Notice Number: NOT-OD-13-069

Key Dates
Release Date: May 20, 2013

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Purpose

The White House established the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) program in 1996. The program is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House and is intended to identify outstanding individual and institutional mentoring efforts in all scientific fields including those supported by the NIH.  The PAESMEM is the highest national STEM mentoring award.

Individuals nominated for awards must be US Citizens or permanent residents.   An organizational nominee must be affiliated with a U.S. corporation, educational institution or agency, military or government agency, non-profit organization, or foundation.    Individual and organizational nominees must have demonstrated outstanding and sustained mentoring of underrepresented students, trainees, and/or early career scientists and engineers for at least 5 years.  Individuals and organizations in all public and private sectors are eligible including industry, academia, primary and secondary education, military and government, non-profit organizations, and foundations. Details about eligibility, the nomination process, review, and the nature of the award are available at www.nsf.gov/PAESMEM where you can find a recorded webinar on preparing and submitting nomination materials.

Candidates can be nominated by a colleague, administrator, or a student.  Self-nominations also are accepted.   Nomination packages are reviewed in a process administered by the NSF.  Selection of award recipients is coordinated with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).  Awardees are invited to Washington DC for various recognition and award events.   Up to 16 new awards can be made in each year. The awards are bestowed for past work in the amount of $10,000. Nomination packages are due by June 5, 2013.       

High quality mentoring is important to the success of NIH programs as reinforced by the recent study of the Workgroup on Biomedical Research established under the aegis of the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director.  The report from the Workgroup can be found at http://acd.od.nih.gov/dbr.htm. Accordingly, participation in the PAESMEM program is appropriate for NIH affiliated researchers and institutions.  PAESMEM operates harmoniously with several NIH programs and activities that foster mentoring.  Programs include NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Research Training Grants and Institutional Career Development Awards among others.  Information on such activities can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm and at https://grants.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmentawards.htm. 

Participants in NIH research with a strong history of mentoring are encouraged to apply for this special Presidential Award.

Inquiries

Information is available from the PAESMEM Team at [email protected] or by phone at 703-292-8640.