Advancing Equity Award

2024 Award Announcement

The OBFS Advancing Equity Award (formerly known as the Human Diversity Award) provides recognition for unique activities, programs, or approaches (funded or unfunded) that increases the involvement, engagement, and sustainability of underrepresented groups in field science. Broadly speaking, underrepresented groups in field science may include, but are not limited to, ethnic minorities (African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, and others), women, first-generation college students, inner-city youth, disadvantaged rural communities, K-12 groups, tribal colleges, community colleges, undergraduate institutions with small programs, and citizen monitoring programs.

Advancing Equity may be accomplished by disseminating materials and using, rearranging, or creating infrastructure to facilitate and stimulate both applied and individualized approaches to experiential scientific learning. We will also recognize stations that demonstrate how retention and application of new scientific concepts are promoted to facilitate further discovery and increase scientific dialogue among diverse user groups. This may include a pedagogy for the basic knowledge needed by underrepresented groups to address the current challenges in environmental and natural resources management and research at all educational levels (K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education).

In addition to the honor and recognition of peers, the OBFS Advancing Equity Award includes a permanent plaque for the winning station; an official award letter; a second traveling OBFS plaque that lists previous winners and is housed at the most recent recipient’s facility; and recognition on the OBFS website. The award may include a travel reimbursement of up to $1000 for the awardee to attend the annual OBFS meeting if travel funds are limited for the winning institution. We acknowledge that COVID-19 may impact people’s ability to travel and can reallocate travel funds for the 2025 OBFS meeting if the winning institution is unable to attend the 2024 OBFS conference in person. The winning institution will be recognized at the 2024 OBFS conference.

View Advancing Equity Award Rubric

Nomination Form

Timing of Submission, Review and Award

March 1	A request for nominations for the award will be announced on the OBFS website and through the OBFS list server. Nomination of institutions by others as well as institutional self-nominations will be accepted.
June 15	Supporting material due.
September 15	OBFS IDEA+ Committee announces recipients as determined by members of the OBFS Advancing Equity Award Committee who are not from organizations with current applications and approved by the OBFS Board.
Nov 11-16	Award will be presented at the OBFS Annual Meeting. The OBFS Historian will photograph the representative(s) from the field station receiving the award at the 2024 Annual Meeting.