The Medal and Prize

1. There shall be one engraved medal and an associated monetary prize of $4,000. CMC Microsystems sponsors the award.
2. The award is known as the Douglas R. Colton Medal for Research Excellence and recognizes significant contributions made while conducting graduate studies completed in the form of a Master's or PhD degree some time during the three years prior to nomination for the award. The three-year period provides an interval during which the impact of the contribution may become more readily apparent, for example, through citations or interest shown in commercial exploitation.
3. The Medal may be awarded to persons in any field or discipline so long as the substantive contribution is to some aspect of microsystems or microsystems-related technology, such as Photonics/Optoelectronics, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), Microelectronics, Microfluidics and Embedded Software or the application of microsystems or microsystems-related technologies in Canada. The contribution must notably improve our understanding of, or demonstrate novelty in applying fabrication technology, design, system architecture or computer-aided design tools.
4. The presentation of the Medal shall be made at an event appropriate to the Canadian community active in microsystems research and technology development.
5. The recipient is required to acknowledge the sponsors of the award when reference is made to the award.

Eligibility

      6. The research must have been conducted primarily in Canada and have directly impacted  

          Canadian industry and/or ongoing university research programs in Canada.        

      7. A nominee must be either a Canadian citizen, landed immigrant or an individual who has

          been a Canadian resident for three years prior to the nomination.

      8. Nominations are open to anyone fulfilling the above eligibility requirements and are not

          restricted to those pursuing academic study or holding an academic appointment.

Nomination

9. Any post-secondary institution eligible for support by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) or any microsystems company or microsystems-related company in Canada may nominate one person per year.
10. There are no restrictions on who prepares the nomination but it must be submitted, as appropriate, either by the company, over the signature of an officer of the company, or by the university's Research Office, over the signature of an officer in the institution authorized to submit research proposals. Joint institution-industry nominations are encouraged. Joint nominations submitted by a university must include a covering letter over the signature of an officer of the company. Joint nominations submitted by a company must include a covering letter from the university over the signature of someone authorized to submit research proposals.
11. The nominators will be expected to provide all relevant information to the adjudicating committee. Such information should be directed primarily to the nominee's achievements in research and a statement of the importance of the nominee's contribution. The specific contribution to research which prompted the nomination should be emphasized. The nominators must use the template provided on CMC's Web site to document the publication history of the nominee. The portfolio of supporting documentation must include at least one view provided by an external authority. Nominators are encouraged, for example, to submit the views of a thesis defense examiner external to the university and/or the views of an industrial collaborator. The nominators should provide names of additional external authorities to whom reference might be made if required. Each nomination must be accompanied by two references, of which one must be academic.
12. In the form of a short citation the nominators will provide a summary of the specific contribution to research that prompted the nomination. The text of the citation must be suitable for use in publications or presentations that refer to the award and successful nomination.
13. Nominators are expected to prepare submissions with due regard to confidentiality. Consultation with the nominee and others will be necessary but nominators should exercise discretion, keeping in mind that competing submissions will be in preparation, for example, at other universities.

Adjudication

14. The President of CMC Microsystems strikes a committee to adjudicate submissions. The committee is national in nature taking into account regional and linguistic considerations, has a balance of industry and academic representatives, and includes relevant technical and scientific expertise. The chairperson may be designated by the President or the committee may be directed to select a chairperson from its midst, with the President or delegate acting in that capacity during the selection process.
15. After examining the submissions, the committee gives a decision which may be to award one medal or no medal. The summary report and decision of the committee is communicated to the President by the chairperson.

Nominations should be submitted to:

Dr. Ian McWalter
President and CEO
CMC Microsystems
945 Princess Street, B50
Innovation Park at Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario
Canada K7L 3N6

Tel: 613.530.4653
Fax: 613.548.8104
Email: mcwalter@cmc.ca