Call for Nominations – PIASA 2021 Awards

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Call for Nominations

The Rachel Feldhay Brenner Award in Polish-Jewish Studies

The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA)

Deadline: November 15, 2021

The award, named for Rachel Feldhay Brenner (1946-2021), an eminent Polish-Israeli-American literary scholar, is given every two years to the author of the best English-language book on the history and/or culture of Polish Jews.

 Criteria:

  • The nominated book must be written in the English language
  • The book must have been published in 2019 or 2020
  • Both books containing original research or new, original syntheses are eligible for consideration; edited collections are ineligible

Nominations, including self-nominations, should include:

  • A letter of justification why the particular candidate is deserving of the award
  • A curriculum vitae of the nominee that includes a bibliography of significant publications
  • Three copies of the published book
  • Any additionally relevant materials such as book reviews and letters of support

Nominations are made by submitting the requested materials to Dr. Piotr Wrobel at piotr.wrobel@utoronto.ca by November 15, 2021. Other members of the inaugural Brenner Award Committee are Antony Polonsky and Robert Blobaum.

The recipient of the Rachel Feldhay Brenner Award will be recognized during the 8th World Congress of PIASA in Białystok, Poland, June 10-12, 2022.

Call for Nominations

The  Anna M. Cienciala Award for Best Edited Multi-Author Scholarly Volume

The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA)

Deadline: November 15, 2021

Description: The Award has been established to recognize the importance of collaborative scholarship and to honor Anna Cienciala, co-editor, with Natalia S. Lebedeva and Wojciech Materski, of a major collaborative work, Katyn: A Crime without Punishment (Yale University Press, 2008).

Eligibility: Eligible books must be edited multi-author collections of scholarly articles in the various fields of Polish studies broadly understood. Books must have been published in English in 2019 or 2020. Editors and contributors need not be members of PIASA.

Nominations, including self-nominations, should include:

  • A letter of justification why the particular volume is deserving of the award
  • A curriculum vitae of the volume editor or editors
  • Three copies of the nominated volume to be submitted after consultation with award committee chair: see below

Nominations are made by submitting the requested materials to Professor Neal Pease at pease@uwm.edu by November 15, 2021. Professor Pease will reply to make arrangements for distribution of book copies to committee members.

The recipient of the Anna Cienciala Award will be recognized during the 8th World Congress of PIASA in Białystok, Poland, June 10-12, 2022.

  Call for Nominations

The Casimir Funk Natural Sciences Award

The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA)

Deadline: November 15, 2021

The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA) Casimir Funk Natural Sciences Award identifies and honors an outstanding scientist of Polish origin (Polish born or of Polish ancestry) living and working in the United States or Canada. The nominee should have contributed in a major way to scientific research and be widely recognized.

Nominations:

  1. Can be made by anyone (PIASA member or not), from anywhere in the world.
  2. Should include a nomination letter for only one candidate stating the achievements on which the nomination is based and a brief Curriculum Vita of the nominee.
  3. Will remain under consideration for 4 years.
  4. Nominations of women scientists for the Funk Award in Natural Sciences are especially encouraged.
  5. Should be sent by email prior to the November 15, 2021 deadline to the Chair of the Casimir Funk Natural Sciences Award Selection Committee:  Dr. Hanna Chroboczek Kelker, kelker01@verizon.net

Background information:

The previous winners of the Casimir Funk Award are as follows:

  • 1995    Dr. Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Prize Laureate (Chemistry) Cornell University
  • 1996    Dr. Alexander Wolszczan, (Astronomy) Pennsylvania State University
  • 1997    Dr. Hilary Koprowski, (Virology, Immunology) Thomas Jefferson University
  • 1998    Dr. Peter T. Wolczanski, (Chemistry) Cornell University
  • 2001    Dr. Andrew Wojcicki, (Chemistry) Ohio State University
  • 2003    Dr. Waclaw Szybalski, (Molecular Biology) McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research
  • 2005    Dr. Benoit Mandelbrodt, (Mathematics) Yale University
  • 2008    Dr. Frank Wilczek, Nobel Prize Laureate (Physics) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • 2013    Dr. Maria Siemionow, (Medicine) Cleveland Clinic
  • 2014    Dr. Zbigniew Darzynkiewicz, (Cell Biology) Brander Cancer Research Institute
  • 2016    Dr. Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, (Chemistry) Carnegie Mellon University
  • 2017    Dr. Andrew V. Schally, Nobel Prize Laureate (Endocrinology), University of Miami
  • 2018    Dr. Krzysztof Palczewski (Ophthalmology) University of California-Irvine
  • 2019    Dr. Jack William Szostak, Nobel Prize Laureate (Physiology or Medicine) Harvard Medical School
  • 2020    Dr. Henryk Iwaniec (Mathematics), Rutgers University

Casimir Funk (1884-1967), for whom the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences’ Natural Sciences Award is named, made important contributions to the fields of hormone research, enzymology and chemical synthesis.  However he is best known for his pioneering research that lead to the discovery of vitamins and for defining the role of vitamins in nutrition.  Funk postulated that nutritional deficiency diseases “can be prevented and cured by the addition of certain preventive substances which we call vitamines.  The term “vitamin” (coined by Funk from “vita”, latin for life, and “amine”) has become accepted as the description of a group of functionally related but structurally distinct substances.  His hypothesis has had a major impact on the direction of research in a field that, before his discoveries, was filled with controversy.  His work has guided the developing science of nutrition and had an impact on biochemistry and medicine.

The recipient of the 2021 Funk Award will be recognized at PIASA’s 8th World Congress of Polish Studies in Białystok, Poland, June 10-12, 2022.

Call for Nominations

The Oskar Halecki Polish and East-Central European History Award

The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA)

Deadline: November 15, 2021

Named for an eminent historian and founding member of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America, the Oskar Halecki Award recognizes a scholar in the field of Polish and East-Central European history who has written a book of particular value and significance dealing with the Polish experience or including the Polish experience within a larger East-Central European context.  In past instances, the Halecki Award has also recognized a scholar’s outstanding body of published work. The book or body of work should represent exemplary historical research and writing.

Criteria:

  • The book or body of work must be written in the English language.
  • The book must have been published during the 2019 or 2020 calendar years.  If the nomination is based on a body of work, it must include a significant publication within the last five calendar years.
  • Both books containing original research or new, original syntheses are eligible for consideration; edited collections are ineligible.

Nominations, including self-nominations, should include:

  • A letter of justification why the particular candidate is deserving of the award
  • A curriculum vitae of the nominee that includes a bibliography of significant publications and a list of accomplishments
  • Three copies of the nominated book
  • Any additionally relevant materials such as book reviews and letters of support

Nominations are made by submitting the requested materials to Professor James Pula at the following address by November 15, 2021: jpula@pnw.edu The recipient of the Oskar Halecki Award in Polish and East-Central European history will be recognized during the 8th World Congress of PIASA in Białystok, Poland, June 10-12, 2022.

Call for Nominations

The Wacław Lednicki Award in the Humanities

The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA)

Deadline: November 15, 2021

Named after the first director of the Literature and Arts Section of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America, the Wacław Lednicki Award recognizes the most outstanding book or creative work published, produced or presented in any of the fields encompassed within the Humanities as defined by the National Endowment for the Humanities, to include fine arts, history, languages, literature, philosophy, religion, etc.  However, since Polish history has its own PIASA award, works in this field are ineligible.

Criteria:

  • If the nomination is based on a book, film, play or literary translation, it must be written or rendered in the English language.
  • The book or cultural product must have been published or appeared during the 2019 or 2020 calendar years.
  • Both books containing original research or new, original syntheses are eligible for consideration; edited collections are ineligible.

Nominations, including self-nominations, should include:

  • A letter of justification why the particular candidate is deserving of the award
  • A curriculum vitae of the nominee that includes a bibliography of significant publications and/or list of the nominee’s artistic accomplishments
  • Three copies of the nominated book or creative work
  • Any additionally relevant materials such as book reviews and letters of support.

Nominations are made by submitting the requested materials to Dr. Marek Haltof at mhaltof@nmu.edu by November 15, 2021. The recipient of the Wacław Lednicki Award in the Humanities will be recognized during the 8th World Congress of PIASA in Białystok, Poland, June 10-12, 2022.

Call for Nominations

The Susanne Lotarski Distinguished Achievement Award

The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA)

Deadline: November 15, 2021

The award, named for Dr. Susanne Lotarski (1942-2017), a long-time employee of the U.S. Department of Commerce who retired as Deputy Assistant Secretary. She was president of the Polish American Congress, and benefactor and long-standing member of the PIASA Board of Directors, which she also served as treasurer. The Lotarski Distinguished Achievement Award honors those who have made outstanding contributions to Polish studies and culture.

Nominations, including self-nominations, should include:

  • A letter of justification why the particular candidate is deserving of the award
  • A curriculum vitae of the nominee
  • Any additional relevant materials, such as letters of support

Nominations are made by submitting the requested materials to Professor Robert Blobaum, President of PIASA, at Robert.Blobaum@mail.wvu.edu by November 15, 2021. The recipient is selected by the PIASA Board of Directors.

The recipient of the Susanne Lotarski Achievement Award will be recognized during the 8th World Congress of PIASA in Białystok, Poland, June 10-12, 2022.

Call for Nominations

The Tadeusz Sendzimir Applied Sciences Award

The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA)

Deadline: November 15, 2021

The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA) is soliciting nominations for the Tadeusz Sendzimir Applied Sciences Award. The Award was established by PIASA in 1996 in an effort to recognize excellence, individual achievement and innovative contributions in the field of applied sciences. Exceptional Polish-American scientists or engineers who live and work in the United States are eligible for the Award.

The field of applied sciences includes branches of science and technology in which existing scientific knowledge is applied to develop practical applications, inventions or other technological advancements. Examples of disciplines within applied sciences include (broadly understood) agronomy, computer sciences, engineering, environmental science, health science, applied mathematics and many others. For a more comprehensive list, see:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_applied_science#Branches_of_applied_science

Nominators need to provide a nomination letter and a curriculum vitae of the nominee that includes a bibliography of significant publications or a list of accomplishments. Additional letters of support may be provided. Nomination is made by submitting the requested materials to the Chair of the Award Selection Committee, Dr. Wlodek Mandecki, at wlodek@mandecki.com. The submission deadline is November 15, 2021.

The Tadeusz Sendzimir Applied Sciences Award winner will be recognized during the PIASA conference in Białystok, Poland, June 10-12, 2022. Unsuccessful nominees will automatically be reconsidered for the Award for the subsequent four years. Nominators will be given the opportunity to update the nomination for those being reconsidered.

Tadeusz Sendzimir (1894-1989) received worldwide recognition for his outstanding and numerous contributions to metallurgy. By the early 1980s up to 90 percent of the world’s stainless steel passed through the Sendzimir process. Overall, Tadeusz Sendzimir, and the company he founded, has helped to alter the complete technological processes in steel rolling over the last six decades (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadeusz_Sendzimir).

Previous recipients of the Sendzimir Award were:

Dr. Wladek Minor, University of Virginia and Dr. Zbyszek Otwinowski, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Halina Zyczynski, M.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Dr. Tomasz Imielinski, Rutgers University

Anne Wojcicki, founder and CEO of 23andMe

Dr. Wladyslaw Koleczko, President of the Polish Association of Inventors and Industrial Innovators in Warsaw

Dr. Thaddeus B. Massalski, Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Stanislaw Gorczyca, Academy of Mining and Metallurgy, Krakow

Dr. Stanislaw Mrozowski, Professor Emeritus, SUNY at Buffalo

Call for Nominations

The Bronisław Malinowski Award in the Social Sciences

The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA)

Deadline: November 15, 2021

Named for an eminent social scientist and founding member and first president of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America, the Bronisław Malinowski Award recognizes a scholar in one of the fields of the social sciences who has written a book or seminal publication of particular value and significance dealing with an aspect of the Polish experience.  In past instances, the Malinowski Award has also recognized a scholar’s outstanding body of published work. The book, outstanding publication, or body of work should represent exemplary scholarly research published in the fields encompassed by the social sciences, including anthropology, economics, political science and sociology, according to standards recognized by those disciplines.

Criteria:

  • The book, publication, or body of work must be written in the English language.
  • The book or publication must have appeared during the 2019 or 2020 calendar years.  If the nomination is based on a body of work, it must include a significant publication within the last five calendar years.
  • Publications containing original research or new, original syntheses are eligible for consideration; edited collections are ineligible.

Nominations, including self-nominations, should include:

  • A letter of justification why the particular candidate is deserving of the award
  • A curriculum vitae of the nominee that includes a bibliography of significant publications and a list of accomplishments
  • Three copies of the nominated publication
  • Any additionally relevant materials such as book reviews, citation indices, and letters of support

Nominations are made by submitting the requested materials to Dr. Bozena Leven at bleven@tcnj.edu by November 15, 2021.

The recipient of the Bronisław Malinowski Award in the Social Sciences will be recognized during the 8th World Congress of PIASA in Białystok, Poland, June 10-12, 2021.