DoC Awards

DOC Awards usually are awarded at the Awards Banquet in Spring for accomplishments in the previous calendar year. The detailed instructions below are written with that goal in mind. The 2023 DOC Awards will recognize accomplishments in Calendar Year 2022, and the 2023 DOC Awards will be announced at the 2023 Awards Banquet on May 5th.

a) As a formality, the Undergraduate Recruiting & Scholarship Committee oversees the Freshman-Senior awards selection. 

b) The Department Office will use Cognos to generate a "Report View of MST Honor Roll". Students with a GPA of 3.8 or higher will be recognized. Transfer students must complete one full semester before they are eligible for awards.

c) Students can earn awards annually, that is, in their Freshman, Sophomore, Junior & Senior years. The awards are called as follows:

  • YEAR Outstanding Chemistry Freshman Award (where “year” is the current year)
  • YEAR Outstanding Chemistry Sophomore Award (where “year” is the current year)
  • YEAR Outstanding Chemistry Junior Award (where “year” is the current year)
  • YEAR Outstanding Chemistry Senior Award (where “year” is the current year)

d) First-year students with a GPA of 4.0 receive an additional recognition, the

  • YEAR First-Year Student Primus inter Pares Scholastic Achievement Award (where "year" is the current year)

e) Each awardee receives a certificate. Primus Inter Pares awardees receive a certificate and additional scholarship support from the Department of Chemistry in the amount of $100. The Undergraduate Recruiting & Scholarship Committee will work with SFA to determine the most suitable sources. (The Primus Inter Pares awards was awarded for the first time in 2021, and they replace the "CRC Freshman Achievement & Handbook awards" last awarded in 2019.) 

f) The results of this selection process need to be reported to the DoC Chair by April 7th.

a) There will be between seven and nine awards as follows (where “year” refers to the current year):
  • YEAR Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award (3x; the “GTA” awards)
  • YEAR Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award (3-5x, the “GRA” awards)
  • YEAR Outstanding Graduate Service Assistant Award (1x, the “GSA” award)

b) Each awardee of a GTA, GRA, or GSA award receives a certificate and a check in the amount of $250. GRA awards are sourced from the Department SRI account.  GTA and GSA awards are sourced from the Chemistry Development Fund

c) The Graduate Affairs Committee (GAC) is in charge of choosing the recipients of the GTA, GRA, and GSA awards. Members of GAC need to recuse themselves from discussions of GTA, GRA, or GSA award nominations for any student they advise and may recuse themselves (at their own discretion) from discussions of any student that has been serving as GTA for a course taught by this faculty.

d) Nominations for GTA awards can be made by one of the course instructors. Aside from the nomination letter, there may be up to two supporting letters written by students or faculty. The letters should be addressing the strengths of the nominee and how the teaching methods/style promoted the desired teaching and learning outcomes. Teaching evaluation scores should not be used as only and/or decisive metric.

e) Nominations for GRA awards are made by the primary research advisor. Aside from the nomination letter, there may be up to two supporting letters written by a member of the student’s thesis committee or other faculty that can evaluate the scholarly contribution, intellectual merit, and the impact of research activities of the nominee.  The letters should address the strengths of the nominee’s research activities, describe the creative and innovative aspects of the research, and highlight the significance of specific products and their broader impacts. Products include publications, conference presentations, and intra- and intergroup mentoring. Three to five candidates will be selected based on number and quality of application.

f) Nominations for GSA award can be made by the Graduate Affairs Committee (GAC) in consultation with faculty, graduate students, and staff.  Aside from the nomination letter, there may be up to two supporting letters. The letters should address the strengths of the nominee’s service activities and highlight specific activities that have had a noticeable impact on the gradual improvement of any aspects of processes and procedures that maintain the functioning of the department infrastructure.

g) Graduate Student awardees may not win in the same category in consecutive years. Example: If someone wins the GTA award in 2020, they would not be eligible to compete for a GTA award in 2021 (but could compete for Research and Service awards).

h) The Graduate Affairs Committee (GAC) reports the results of its selection to the DoC Chair. The report needs to include a mini-summary of the accomplishments of each awardee of less than 35 words. This mini-summary will be included in the Awards Banquet program and read at the banquet.

a) There will be one award each year.

  • YEAR Outstanding Department of Chemistry Staff Award (where “year” is the current year)

b) The awardee receives a certificate and a check in the amount of $400 sourced from the Chemistry E&E account.

c) The DoC Chair is in charge of choosing the recipient of the Staff Service award. The DoC Chair may delegate this authority to the Personnel Committee.

d) Staff may not win awards in consecutive years. Example: If a staff wins the Staff Service award in 2019, they are not eligible for consideration in 2020.

e) The selection must be completed and, if delegated, reported to the DoC Chair . The report needs to include a mini-summary of the accomplishment of the awardee of less than 35 words. This mini-summary will be included in the Awards Banquet program and read at the banquet.

a) Beginning in 2021, there will be one award each year.

  • YEAR Outstanding Department of Chemistry Undergraduate Service Assistant Award (where “year” is the current year)

b) The awardee receives a certificate and a check in the amount of $200.

c) The DoC Chair is in charge of choosing the recipient of the Undergraduate Service award. The DoC Chair may delegate this authority to the Personnel Committee.

d) Any awardee may not win this award in consecutive years.

e) The selection must be completed and reported to the DoC Chair. The report needs to include a mini-summary of the accomplishment of the awardee of less than 35 words. This mini-summary will be included in the Awards Banquet program and read at the banquet.

a) There will be three awards each year. Each award recognizes teaching performance in one specific course taught in the previous calendar year. One award will recognize excellence in teaching in a lower-division UG course, one award will recognize excellence in teaching in an upper-division UG course, and one award will recognize excellence in teaching in a graduate course. Each award will be called: YEAR Wilbur Tappmeyer Excellence in Teaching Award (3x; where “year” is the current year)

b) Each awardee receives a certificate and a check in the amount of $500. The award money comes from the WILBUR TAPPMEYER ENDOWED FUND (est. Nov. 29, 1990).

c) The Personnel Committee is in charge of choosing the recipients of the faculty teaching awards based on CT scores of the previous calendar year. Members of the Personnel Commitee need to recuse themselves from discussions about their nominations for a faculty award.

d) Faculty may win awards in consecutive years but not in the same category. Example: If a faculty wins the teaching award in 2019 for graduate teaching, they are eligible to compete for both of the 2020 undergraduate teaching awards.

e) The selection must be completed and reported to the DoC Chair. The report needs to include a mini-summary of the accomplishment of the awardee of less than 35 words. This mini-summary will be included in the Awards Banquet program and read at the banquet.

a) The Awards Banquet is typically held on a Friday evening sometime between mid April and early May. Scheduling updates will be given closer to time.

b) All reward recipients are to be notified via email and regular mail. Each recipient may invite two (2) guests to the banquet and the department will pay for their meals. If more than two (2) guests are invited, the recipient must pay for those additional guests.

c) All other faculty and staff are invited to attend the banquet together with their significant other and the department will pay for their meals.

ACS Undergraduate Awards are presented by four ACS Divisions annually (DOC, DIC, ANYL, PHYS). More information is available here

The South Central Missouri Local Section of the American Chemical Society presents Undergraduate Research Scholarship Awards. More information is available here.

The American Institute of Chemists (AIC) publishes the journal The Chemist and presents Student Awards annually for one candidate in each of the categories undergraduate student in B.S. or B.A. programs, graduate student  in M.S. or Ph.D. programs, and post-doctoral student and in each of the fields of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Biochemistry.  Previous awardees from the Department of Chemistry are listed here.

CASE, Missouri S&T, and the UM System offer a variety of faculty awards.  DOC faculty recipients of faculty awards are listed here. DOC faculty also have received national and international recognition by way of fellowships etc. and such recognitions are listed here.