Prize Details

• Certificate
• 1 year student membership to ASM
• $1500 award upon completion of the research project and submission of an acceptable final report
• A short oral presentation at the ASM VIC Branch Nancy Millis Award Night, which is typically held in late February (following completion of the research experience). Presentations will be 5 min long and should summarise the key scientific approaches undertaken and potential outcomes of the research experience.

Eligibility Requirements

Essential criteria:
Any undergraduate student who is completing studies in Microbiology or related disciplines will be eligible to apply. This includes students who are currently completing Honours or have completed Honours in the same calendar year as the award is offered. Masters by Coursework students completing studies in Microbiology or related disciplines are also encouraged to apply.

Sponsors (i.e., laboratory heads or alike) must have a track record in Microbiology or a related discipline, including (but not limited to) investigations of the molecular biology, biochemistry, chemistry, physiology, genomics, bioinformatics and host-pathogen interactions involving microorganisms (including the areas of food, industrial, environmental and medical microbiology), epidemiology (as this pertains to infectious disease) and immunology (as this pertains to understanding the immune response towards infectious agents).

Sponsors must be an ASM member at the time of application

Application Requirements

Applications will consist of:
• Research project description, including project background, aims, methods, and references
• Sponsor’s letter of support, describing the technical assistance provided to the Applicant
• Applicant’s CV
• Applicant’s Statement of Interest and Motivation

ALL documents must be formatted using 2 cm margins, 12 pt font, double-spaced throughout, and comply with the page limits indicated below.

Projects that are perceived to be too general in scope or not feasible within the 4-week time frame will be less attractive for funding.

Assessment and Ranking of Applications

Applications will be assessed by a panel of reviewers, drawn from the ASM VIC Branch committee members. A minimum of three (3) reviewers will participate in the assessment of applications each application period. Reviewers with a conflict of interest will be excluded from participating in the assessment of those application(s).

Applications will be assessed and ranked using the following criteria:
• Applicant’s CV (25%)
• Applicant’s Statement of Interest and Motivation (25%)
• Sponsor’s letter of support (25%)
• Research project description (25%)

At least one award may be awarded each application round, subject to quality of the applications.

Conditions of the Award

Photograph
A photograph (with caption) of the student, preferably depicting them working in the laboratory, must be provided. It should be of sufficient quality for publication in the monthly ASM Vic Branch eNewsletter and the quarterly online magazine Microbiology Australia.

Report
A report on the completed summer research project must be prepared by the Applicant (i.e. student) and provided to the ASM VIC Branch committee within 1 month (i.e. 30 days) of the end of the research project, and no later than 31 March 2020.

The report must be written as a scientific paper containing the following Sections:
• Title
• Abstract (200 words), including authors (student awardee and supervisors) and affiliation(s)
• Background or Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• References. These must be used throughout, listed at the end of the report, and should be in the style of the Journal of Bacteriology • The document must be formatted using 2 cm margins, 12 pt font, double-spaced throughout, and not exceed five A4 pages.

Permissions
As a condition of this award, you give us permission to publish your name, project title, report abstract and/or photograph on our website, in the monthly eNewsletter of the ASM VIC Branch and in the quarterly ASM journal, Microbiology Australia. The abstract of the report and photo should therefore be of sufficient quality for publication purposes.

Payment of the Award

Payment will occur:
• After receipt of the Applicant's report; and
• Having met the deadline of 31st March; and
• Approval of the report by the ASM VIC Branch committee as being of the appropriate academic standard. In cases where the report is not at the appropriate standard, an awardee may be asked to revise their report.

Once the report is approved by the ASM VIC Branch, the Applicant will receive the Award by way of bank transfer. The applicant will therefore need to supply their relevant bankig details to facilitate payment.

2022*
Rylee Dehan, Desirel Ng, Nhu Quynh Doan, and Isini Buthgamuwa
2021*
Taylah James, Sameer Mohammad Khan, Jacinta Agius, and Cecil Wheeler
2020
Jay Law, Adeleine Chew, and Irena Jovanovska
2019
Yinglei (Jenny) Hua, Joshua Vido, and Cassandra Stanton
2018**
Don Ketagoda, Sonja Repetti, and Lauren Zavan

*Four winners were selected for the 2021 and 2022 rounds, due to the unprecedented nature of COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
**2018 was the inaugural year for this award