All professional members of International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR) are invited to apply for our annual Bridge-Builder Award.
The Bridge-Builder Award recognizes an IASNR member who reaches across conventional boundaries— whether those be epistemological, disciplinary, institutional and spatial in nature, and others related to culture, personal agency and group identity—to make new connections and explore new pathways in natural resource social science. Each year we focus the award on applicants embodying the current theme of our Annual IASNR Conference (in 2023, Bridging the Gap between Research & Practice – Communicating & Collaborating with Practitioners).
IASNR prides itself on being a home to those whose interests and activities do not fit neatly ‘in a box’ and wants to showcase those who are making the novel and necessary connections to advance our field. A bridge-builder takes a leading role in assembling diverse teams or engaging with diverse communities, and this could happen at a range of scales and still be worthy of recognition: from mentoring a highly diverse student team, doing translational work locally across knowledge systems or sectors all the way to interdisciplinary global teams. Bridge-builders foster new linkages while building our community and knowledge base and/or improving outcomes on the ground.
Award
The award certificate will be given during the Annual IASNR Conference (registration will be waived for the awardee), during which the awardee will be asked to speak briefly about their bridge-building work. In addition to, or as an alternative for applicants not intending to attend that event, a separate webinar could be organized with the collaboration of the Professional Development Committee.
Nominations
Nominating materials should include the following:
1. A 500-1000-word letter, outlining the nominee’s fit with the above description.
2. The nominee’s CV or resume.
3. Letters from two references (other than the nominator, if not a self-nomination) who speak to the bridge-building efforts described.
Criteria
Selection will be made on the basis of:
• The outcomes and impact of the bridge-building work to the organizations, communities, and/or places being studied.
• The scholarly or professional contribution the bridge building represents.
• The novelty and span of the boundaries being bridged in the field of natural resource social science.
• The relevance of the bridge-building efforts to the theme of this year’s IASNR Conference.
Preference will be given to early and mid-career applicants in the final adjudication, and adjudication will consider the extent of the nominee’s bridge-building work relative to opportunity (i.e., career stage, resources, job demands).
Additional considerations
• We encourage applicants from all career stages and subfields, as well as identities and geographies that are underrepresented in the field of natural resource social science.
• Self-nominations are encouraged.
• Applicants must be a current member of IASNR when they receive the award, and have been a member in at least one of the previous three years: you do not need to be a member to apply for the award.
• Applicants cannot be a current member of IASNR Council.
Nomination Submission Procedures and Deadlines
Please send nominations to the IASNR office ([email protected]) with the subject line Bridge-builder Award as a single attachment by midnight in your local time, February 28, 2023. Award recipient will be notified as soon as possible. For information on the International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR) and a membership application, please visit the IASNR website.