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DANA MEDAL
Description of the Award    Recipients    Submitting a Nomination

(revised 10/11/2008)


Description of the Award

The Dana Medal is intended to recognize continued outstanding scientific contributions through original research in the mineralogical sciences by an individual in the midst of their career.  For the purpose of this award, mineralogical sciences are defined in its broadest sense and mid-career candidate should have received their terminal degree no more than 25 years prior to January 1st of the year in which the medalist is selected.  Service to mineralogy, teaching, and administrative accomplishment are not to be considered primary merit for the award, and nationality, age of candidate, or place of employment shall not be considered.

J. D. Dana portrait from David Huntington painting The Mineralogical Society of America Dana Medal was established in 1998 and named in 2000 in honor of the legendary contributions by James Dwight Dana (1813-1895) left and Edward Salisbury Dana (1849-1935) right to the science of mineralogy. E. S. Dana was Honorary MSA President from 1926-1935. (memorial, American Mineralogist). A complete bibliography in pdf format of J. D. Dana from the biography by Gilmore is on MSA's Collector's Corner. ES Dana AmMin memorial

The recipient of the Dana Medal receives a 3-inch diameter, bronze engraved medal and gives a scientific presentation which is published in American Mineralogist.  The medal was designed and struck by the Medallic Art Co. since 2000.

References

Recipients of the MSA Dana Medal
Links are to the Presentation (P) and Acceptance (A) Articles


  • 2001 George Rossman P, A
  • 2002 Michael F. Hochella, Jr. P, A
  • 2003 Mark S. Ghiorso P, A
  • 2004 R. James Kirkpatrick P, A
  • 2005 William D. CarlsonP, A
  • 2006 Rodney C. EwingP, A
  • 2007 Frank S. Spear
  • 2008 Thomas Armbruster
  • 2009 Ronald E. Cohen
  • 2010 Jillian F. Banfield

Submitting Nominations for the Dana Medal

Nominations for the award consist of a completed Nomination Checklist, a cover letter from the nominator outlining the candidate's qualifications in light of the criteria for the award, any supplementary materials, such as complete curriculum vitae and a bibliography of published works exclusive of abstracts, book reviews, and papers that have not yet been accepted for publication, and supporting letters from at least three (3) but no more than five (5) other individuals that are focused on how the candidate meets the criteria of the award.  The Nomination Checklist is available either online as an html, text, pdf, or MicroSoft Word file that you may copy from the screen or download to complete,  or by mail from the MSA Business Office, 3635 Concorde Pwky Ste 500, Chantilly, VA USA, telephone: (703) 652-9950, fax: (703) 652-9951, e-mail business@minsocam.org.

The completed nomination package must be sent to the committee chair and received by June 1 for consideration by the Committee for the next award. 

The committee asks that the nominator compile into a single electronic file the nomination, all letters of support, and supplementary materials before submitting then nomiantion to the Committee Chair.  This single electronic nomination package makes it easier and less expensive for the committee members, who are increasingly international, to do their work. 

Nominations can be carried over to following years if the nomination package is updated by the sponsor.  Any nomination not renewed after 2 years will be not considered further.

2008 Chair of the MSA Dana Medal Nomination Committee (for the 2010 Dana Medal): 
Roberta L. Rudnick (2008), Chair
University of Maryland
Dept of Geology
College Park MD 20742-0001 USA
ph: +1 (301) 405-1311
fax: +1 (301) 405-3597
e-mail: rudnick@geol.umd.edu
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