Policies & Procedures Manual and Operations Handbooks: Section 12

Updated October 2022

SECTION 12 – AWARDS

12.1 AWARDS PROGRAM

The IEEE Computer Society sponsors an awards program to recognize both technical achievement and service to the Society.  In the technical area, recognition may be given for pioneering and current contributions to the field of computer science and engineering.  In addition, the Society encourages nominations of and by its members for appropriate IEEE awards.  Service awards may be given to both volunteers and staff for well-defined and highly valued contributions to the Society.  The awards program is intended to recognize both technical and service contributions.  No award is automatic or given by reason of an individual holding a position or office.  The Awards Committee shall take care to preserve the integrity of the evaluation and selection process to assure that it is both confidential and rigorous, and that it contributes to the prestige of the Society and the award recipients.

12.2 AWARDS COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

The Awards Committee shall consist of a Chair, appointed by the Society president, and members, including all awards subcommittee chairs and one to three at-large members.  The members are appointed by the Awards Committee Chair.  One or more members shall be appointed by the Chair as vice-chairs of the committee.

The Awards Committee may combine two or more award selection subcommittees into one under one chair as defined in the Awards Handbook.  The number of Awards Committee members may increase or decrease based on the number of awards subcommittees specified in the Awards Handbook.  Awards subcommittees shall consist of, but are not limited to, the following:

• Women of ENIAC Computer Pioneer Award Subcommittee
• Charles Babbage Award Subcommittee
• Taylor L. Booth Education Award Subcommittee
• Seymour Cray Computer Engineering Award Subcommittee
• Eckert-Mauchly Award Subcommittee
• Sidney Fernbach Memorial Award Subcommittee
• Harry H. Goode Memorial Award Subcommittee
• IEEE CS/SEI Watts S. Humphrey Software Quality Award Subcommittee
• Hans Karlsson Standards Award Subcommittee
• Ken Kennedy Award Subcommittee
• Wallace McDowell Award Subcommittee
• Richard E. Merwin Award for Distinguished Service Subcommittee
• Harlan D. Mills Award Subcommittee
• Ramakrishna Rau Award Subcommittee
• Mary Kenneth Keller Computer Science & Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award Subcommittee
• Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award Subcommittee
• Service Awards and Certificates Subcommittee

12.3 AWARDS COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Awards Committee grants awards in some cases and prepares nominations in other cases.  It develops awards, plans and recommends policies for the consideration of the Board of Governors and other IEEE Computer Society bodies as appropriate, and ensures the proper conduct of the awards program, including recommending the modification or retirement of existing and creation of new awards as needed.  The current IEEE Division V and VIII Directors (or their appointees) represent the Society on the IEEE Technical Activities Board Awards and Recognition Committee to afford liaison to the full IEEE community.

12.3.1 Nomination Solicitations

It is the responsibility of the Awards Committee and of each corresponding subcommittee, to assure that there are a sufficient number of qualified nominees for each award, including awards for which external nominations are sought.  To facilitate the nominations process, the Awards Committee prepares and includes in the Awards Handbook a master schedule of nomination deadlines.  This schedule should be reported annually to the Board of Governors at its initial meeting.  In addition, the Awards Committee should assure timely coverage of the solicitation for awards in Computer magazine, member communications, the Society’s website, and elsewhere as appropriate.  Nomination procedures should be adequately publicized in Computer and elsewhere as appropriate.  The Awards Committee should also solicit nominations directly from the head of the major program boards, conference organizers, standards groups, and others.  For awards in which external nominations are sought and prove insufficient, it is the responsibility of the Awards Committee, possibly in collaboration with the corresponding subcommittee, to develop and implement a plan to encourage additional nominations.

12.3.2 Confidentiality of the Awards Committee Processes

The Awards Committee and its subcommittees shall exercise extreme caution to maintain confidentiality in everything related to the awards processes, including and not limited to their committee composition, deliberations, discussions, evaluations and the identity of nominees and nominators.  This is especially critical for those awards for which final approval authority rests with the Board of Governors.   Discussions about the evaluation process must remain confidential among only the Awards Committee Chair, the subcommittee and Computer Society staff, and there should be no communication with the nominees, except in the case of notifying the awardee. After the Board of Governors has disposed of the nomination, with the support of staff, the president will inform the awardee(s) and the Awards Chair or Vice Chair or the subcommittee Chair will inform the nominators of the unsuccessful nominees(s).  Outside of the protocol described above, no word of the committee’s recommendation should be given by anyone to nominees, nominators, or any other persons.

12.3.3 Awards Handbook

The Awards Committee Chair shall create and maintain an Awards Handbook, in which detailed procedures for the solicitation, review, and selection of nominees for each award will be set forth.  This handbook serves as the primary means of ensuring appropriate quality and continuity in the operation of the several awards subcommittees.  The Awards Committee may modify its procedures without Board of Governors approval provided that its procedures are consistent with these policies and procedures and with applicable policies and procedures of the IEEE.  The Awards Committee Chair is responsible for seeing that a copy of the then-current handbook is made available to each member of the Awards Committee and the Board of Governors at the beginning of each calendar year.

12.3.4 Awards Subcommittees

The Awards Committee Chair should take care to assure that each subcommittee is established at a size appropriate to its task; however, in no case shall subcommittees have fewer than three members, and no more than nine members, plus the chair.   Efforts shall be made to have subcommittee members represent a diversity of geographic regions, gender, and employers.  Non-chair members of a subcommittee may not hold membership on the Awards Committee.  Each subcommittee chair shall appoint a vice chair and subcommittee members in a timely manner, upon the consent of the IEEE Computer Society Awards Committee Chair.  When presenting a subcommittee member nomination to the Awards Committee Chair, the subcommittee chair shall state in writing that the procedures have been followed with exceptions and reasons duly noted.  Excluding the cosponsored awards, for the operations internal to the subcommittee, the chair of a subcommittee is excluded from voting except in cases of ties, according to Robert’s Rules of Order. 

12.3.5 Publicity for Granted Awards

The Awards Committee should assure timely coverage of the major awards presented by the IEEE Computer Society in Computer magazine, other appropriate publications, and on the Society website.

12.4 ADMINISTRATION OF AWARDS

The administrative process for all awards administered by the IEEE Computer Society shall, to the extent practicable, be uniform.

12.4.1 General Procedures Applying to All Society Awards

The following general provisions shall apply to all Society awards.

1. There are no general eligibility restrictions on nominees, nominators, or endorsers. In particular, neither nominees, nominators, or endorsers need be a member of the IEEE Computer Society or the IEEE.  Any individual who meets the specified criteria for an award may be nominated and receive the award.  No one may nominate themselves, except as specified otherwise by the individual award.  Award Committee members cannot directly nominate, endorse, or otherwise publicly support major award nominees. Subcommittee members cannot directly nominate, endorse, or otherwise publicly support nominees considered by their award subcommittee. However, members are encouraged to actively solicit nominations.  Members of the Board of Governors are not eligible to nominate, endorse, or receive any Society awards, other than service award certificates. In addition, in conformance with IEEE procedures, posthumous awards shall be made only when knowledge of the awardee’s death is received after announcement of the recipient.  Nominations of known deceased persons shall not receive consideration and will be returned to the nominator with a statement of the policy.
2. The Awards Committee shall actively solicit nominations for all awards and shall evaluate nominees according to the criteria set forth herein for each award.
3. The required number of endorsement letters for each award is specified in sections 12.5 and 12.6. Endorsements must be submitted by the award nominations deadline. The nominator cannot also be an endorser.
4. All nominations received by the Awards Committee or any of its subcommittees shall be acknowledged upon receipt, electronically.
5. All major awards shall be presented at the IEEE Computer Society’s Annual Awards Ceremony unless otherwise specified in the individual award descriptions in Sections 12.5 and 12.6, or based on the Computer Society President’s decision, in consultation with the Award Committee Chair. All other awards may be presented at a major conference of the society or appropriate event, respecting the preferences of the recipient and practical limitations.
6. The Awards Committee budget shall fund service certificate awards and Golden Core recognition expenses. For major Computer Society-level awards presented at conferences or at the IEEE Computer Society’s Annual Awards Ceremony, the Awards Committee budget shall fund honorarium and prize items, and may fund travel support, unless otherwise specified in the individual award descriptions in Sections 12.5 and 12.6.  Conference awards ceremony expenses shall be the responsibility of the conference.
7. Each conference should support the costs of luncheons or any other social activities that accompany an award presentation for all awardees whose awards are the result of that conference’s activities. The vice president of technical and conference activities is to formally make this a part of approved conference budgets and plans.  Expenses incurred for awardees of non-conference issued awards shall be covered by the appropriate budgets as specified herein, not charged as expenses of the conference.
8. Every nomination, upon successful finalization of the submission procedure, receives a “submission time stamp year” (TSY), which remains valid as long as the nomination is valid and active. The TSY information is used by the Awards Committee and its subcommittees to uniquely identify the “contributions window” for those awards having one. In this respect, the general rule for all awards is that the year of the TSY does not count, but only calendar years TSY-1 and before.
9. Unsuccessful nominations shall not be automatically rolled over to the following year. The subcommittee considering the award may carry-over the nomination packages of qualified nominees.  A carried-over nomination package can be further carried over at most one more time, thus making the lifecycle of a carried over package at most two more years after the initial nomination.  Carried-over nomination packages are processed exactly the same way as the other current year nomination packages and must comply with the same IEEE and Computer Society policies and procedures as a new nomination of the current year. When the next nomination cycle begins, the original nominator may revise and update a carried-over nomination. However, revisions to a carried-over nomination do not extend the carried-over nomination period.  Carried-over nominations shall expire if not selected within three years.

12.4.2 Awards for which the Awards Committee Chair Has Final Approval Authority

For these awards, the Awards Committee Chair shall be responsible for notifying awardees and for notifying nominators of the disposition of their nominations.  Following the general procedures set forth in Section 12.3.1, the Awards Committee shall solicit nominees, review candidates, and the Awards Committee Chair exercises final approval authority for recipients of the following awards:

• IEEE Computer Society/SEI Watts S. Humphrey Software Quality Award
• Michael Elliott Distinguished Service Certificate
• Meritorious Service Certificate
• Outstanding Contribution Certificate
• Continuous Service Certificate
• Certificate of Appreciation
• Golden Core Member Recognition

12.4.3 Major Awards Approved by the Board of Governors

Following the same general procedures set forth in Section 12.3.1, the IEEE Computer Society Awards Committee shall, for each of the following major awards, solicit nominees, review candidates, and recommend nominees to the Board of Governors for final approval:

• Women of ENIAC Computer Pioneer Award
• Charles Babbage Award
• Taylor L. Booth Education Award
• Seymour Cray Computer Engineering Award
• Sidney Fernbach Memorial Award
• Harry H. Goode Memorial Award
• Hans Karlsson Standards Award
• Wallace McDowell Award
• Richard E. Merwin Award for Distinguished Service
• Harlan D. Mills Award
• Ramakrishna Rau Award
• Mary Kenneth Keller Computer Science & Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award
• Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award

Members of the major award subcommittees shall not participate in the nomination or seconding of, or serve as references for, candidates for the award(s) of the subcommittee(s) on which they serve.  The selection of recipients of all of the above major awards shall be made by the Board of Governors by electronic ballot after disclosure of the nominees and written recommendation of the merits of the nomination.  The Board of Governors may select a recipient from the nominees presented or refer the award back to the Awards Committee for further consideration.

In presenting the recommendations of the Awards Committee, the subcommittee chair or the Awards Committee Chair should present a written statement presenting the specific contributions of each award recipient recommended to the Board, should describe the nomination solicitation and review process guidelines for each award, and either certify that those procedures were followed or document any exceptions made and the reasons, therefore.  The president shall notify awardees as soon as possible after Board action.  The Awards Committee Chair or the award subcommittee chair shall notify all nominators of the final disposition of their nominations after the president has notified the awardees.

12.4.4 Major Award Nomination Procedures

A nominator should carefully review the award criteria and the nominee’s contributions, and then nominate an individual for the most appropriate award.  Only one major Computer Society award nomination for an individual shall be considered in a calendar year (exclusive of cosponsored awards).

If there is an existing carryover nomination for an individual who receives a revised nomination for the same award or a nomination for a different award, the carryover nominations will be administratively voided.

An individual shall not receive more than one major Computer Society Award, exclusive of cosponsored awards, in any two-year window.

Current or carried over nominees cannot serve as nominators or endorsers for their nominator(s) as long as their nomination is valid or being carried over; if this case is determined, the most recent nomination(s) will be voided.

Nominators, nominees and endorsers whose names are or have been on the prohibited authors list cannot serve as nominators or endorsers and cannot be nominated for any Computer Society Award, service and recognition.

12.4.5 IEEE CS Major Awards Hierarchy 

With respect to the eligibility rules in the IEEE policies for a given achievement or set of achievements inclusive of substantially similar achievements, the Computer Society Major Awards approved by the Board of Governors hierarchy shall be as follows, starting from highest tier awards: the Women of ENIAC Computer Pioneer, recognized as the highest tier award; the other awards, excluding the McCluskey Technical Achievement Award and the Keller Computer Science & Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award. An individual who receives a Computer Society higher tier award is not eligible to receive a lower tier award.

The above hierarchy does not apply to jointly sponsored awards.

12.4.6 Major Awards Presented Jointly with ACM

The Eckert-Mauchly and Ken Kennedy Awards are awards jointly issued and administered by the Computer Society and the Association for Computing Machinery (“ACM”).  Joint IEEE Computer Society-ACM subcommittees shall seek nominations and select nominees for the joint awards.

12.5 TECHNICAL & EDUCATION AWARDS DESCRIPTIONS AND PROCEDURES

12.5.1 Women of ENIAC Computer Pioneer Award

Contribution: The Women of ENIAC Computer Pioneer Award recognizes significant contributions to concepts and developments in the computing field which have clearly advanced the state of the art in computing.  The contributions must have taken place 15 or more years earlier.

Award: Two Silver medals. Up to two awards, counting co-awardees as a single award, may be presented annually.

Administration: The Award is named for the Women of ENIAC but open to all professionals, regardless of gender or gender identity.  The Women of ENIAC Computer Pioneer Award Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection for the award.  Appointment of previous Computer Pioneer Award recipients to serve on the subcommittee is strongly encouraged, but not required.  No endorsements are required for the award nomination. 

12.5.2 Charles Babbage Award 

Contribution: in recognition of substantial contributions in the field of parallel computation.

Award:  Certificate and $1,000 honorarium to be normally presented at the annual IEEE Parallel and Distributed Processing Conference (IPDPS).  The award shall be presented to a single recipient. The awardee shall be invited to present a paper at the conference.  The award honorarium, certificate expenses and travel expenses of the recipient to attend the presentation ceremony shall be borne by the conference.

Administration:  The Babbage Award Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection.  The nomination requires a minimum of three and a maximum of five endorsement letters.

Funding:  This award shall be funded through the International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Processing Conference annual conference budget.

12.5.3 Taylor L. Booth Education Award

Contribution: Outstanding record in computer science and engineering education, as established by some of the following:  achieving recognition as a teacher of renown in a relevant and applicable course; writing an influential text in computer science and engineering; leading, inspiring, or providing significant educational content during the creation of a curriculum in the field; inspiring others to a career in computer sciences and engineering education. 

Award: Bronze medal and $5,000 honorarium, usually presented to a single recipient.

Administration: The Booth Award Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection.  The nomination requires a minimum of three and a maximum of five endorsement letters.

12.5.4   Seymour Cray Computer Engineering Award

Contribution: Presented in recognition of innovative contributions to high performance computing systems that best exemplify the creative spirit demonstrated by Seymour Cray.

Award: Crystal memento, certificate, and $10,000 honorarium to be normally presented at the SC Conference.  The award will be presented to a single recipient.   This award will be presented by the IEEE Computer Society President or his designee.  The awardee will normally be invited to present a paper at SC.

Administration: The Cray Award Subcommittee solicits candidates throughout the year and makes the preliminary selection.  The nomination requires a minimum of three and a maximum of five endorsement letters.

12.5.5 Eckert-Mauchly Award

Contribution: Outstanding contributions to the field of computer architecture.

Award: Certificate and honorarium of $5,000 to be normally presented at the International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA).

Administration: The award is administered by a subcommittee composed equally of members from the ACM and the IEEE Computer Society.  The chair is an additional appointee rotated yearly between ACM (even year) and the IEEE Computer Society (odd year).  IEEE Computer Society appointees to the subcommittee (and the chair) are selected by the Awards Committee Chair.  The subcommittee’s choice for the award is reported to the Awards Committee by its representative to the joint subcommittee for consideration and recommendation to the president, whose approval shall constitute concurrence on behalf of the Society.  Such concurrence shall be reported to the Board of Governors at its next regular meeting.

The nomination requires a minimum of three and a maximum of five endorsement letters.

Funding: The IEEE Computer Society is obligated to fund one-half of the honorarium and the certificate expense, The International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA) will provide travel funds, if necessary, to assure that the awardee can attend the symposium presentation.

12.5.6 Sidney Fernbach Memorial Award

Contribution: Outstanding contribution in the application of high performance computers using innovative approaches.

Nominator: Anyone may nominate.  Nominations will be specifically solicited from the SC Conference Committee.

Award:  Certificate and $2,000 honorarium to be normally presented at the SC Conference.   The award will be presented for a single achievement.   The awardee will normally be invited to present a paper at SC.  This award shall be presented by the IEEE Computer Society President or his designee.

Administration:  The Fernbach Award Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection.  The nomination requires a minimum of three and a maximum of five endorsement letters.

12.5.7 Harry H. Goode Memorial Award

The Harry H. Goode Memorial Award was originally presented by AFIPS as an annual award to honor and encourage outstanding contributions to the information processing field.  Upon the dissolution of AFIPS in 1990, the IEEE Computer Society agreed to assume responsibility for the continuation of the award.

Contribution: Recipients are selected on the basis of achievements in the information processing field which are considered either a single contribution of theory, design, or technique of outstanding significance, or the accumulation of important contributions on theory or practice over an extended time period, the total of which represents an outstanding contribution.

Award: Bronze medal and $2,000 honorarium, usually presented to a single recipient.

Administration: The Goode Award Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection.  The nomination requires a minimum of three and a maximum of five endorsement letters.

12.5.8  IEEE Computer Society/SEI Watts S. Humphrey Software Quality Award

Contribution: Presented in recognition of outstanding achievements in improving ability of a target organization to create and evolve software-dependent systems.

Eligibility: Open to all software professionals who participate in software development, support, or management, and are employed by and participate in the software work of an organization that produces, supports, enhances, or otherwise provides software-intensive products or services.

Nominator: Anyone may nominate.  All nominations shall be endorsed by a senior executive from the nominee’s organization.  If the target organizations are different from the nominee’s organization, then the nomination must also be endorsed by a senior executive from each of the target organizations.  The online nominations system requires information about the nominator and senior endorser and their roles in the nominated organization.  The nomination materials shall contain an overview that consists of no more than two pages and supplemental information of no more than 10 pages.

Award: The finalists and winner shall be announced and recognized by the IEEE Computer Society and Software Engineering Institute.  The award may be presented to an individual, team or organization.  There is a maximum of two annual awards.  Each recipient shall receive an engraved, commemorative plaque and honorarium of $1,500.  IEEE policy prohibits cash payments for awards to companies or organizations.  If the winner is an organization or company, the Software Engineering Institute and/or the IEEE Computer Society shall provide the equivalent of $1,500 of in-kind services (such as advertising, membership, travel support) in lieu of a cash honorarium.

This award shall normally be presented at the annual IEEE Computer Society awards ceremony.  The winner shall be invited to produce a technical report describing the quality improvement and results, and to present a webinar, hosted by the Software Engineering Institute, based on the report.

Administration: The Award Committee, in consultation with the chair of the Technical  Community on Software Engineering and the Director of the Software Engineering Institute, shall appoint the chair of the IEEE Computer Society/SEI Watts S. Humphrey Software Quality Award subcommittee.  The chair of the subcommittee shall appoint the other members of the subcommittee, consisting of three to seven software professionals with recognized knowledge and experience in software process improvement, in consultation with the chair of the IEEE Computer Society Awards Committee.  The chair and committee members shall serve for a three-year term, consistent with IEEE Computer Society policies, and cannot serve consecutive terms.

Nominations shall be submitted to the award subcommittee, which shall review and rank each qualified nomination according to the criteria set forth for the award.  After selecting finalists, the subcommittee may visit and/or interview the finalist organizations and may recommend up to five finalists and a winner to the Awards Committee chair for approval. 

Funding: The Awards Committee budget covers expenses incurred in advertising for nominations, publicizing the names of the finalists and award winners, and providing the engraved plaque.  The Software Engineering Institute shall provide assistance to the winner in preparing a talk and paper on the winning achievement and will pay the $1,500 honorarium to the winner or winning team members, unless the winner is an organization or company.  The Software Engineering Institute may also provide additional advertising and publicity for the award.  It is expected that the organizations of the finalists for the award will bear the cost of site visits, if necessary.  Costs of site visits may also be partially covered by the Software Engineering Institute.

12.5.9 Hans Karlsson Standards Award 

Contribution: Presented in recognition of outstanding skills and dedication to diplomacy, team facilitation and joint achievement, in the development or promotion of standards in the computer industry where individual aspirations, corporate competition, and organizational rivalry could otherwise be counter to the benefit of society.

Eligibility:  Limited to present or past participants in IEEE Computer Society Standards activities.

Nominator:  Anyone may nominate.  Nominations will be specifically solicited from the IEEE Computer Society Standards Activities Board and the IEEE Computer Society Standards Committees.

Award: Plaque and $2,000 honorarium, usually presented to a single recipient. 

Administration:   The Awards Committee chair, in consultation with the IEEE Computer Society Standards Activities Board, shall appoint a subcommittee of the Awards Committee to solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection. The nomination requires a minimum of three and a maximum of five endorsement letters. 

12.5.10 Ken Kennedy Award 

Contribution: To recognize outstanding contributions to programmability and productivity in computing and substantial community service or mentoring contributions.

Award:  Certificate and $5,000 honorarium to be normally presented at the SC conference.  The award shall be presented to a single recipient.  The awardee shall be invited to present a paper at the SC conference, or at an ACM or IEEE conference of the winner’s choosing, during the year following the announcement.  Travel expenses of the recipient and one companion to attend the presentation ceremonies at a conference shall be borne by the conference.

Administration:  The award shall be administered by a six-member committee composed equally of members from the ACM and the IEEE Computer Society.  Terms are for three years, with one of the three members (of each society) changing each year.  The chair shall be an additional appointee rotated yearly between ACM (odd year) and the IEEE Computer Society (even year).  The Committee’s choice for the award shall be reported to the Awards Committee by its representatives to the joint committee for consideration and recommendation to the president, whose approval will constitute concurrence on behalf of the Society.  Such concurrence shall be reported to the Board of Governors at its next regular meeting.

The nomination requires a minimum of two and a maximum of four endorsement letters.

Funding:  This award shall be funded from an endowment of $100,000 with equal contributions from ACM and the IEEE Computer Society.  The endowment shall be administered by the IEEE Foundation.

12.5.11 W. Wallace McDowell Award

Contribution: Outstanding recent theoretical, design, educational, practical, or other similar innovative contribution that falls within the scope of IEEE Computer Society interest.  The award may be given for a single contribution of great merit or a series of lesser contributions that have had or are expected to have an important influence on the computer field.

Award: Certificate and $2,000 honorarium, usually presented to a single recipient.

Administration: The McDowell Award Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection. The nomination requires a minimum of three and a maximum of five endorsement letters. 

12.5.12 Harlan D. Mills Award

Description: Established in memory of Harlan D. Mills to recognize researchers and practitioners who have demonstrated long-standing, sustained, and impactful contributions to software engineering practice and research through the development and application of sound theory.

Eligibility:  Achievements should demonstrate a sustained body of work in software engineering theory and practice.  The winner would be generally recognized in the software engineering community for achieving the results stated and for encouraging and teaching others to do the same.

Award: Plaque and $3,000 honorarium to be normally presented at the International Conference on Software Engineering. The awardee may be invited to give a talk at the conference.  One recipient, awarded annually, as appropriate.

Administration:  The Harlan Mills Award Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection.  The nomination requires a minimum of three and a maximum of five endorsement letters.

12.5.13 B. Ramakrishna Rau Award

Contribution: in recognition of substantial contributions in the field of computer microarchitecture and compiler code generation. The candidate will have made an outstanding, innovative contribution or contributions to microarchitecture, use of novel microarchitectural techniques or compiler/architecture interfacing.  It is expected, but not required, that the winner will have also contributed to the computer microarchitecture community through teaching, mentoring, or community service.

Award: Certificate and $2,000 honorarium to be normally presented at the annual ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Microarchitecture. The award shall be presented to a single recipient. The awardee shall be invited to present a paper at symposium.  Travel expenses of the recipient to attend the presentation ceremonies shall be borne by the symposium.

Administration: The Rau Award Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection. The nomination requires a minimum of three and a maximum of five endorsement letters.

Funding:   Expenses for the award certificate and honorarium shall be funded from an endowment administered by the IEEE Foundation. 

12.5.14  Mary Kenneth Keller Computer Science & Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award

Contribution: To recognize outstanding contributions to undergraduate education through both teaching and service.  This award should focus our interest on undergraduate education, as well as affirm our support for excellence in undergraduate education.  The participation of local entities should help to maintain interest, increase the visibility of the Society, and make a statement about the importance with which we view undergraduate education.

Eligibility: A faculty member in a degree program in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, or a similar program.

Award:   Certificate, and $2,000 honorarium, usually presented to a single recipient.

Administration: The Mary Kenneth Keller Computer Science & Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection.  The nomination requires a minimum of two and a maximum of four endorsement letters.

12.5.15 Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Awards

Contribution: Outstanding and innovative contributions to the fields of computer and information science and engineering or computer technology, usually within the past 10, but not more than 15, years. Contributions must have significantly promoted technical progress in the field.

Eligibility: Open to all, except for candidates receiving major awards in the same area.

Award: Certificate and honorarium of $2,000.  Up to four awards may be presented annually.

Administration: The Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection of up to five nominees, with the appropriate input and support from the relevant technical areas and technical committees.  The nomination requires a minimum of two and a maximum of four endorsement letters.

12.5.16 Conference Best Paper Awards (for Papers Presented at Society Sponsored or Cosponsored Conferences) 

Contribution: The Best Paper Award recognizes the most outstanding contribution to the state of the art within the scope of the conference.  The paper containing the contribution must be presented at the conference by one of its authors and published in the conference record or proceedings.

Award: Certificate for each author and $200-500, the amount to be determined by the conference, to be equally divided in the case of multiple authors.  The award may be announced at the conference where it is chosen or may be announced after the conference.  The award should be presented in a timely manner. The award should be presented at the current or next conference in the series, if possible, or at one of the sponsoring Society’s major conferences.

Administration: The selection committee shall be appointed by the appropriate conference program committee and shall follow Awards Committee Procedures.

Funding: Funding for such awards is to be included in the approved operating budget for the conference.

12.6   SERVICE AWARDS AND SERVICE CERTIFICATES DESCRIPTIONS AND PROCEDURES 

Service awards are intended to recognize service to IEEE Computer Society programs and activities, and to the profession, as opposed to technical achievement. 

12.6.1     Richard E. Merwin Award for Distinguished Service

Contribution: Outstanding volunteer service to the profession at large, including significant service to the IEEE Computer Society or its predecessor organizations.  The award is for service as opposed to technical achievement.

Eligibility: The Richard E. Merwin Award is the highest-level volunteer service award of the Society and the highest selection criteria are to be maintained.  No current or past Society president shall be eligible until four years after completion of presidential service.

Award:  Bronze medal and $5,000 honorarium.  The award shall be presented to a single recipient.

Administration: The Merwin Award Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection.  The nomination requires a minimum of three and a maximum of five endorsement letters.

12.6.2   Service Certificates 

The IEEE Computer Society Service Certificates hierarchy shall be as follows, starting from highest tier Service Certificate: the T. Michael Elliott Distinguished Service Certificate, the Meritorious Service Certificate, the Outstanding Service Certificate, the Continuous Service Certificate, and the Certificate of Appreciation.

Nominations may be made at any time, but it is preferable if the nomination follows closely in time the contribution to be recognized.   The Awards Committee and its subcommittees shall process only one service certificate nomination higher than the Certificate of Appreciation for any individual in a calendar year.  Any additional nomination following the first one for the same individual will be administratively voided and the nominator informed.  In case of multiple nominations, the nomination submission time is determined to confirm the chronological order and identify the most recent nominations exceeding the first one.  Already voided nominations cannot be restored at any time.

All nominations should report tangible and objectively provable evidence of service achievements of the nominee (e.g. website, publications, news feeds).  Nominators, nominees and endorsers (if any) should be registered with an IEEE account (free account or paid membership) and should have sufficient visibility inside their technical communities (e.g. personal website, professional platform profile).

As long as an individual is a student (bachelor, masters, Ph.D.), a student is eligible only for the Certificate of Appreciation service certificates.

Service certificates may be presented at any appropriate Society function. Service certificate recipients shall be acknowledged annually on the Computer Society’s website.

12.6.2.1 T. Michael Elliott Distinguished Service Certificate (DS)

Contribution: The T. Michael Elliott Distinguished Service Certificate is the highest-level service certificate. A certificate is given in recognition for long and distinguished service to the IEEE Computer Society at a level of dedication and achievement rarely demonstrated.  This award often recognizes service in several capacities, and positions of significant Society responsibility, with contribution levels justifying multiple Meritorious Service Certificates or higher.  Examples are establishing and maintaining a Society program or conference, continuing officership in the Computer Society, or long-term and active service on Society committees.

Award: Certificate.

Administration: The nomination requires three endorsements. Certificates are signed by the president and shall be approved by the Awards Committee Chair.

12.6.2.2 Meritorious Service Certificate (MS) 

Contribution: The Meritorious Service Certificate is the second highest level service certificate. A certificate is given for meritorious service to an IEEE Computer Society-sponsored activity. Qualification is enhanced by the level and number of contributions, excellence, dedication, and tenure of service.  Examples are: any significant role in one activity such as an editorship, committee or conference support of unusual and/or continuing nature, and service as a Computer Society officer, committee or conference general or program chair, or Associate Editor in Chief of a Computer Society journal/magazine.

Award: Certificate.

Administration: The nomination requires two endorsements.  Certificates are signed by the president and shall be approved by the Awards Committee Chair.

12.6.2.3 Outstanding Contribution Certificate (OC)

Contribution: The Outstanding Contribution Certificate is the third highest level service certificate. Unlike the Distinguished Service and Meritorious Service Certificates, this certificate is given for a specific achievement of major value and significance to the IEEE Computer Society.  The achievement should be a specific, concisely characterized accomplishment, as opposed to a collection of different efforts.  Examples are: the successful launching of a major conference series, a specific publication, standards and model curricula.  A group OC award may be given for a major contribution in which a number of volunteers each made significant contributions.  Certificates bearing all names would be awarded.

Award: Certificate.

Administration: The nomination requires two endorsements. Certificates are signed by the president and shall be approved by the Awards Committee Chair.

12.6.2.4 Certificate of Appreciation (CA)

Contribution: This certificate is awarded for creditable service to any Society activity or program.  Awards signed by the function chair certify the function’s appreciation for services performed by individuals. Areas of contribution would include service with a conference organizing or program committee.

Award: Certificate.

Administration: The nomination requires no endorsements. Awards Committee Chair approval of intra-function (within a single program or activity) CAs is not required. If the nominator is not responsible for the function, candidates must be endorsed by the function or committee chair or an appropriate officer.  Certificates signed by the president are to certify the Society’s appreciation for the services performed by the individual and shall be communicated by the Awards Committee Chair.

12.6.2.5 Continuous Service Certificate 

Contribution: The Continuous Service Certificate is given in recognition of ongoing credible service to any Computer Society activity or program.  This certificate is intended to recognize and encourage the ongoing involvement of volunteers in Society programs.  The certificate may be given after at least three consecutive full calendar years of continuous service.  Service may be within a single role over multiple years, or reflect changes of roles within the Society.  This is comparable to multiple Certificates of Appreciation. 

Eligibility:  All current IEEE Computer Society volunteers. 

Nominator:  Initial nomination should be from the program or activity leadership, such as an Editor in Chief of a Computer Society journal/magazine, technical committee chair or the vice president responsible for the nominee’s area of work.  No further endorsements are required, but strong and objectively substantiated evidence should be provided by the nominator. 

Administration: Awards Committee approval of the initial certificate followed by annual renewal based on the confirmation of the chair or leader of the associated program.  The citation should indicate the general area of contribution so that rotation through various jobs can be recognized in this context as appropriate.  For example, “For ongoing volunteer service to the IEEE Computer Society”, and for each year, indicated the area of involvement and role.

Award: Certificate.

Administration: Certificates are signed by the president and shall be approved by the Awards Committee Chair. 

12.7 ADMINISTRATION OF TECHNICAL COMMUNITY AWARDS

The administration of technical community awards shall be described in the Technical and Conference Activities Handbook. 

12.8 AWARDS TO PAID STAFF MEMBERS

Generally all service awards are open to all paid Society staff members whose contributions qualify. There are important provisos, however, and operational variants pertaining to the nomination and approval procedures.  Staff and volunteers should be kept aware of the intent and scope of awards program as it applies to staff.  For example, awards will generally not be given for the excellence in performance of normal responsibilities, for which normal compensation methods exist.  The contribution must be exceptional relative to the type and/or level of accomplishment for which the Society compensates the employee at present or for which it might reasonably do so in the near future, via promotion or other change in assigned responsibilities.  The achievement should also be distinctly apparent to the employee’s peers and appropriate staff and volunteer management.  Most importantly, awards to staff shall not be used in lieu of normal forms of compensation.  In order to minimize sensitivity or management problems, the nomination and review processes must include consultation with appropriate senior staff managers, including the chief staff executive.

12.8.1 Harry Hayman Award for Distinguished Staff Achievement

Contribution: Long and distinguished service of an exemplary nature in the performance of duties over and above those called for as a regular employee of the Society.

Eligibility: Current IEEE Computer Society staff members of long standing.

Nominator: Anyone can nominate.

Award: Plaque and a $5,000 honorarium. The award shall be presented to a single recipient.

Presentation: At an appropriate function specified by the Society President.

Administration: The nomination requires three endorsements. This award is an exception to general awards practices.  Nominees for the award shall be considered and approved by the Society’s Executive Committee.  Nominations shall be made to the Society’s Executive Committee through the president.   The Awards Committee will assist in the process.

12.9 AWARDS TO CHAPTERS

The administration of chapter awards shall be described in the Member and Geographic Activities Board Handbook. 

12.10 GOLDEN CORE MEMBER RECOGNITION

Contribution:  Long-standing member or staff with outstanding performance and demonstrated service to the Society.  Each year the Awards Committee will select up to a maximum number of 50 recipients from eligible candidates and permanently include their names in the Golden Core Member master list.

Eligibility:  All current IEEE Computer Society members or staff. A Golden Core member must have received one of the following:

• Richard E. Merwin Award for Distinguished Service
• Harry Hayman Award for Distinguished Staff Achievement
• Michael Elliott Distinguished Service Certificate
• Meritorious Service Certificate
• Outstanding Contribution Certificate

Or must have served in one of the following capacities:

• Board of Governors member
• Executive Committee member
• President
• Editor in Chief with two consecutive terms tenure on the same journal/magazine/letters
• Technical Community Chair with two consecutive terms tenure on the same technical community
• Staff member with five years tenure.

Editors in Chief (EICs) in the last year of their second term of service, or during the year immediately following the end of their second term, are eligible, if their service has resulted in substantial improvements in the quality and standing of their periodicals.

By 1 December of a calendar year, the current vice president for Publications presents to the Awards Committee Chair, a proposal supporting the EICs to be considered for Golden Core recognition.

Technical Community (TC) Chairs in the last year of their second term of service, or during the year immediately following the end of their second term, are eligible, if their service has resulted in substantial improvements in the quality and standing of their technical communities.

By 1 December of a calendar year, the current vice president for Technical and Conference Activities presents to the Awards Committee Chair, a proposal supporting the TC chairs to be considered for Golden Core recognition.

Administration:  The recognition program shall be administered by the Awards Committee Chair.

Recognition:  The recognition will consist of a Golden Core pin and plaque.  Presentation of the recognition may be at an appropriate function designated by the president or by mail.  Individual names will be included in a master list and publicized in accordance with Awards Committee responsibilities for publicity reaching the IEEE Computer Society membership.

12.11   IEEE AWARDS COSPONSORED BY THE COMPUTER SOCIETY

The IEEE Computer Society and Hitachi, Ltd. cosponsor an IEEE Technical Field Award, the IEEE Innovation in Societal Infrastructure Award.  The Computer Society and the Computer Society of India (CSI) cosponsor an IEEE national society joint award, the CSI-IEEE CS Education Award.

12.11.1 The IEEE Innovation in Societal Infrastructure Award

Contribution:  For significant technological achievements and contributions to the establishment, development, and proliferation of innovative societal infrastructure systems through the application of information technology with an emphasis on distributed computing systems

Eligibility:  The annual award may be presented to an individual, team, or multiple recipients up to three.

Award:  Bronze medal and cash honorarium.  Funds for travel to the presentation site, if necessary, will be provided for the awardee.  IEEE policy requires that its awards be presented at major IEEE events that are in keeping with the nature of the award and the cited achievement. The International Symposium on Autonomous Decentralized Systems (ISADS), co-sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society, is considered a desirable venue for the presentation of the award, but not necessary.

Administration: The ISI Award is administered by the IEEE.  The ISI Award Selection Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection.  The IEEE Board of Directors shall approve the award recipient.

Funding:  The award prize items and other award expenses shall be funded from an endowment contributed by Hitachi, Ltd. The endowment shall be administered by the IEEE Foundation.

12.11.2 The CSI-IEEE CS Education Award

Contribution:  For significant contributions to computer science and engineering education.  Contributions may include writing influential texts, course materials, or papers on education; inspirational teaching; and innovative development of curriculum or methodology.  The contributions can be at the undergraduate or graduate teaching level (BTech, MTech or Ph.D.).

Eligibility:  The nominee should be teaching in India, preferably in the last three years.

Award:  Certificate and $500 honorarium.  The award presentation will be held at the CSI Annual Conference in December or any suitable awards ceremony as decided by the Award Joint Administrative Committee.

Administration: The bi-annual award shall be administered by the Award Joint Administrative Committee composed equally of members from CSI and the IEEE Computer Society and a representative of the IEEE Awards Board.  The award recipient shall be selected by a six-member Award Selection Committee composed equally of members from CSI and the IEEE Computer Society.   The Award Selection Subcommittee shall solicit candidates and make the preliminary selection.  The Award Selection Committee’s choice for the award shall be reported to the IEEE Awards Board, the CSI Executive Committee and the IEEE Computer Society Awards Committee for approval.

Funding:  The award prize items shall be funded jointly by CSI and the IEEE Computer Society.