Creation of student award

Community
1

I am looking for Eterna member feedback on this idea:

What: Creation of Phymirus Award

Purpose:  to recognize a student’s innovation and contribution which is enhancing the Eterna research community’s development of thought, design and collaboration. 

Selection Process:  the student that received the most nominations by Eterna members who hold badge for Lab Design winner would be selected.  This would keep selection process simple, discreet and directed by a small group of knowledgeable Eterna members. 

Up to two awards each year and would require some threshold of minimum number of nominations to ensure that the contribution has merit.  If threshold is not reached, no award would be granted in that period.

Award would include $1,000 which would be funded by Phymirus, an LLC that I created this year to encompass my research relationships.  I would receive and tabulate nominations and would not be allowed to nominate anyone.  Phymirus’s involvement would solely be to provide award funds.  I would like this award to go unencumbered to the student to help them with any expenses or hardship they incurred in their efforts to improve Eterna.   And also as a nice way to say thank you from the community.

In crafting above, I have reached out to several Eterna members for input because I want to make sure that this award meets and affirms Eterna’s values.

I am submitting this proposal here to get feedback from the Eterna community.

1 Like
2

It’s no problem if community doesn’t think this would add much value.
I just like to explore a lot of ideas and see what might create something new  & helpful.
I did have earlier eterna member feedback that indicated a preference for keeping monetary incentives out of eterna.  And I respect that.  

3

I think the student award is a great idea!

4

I think an award is a great idea.  But I think that it should be for something specific, otherwise it might get a bit too much of a ‘popularity contest’.  One thing I would suggest  is a prize for the best essay for helping beginners along the road to contributing to the labs.  At the moment I think people can get a bit lost in all the different tutorials and in what they are supposed to be aiming for.  Having a single document guiding them would help greatly.  Also, having such a contest might help to increase interest in Eterna, which I think is an important goal.  Having heard about the competition some people might take a look with an eye to competing, (those who are following the path from beginner to lab contributor themselves might be best placed to document the process), and then they might stick around whether they entered the competition or not.