AIPG National Award - Martin Van Couvering Memorial Service to the Institute Award

Due by January 15th - scroll down to submit online

To assist in what a nomination should include click here for an example of a generic award nomination.

The AIPG awards committee reviews each application for consideration based on the comparison of the applicant's record to the description of the award.  Each application is presented and reviewed by the awards committee, discussed, and voted on by the full committee.  A majority vote is required to grant the award.  The awards committee reviews each application thoroughly.  In some years the committee decides that a particular award will not be made. If this is the case, the applicant may be re-considered the following year.  

If in any year the awards committee does not find a nominee whose contribution merits the award, it may recommend that no award be made. The awards committee submits its recommendations for each and every award to the AIPG National Executive Committee for final approval. Detailed information on why an applicant is approved or not for an award is held confidentially by the committee and only available to the AIPG National Executive Committee.

MARTIN VAN COUVERING MEMORIAL SERVICE TO THE INSTITUTE AWARD

The Martin Van Couvering Memorial Service to the Institute Award was established by the Executive Committee in 1979 in posthumous honor of the first president of the Institute. Martin Van Couvering made the presidency a full-time occupation for the first two years of the Institute’s history. His dynamic leadership, diplomacy, and organizational abilities established the solid foundation from which the Institute has grown. Few, if any, have given so much to the Institute.

The most important criterion for the Martin Van Couvering Memorial Award is service to the Institute. As in other awards, a wide variety of contributions to the Institute may be considered. By far the most important contribution a geologist can make to the Institute is that of time. It is the contributions by individuals to the Sections, the committees, and special projects that enable the Institute to enhance the practice of geology.

To submit a complete set of documentation for a nominee, the following items should be considered in a written nomination statement:

• How has this candidate demonstrated significant and sustained contributions to AIPG?
• How many years has the candidate been an AIPG member?  The candidate should be a member for at least 10 years.
• Give examples with descriptions of the candidate’s activities and the timeframe.  How do these activities positively impact AIPG?
• How has this candidate demonstrated leadership within AIPG?
• Have you verified against the list of previous winners that this candidate has not previously received this award?

Documentation at a minimum must include a written statement from the AIPG member who nominates the candidate and the candidate’s CV. 

Examples of supporting documentation that will be helpful in assessing the qualifications of the candidate include copies or links to articles and documents prepared by the candidate for AIPG; articles, websites and newsletters that document the candidate’s activities; and testimonies from other AIPG members.

Past Recipients of the Martin Van Couvering Memorial Service to the Institute Award