TOS Honors Nomination Committee

PURPOSE. The Nomination Committee is responsible for encouraging honors nominations from the ocean science community. The honors that the Nomination Committee is charged with managing are:
• TOS Fellows
• Walter Munk Medal
• Wallace Broecker Medal
• Mary Sears Medal
• Nils Gunnar Jerlov Medal
• Early Career Award
• Mentoring Award
• Ocean Observing Team Award

SCOPE. The Nomination Committee encourages nominations from the science communities as well as committee members. After nominations are submitted to the online submission system, committee members review each nomination for completeness and viability. The Committee can contact nominators to request additional information or revision prior to the nomination deadline.

AUTHORITY. The Nomination Committee reviews nominations in all award categories for completeness and viability for the respective categories, and forwards them to the Selection Committee.

REPORTING. The Nomination Committee provides a report to the Selection Committee after the nomination deadline each year. The report consists of a list of all nominations for each honor, including information on gender and other diversity statistics. The nomination packages are provided electronically to the Selection Committee.

DELIVERABLES. In addition to the report submitted to the Selection Committee, it is expected that the Nomination Committee will work throughout the year to encourage nominations for TOS honors.

RESOURCES AND BUDGET. The TOS Executive Director will provide logistical support for meetings of the Nomination and Selection Committees. Audio and/or video conferencing services will be made available for all Committee Meetings.

CONFIDENTIALITY. All deliberations and correspondence among committee members are considered confidential.

The TOS Honors Nomination Committee is composed of a chair (TOS President) plus 14 members across the award disciplines with staggered 3-year terms. Eight TOS Council members (representing the thematic areas of Physical Oceanography, Education, Biological Oceanography, Geological Oceanography, Chemical Oceanography, Applied Technology, Ocean Data Science, and Ocean Social Science and Policy) automatically serve on this committee after they are elected to their Council positions. The remaining six members are selected by the TOS Council following an open call for self-nominations and active recruitment, especially from previous awardees, discipline specialists (i.e., optical oceanography for the Jerlov Medal) and other well-networked TOS members. The committee members will be selected to provide broad, multidisciplinary expertise. Members of the Nomination Committee may be nominated for honors, but are required to recuse themselves from discussions and review regarding the honor for which they have been nominated. The TOS President serves as the chair of this committee, and may encourage nominations, but cannot directly serve as a lead nominator or sign a letter of support for nominations.

Interested in joining the committee? Scroll down to the “JOINING THE COMMITTEE” section and learn more.

The Nomination Committee will typically meet quarterly by audio conference or video conference. A suggested meeting schedule is February, May, July, and October of each year. Intensive action near the nomination deadline is anticipated. A quorum consists of nine committee members. The TOS Executive Director will work with the Committee Chair to produce an agenda for each call to be distributed one week before the call. The TOS Executive Director will take minutes of each call, will send them to the Chair for verification, and will then share them with all committee members. Discussions among committee members are to remain confidential. Members will communicate by email as needed.

EVERY YEAR

February, May, July, and October: The committee meets quarterly by audio or video conference to discuss the status of nominations.

ODD YEARS

October 1–31: Nomination Committee Members are provided with access to the online submission system, and can check nomination packages for completeness and viability. Committee members may contact nominators to request additional information or revision prior to the nomination deadline if needed.

October 31: Nominations for honors are due.

November 1–8: The Nomination Committee prepares the report for the Selection Committee. The report consists of a list of all nominations for each honor, including information on gender and other diversity statistics. The nomination packages are provided electronically to the Selection Committee.

November 9: Report and access to the online submission system delivered

The TOS Values Statement guides Council and Committee activities, and all members abide by the TOS Policy on Professional Integrity, Ethics, and Conduct. All meetings are conducted adhering to “rules of engagement” detailed below.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

In addition to the formal TOS Policy, members of this group abide by the following “rules of engagement” (inspired by suggestions from Unlearning Racism in Geoscience deliverables and the Inclusive Scientific Meetings guide prepared by 500 Women Scientists).

1. We strive to dismantle imbalances of power and privilege during our interactions. Such examples include, but are not limited to, imbalanced dynamics that may occur between:

a. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and white committee members
b. Late and early career committee members
c. Those that are comfortable expressing their opinions and those that are not
d. People of different genders and gender identities
e. Members facing audio/visual/mobility challenges and those who do not

2. We strive not to invalidate anyone else’s story with our own spin.

3. We assume that everyone has good intentions and yet that they can still unintentionally hurt others with their statements.

4. During meetings, we strive to be conscious of body language and non-verbal responses that may indicate feelings of disrespect or harm, and we strive to create welcoming and accessible synchronous and asynchronous meeting spaces so that committee members can contribute fully and to the best of their abilities.

5. We recognize and respect that stories, opinions and reflections shared in committee meetings can be very personal and make individuals vulnerable.

6. We agree to maintain confidentiality to protect and value every committee member’s vulnerability. All stories and opinions shared during committee meetings and deliberations cannot be shared, posted, or copied outside the committee without permission by the person who shared the story or opinion.

7. We strive to create a culture of independent decision-making and respectful dissent. To this end, committee members are encouraged to respectfully challenge assumptions and ideas without personal attack, and communicate without being defensive.

8. We are open to being held accountable to our actions and words.

9. We agree that openly and passively aggressive interactions have no place in this committee. This applies to all modes of communication – in person, virtual meetings, email, Slack, etc. Examples include sarcasm, feigned surprise, speaking over others, centering whiteness, or other similar harmful behavior. Anyone engaging in such behavior will be respectfully, but firmly, counseled by any committee member to desist, regroup, and reflect. We agree to pause and address such warning signs.

10. We strive to speak from our own experiences instead of generalizing (i.e. “I” instead of “they”, “we”, “you”)

11. We will strive to listen actively and respect others when they are talking; and to ensure that all individuals have an opportunity to have their voice heard.

12. While we will strive to agree, we recognize that the goal is not agreement, but rather to gain a deeper understanding together.

13. We will remind ourselves of these ground rules at the start of each year.

The Oceanography Society provides opportunities for members to gain valuable leadership experience while supporting the society’s mission and values by appointment to the TOS Honors Nomination Committee. Committee members are appointed, and terms of service vary according to each group.

SCHEDULE
The self-nomination process for Committee appointments begins in the summer. Review and election/selection occurs in the fall. The terms of committee members begin on January 1 of each year; rotation is staggered to provide continuity.

ELIGIBILITY
All TOS members are eligible to nominate themselves for consideration for committee positions. Persons who are not TOS members are eligible with the understanding that if appointed, they must become a TOS member.

APPLICATION
The application system will be available in summer 2025.

QUESTIONS?
Please contact Jenny Ramarui, TOS Executive Director.