Victorian branch awards and sponsorship
Frank Gibbons Award
The late Frank Ross Gibbons was a pedologist with the former Victorian Soil Conservation Authority. He retired in 1986 and in 1990 he received an Advance Australia Award for his ‘outstanding contribution to the environment and soil conservation’. He was made an Honorary Life Member of Soil Science Australia in 1992.
The Victorian Branch has created the Frank Gibbons Award to commemorate the life and career of this well-liked and respected soil scientist.
Guidelines
The Frank Gibbons Award is made to the author of an essay or report assessed on the basis of scientific merit, relevance to soil science and the overall effectiveness in communicating research to a scientific audience. Authors must be undergraduate students attending Victorian tertiary institutions or TAFEs. The award consists of a certificate, a copy of Australian Soils and Landscapes, one year’s subscription to Soil Science Australia and $250 cash.
A summary of the essay (or report) will be published in Profile (a quarterly publication of Soil Science Australia) and the submitted work will be kept in the Victorian branch records.
The topic of the essay should be soil science based but can be related to broader fields such as geography, environmental sciences, engineering or hydrogeology. The student will be the sole author of the essay. The word count for the essay should be of maximum of 5000 words.
Nomination Process
Nomination must be made by the student’s supervisor and must include the following declaration signed by the Chair of the Department: “I hereby state that the attached essay was written by an enrolled student and meets all of the requirements specified in the Guidelines for the Frank Gibbons Award”.
The Secretary of the Victorian Branch Committee will send the Frank Gibbons Award notice by the 1 May each year. Nominations are to be forwarded to the Secretary of the Victorian Branch Committee by the 25 October. A written copy of the Award Committee’s decision shall be forwarded to the Victorian Branch Committee by 20 November.
The Award Committee shall comprise the current Victorian branch committee excluding the supervisors of candidates. A subcommittee may be established if required.
Essays and nominations must be sent to vic.secretary@soilscienceaustralia.org.au
Award Presentation
The award is presented by the Victorian Branch President at the Professor G.W. Leeper Memorial Lecture which is normally held in November each year. A family member of Frank Gibbons will be sent an official invitation to attend the ceremony each year.
Soil Science Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future.