bottom of the page to enter the Ruska Entry Site in order to submit your abstract.
2. A Research Summary (2 pg max for text, 1 pg figures). The Research Summary MUST include Title, Author (s) name and affiliation, Introduction, Methods and Materials, Results, Discussion, and References all within the 2-page limit. An additional page of micrographs or tables/charts related to the project should be included with a figure legend that describes each micrograph or table. The Research Summary must be submitted via e-mail to the Ruska Award Chair by May 14, 2010.
3. A signed copy of the Ruska Award Checklist below, signed by the student's advistor, must be emailed or faxed to the Ruska Chair by May 14, 2010.

5. Ruska Award Method of Evaluation

   The Ruska Award Committee will evaluate the research summary and oral presentation using the following criteria:

   1. Submitted Text
   1. Scientific Merit
   1. Soundness of research proposal
   2. Experimental design and thoroughness of investigation (originality, correlated techniques)
   3. Validation of conclusions
   4. Application of microscopy and associated methods to answer experimental questions
   2. Micrographs
   1. Presentation of specimen (fixation, quality of sectioning and staining)
   2. Instrumentation
   3. Photographic quality (aesthetics, density, contrast)
   3. Quality of Writing
   1. Organization
   2. Clarity
   3. Grammatical correctness
   2. Oral Presentation
   1. Clarity
   2. Communication
   3. Quality of Presentation
   4. Response to audience questions
   5. Adherence to presentation time limit (12 minutes for the presentation and 3 minutes for questions)

SEMS 2010 Program Chair Giselle Thibaudeau PO Box 9775 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS 39759 Phone: 662-325-3017 Email: giselle@emcenter.msstate.edu

Ruska Award Chair Richard Brown MVA Scientific Consultants, Inc. 3300 Breckinridge Blvd., Suite 400 Duluth, GA 30096 Phone: 770-662-8509 Email: rbrown@mvainc.com

Ruska Checklist (PDF)

Enter the Ruska Entry Site.

NOT YET A MEMBER OF SEMS or MSA? See what each has to offer........

Southeastern Microscopy (SEMS)
Application for Membership
Karen Kelley, Treasurer, PO Box 118525, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, phone 353-392-1295,
Email: klk@biotech.ufl.edu

Microscopy Society of America (MSA)
Application for Membership
230 East Ohio Street, Suite 400 Chicago, IL 60611-3265, phone 800.538.3672, 312.644.1527, Fax 312.644.8557
Email: businessoffice@msa.microscopy.com