Annual Meeting

Merit Awards

These merit awards recognize the best research presented each year at the SSR Annual Meeting, and the competitions are open to all qualifying SSR Trainee Members, regardless of country of origin. The cash prizes associated with the USDA–NIFA–AFRI and Lalor Awards are intended to defray the cost of traveling to and presenting at the Annual Meeting.

The SSR Awards Committee will review and score abstracts submitted for Trainee Merit Award consideration that meet the criteria for the awards listed below. Finalists/Awardees will be notified of award status approximately 3–5 weeks after the Program Committee has completed the abstract review and program assignments. All finalist/winning abstracts are noted in the Program, and each presenter receives a ribbon identifying him/her as an award finalist/winner and is recognized at a special ceremony at the Annual Meeting.

Deadline for submissions will be posted in early January. 

SSR Trainee Research Awards

Qualifications

Trainees named as Finalists for a Trainee Research Award Competition (either Poster or Oral) may also be selected to receive either a Lalor Foundation Merit Award or a USDA–NIFA–AFRI Merit Award.

  1. The candidate must be an SSR Trainee whose membership dues are paid and mentor's signature is on file in the SSR Business Office by the abstract submission deadline.  
  2. The candidate must not have won an SSR Trainee Research Award (1st, 2nd, or 3rd place; Oral [Platform] or Poster at the previous SSR Annual Meeting
  3. The candidate may be a predoctoral trainee, a postdoctoral trainee who has completed a doctoral degree within four years prior to the submission deadline, or a physician-scientist who is currently in a mentored research training program; the candidate must be submitting an abstract for presentation at the Annual Meeting.
  4. SSR Trainee Research Awards for Posters will include separate categories for predoctoral trainees and postdoctoral trainees (1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each category).
  5. The abstract must be based on work performed primarily by the candidate (presenter) for the award.

Apply

Follow these steps while submitting the abstract online:

  • Select Call for Abstracts
  • Select “I am a Trainee”
  • Select “SSR Trainee Merit Award”
  • Then select “SSR Trainee Research Award”

Award Criteria

The Awards Committee evaluates all abstracts entered in competition for Trainee Research Awards according to the following criteria:

  • Clarity of abstract and the title
  • Innovation (technical, conceptual)
  • Scientific rigor in study design and analysis
  • Overall impact of the work.

The Committee selects six finalists to compete for best oral presentation and six finalists each per category (predoctoral/ postdoctoral) for best poster presentation. Finalists are notified by e-mail.

Presentations

The finalists’ abstracts are scheduled for presentation randomly at the meeting without consideration of status in the competition. Oral finalists will present their talks during the Trainee Research Award - Platform Competition 

Poster finalists may also be chosen for Flash Talks and will present their posters during one of the regular poster sessions. Poster finalists will be identified during the poster sessions with a blue ribbon. The criteria for final evaluation of the presentations are:

  1. Merit of the study
  2. Presentation format
  3. Delivery
  4. Visual aids
  5. Response to questions during discussion.

The Awards Committee determines the First- (USD $500), Second- (USD $300), and Third- (USD $200) place winners; the recipients are recognized at a special ceremony at the Annual Meeting.

Recipients

For a list of all first-, second-, and third-place winners of these awards, please see Research Platform Awardees and Research Poster Awardees.

USDA–NIFA–AFRI and Lalor Foundation Merit Awards

The USDA–NIFA–AFRI Merit Awards recognize research that most benefits or enhances scientific understanding of reproduction in agriculturally important species. Funding is provided by USDA–NIFA–AFRI.

The Lalor Foundation Merit Award recognizes the best-researched and most well-presented abstracts. These awards are supported by a grant from The Lalor Foundation

Qualifications

Abstracts eligible for a USDA–NIFA–AFRI and the Lalor Foundation Merit Award may also be considered for an SSR Trainee Research Award.

  1. The candidate must be an SSR Trainee whose membership dues are paid and mentor's signature is on file in the SSR Business Office by the abstract submission deadline.
  2. The candidate must be a predoctoral trainee, a postdoctoral trainee who has completed a doctoral degree within four years prior to the submission deadline, or a physician-scientist who is currently in a mentored research training program; the candidate must be submitting an abstract for presentation at the Annual Meeting.
  3. The abstract must be based on work performed primarily by the candidate for the award (presenter) and must relate to the goal of benefiting or enhancing our understanding of reproduction in agriculturally important species.

Award Criteria

The SSR Awards Committee rates the abstracts according to the criteria listed above. 


USDA–NIFA–AFRI MERIT AWARDS ADDITIONAL CRITERIA: Abstracts selected for the USDA–NIFA–AFRI Merit Awards will be based on the “relevance of research to the goal of enhancing understanding of reproduction in agriculturally important species”.

Apply

Follow these steps while submitting the abstract online:

  1. Select Call for Abstract
  2. The candidate must check “I am a Trainee”
  3. Select “SSR Trainee Merit Award”
  4. Select "USDA-NIFA-AFRI Trainee Merit Award" or “Lalor Foundation Merit Award”

Approximately 10 presenters are selected to receive a USDA–NIFA–AFRI Merit Award to attend and present at the SSR Annual Meeting. Awardees are notified by e-mail.

Approximately 10 presenters are selected to receive a Lalor Foundation Merit Award to attend and present at the SSR Annual Meeting. Awardees are notified by e-mail.

Annual Meeting Home

Grants and Awards