The Governor’s Medal award program was initiated in 1987 to recognize those who made career achievements and/or provided distinguished service that has benefited the State of Utah in the areas of Science and Technology. Specific criteria were developed to determine the significance of the contributions to the economic development of the state. Initially, nominations were solicited from four general categories: Academia, Science Education, Industry and Government. A separate Special Category has been added to recognize individuals that may not meet all of the specific criteria but whose accomplishments merit recognition for this award. The Special Category nominations are by invitation of the Governoror Council only. Previous award recipients and current members of the State Advisory Council on Science and Technology are not eligible for nomination.
General criteria are required of all nominees. These include the following:
- The recipient must be a full-time resident of Utah for at least five consecutive years immediately preceding the award year
- The recipient must have been nominated for the award in the current year
- The recipient must have demonstrated accomplishments in the fields of science, engineering technology or technology management.
The strength of the accomplishments are considered in light of the following factors:
- Merit and uniqueness of the achievement
- Results of peer review and recognition where applicable
- Impact on the society
- Economic benefit to the State
- Public awareness impact and
- Environmental impact to the State.
As might be expected, the selection criteria are not weighted the same for each category. For each category additional selection criteria, as detailed in the formal procedure and criteria for Governor’s Medal selection, were developed to define the achievement.
Initial nominations must be submitted in the form of a single page, structured formal application available by previous mailings or by use of the web-based application link provided by the Governor’s office. At the sole discretion of the Advisory Council Medals Subcommittee, a more complete nomination package may be requested. This submittal would provide more detail of the nominee’s accomplishments and may include support letters of nomination, curriculum vitae (resume) and references.
By charter, a sub-committee of the State’s Science Advisory Council reviews the nominations and applies the selection criteria to each nomination and selects the Governor’s Medal winners. Governor’s Medal Awards are then formally presented to each recipient by the Governor in a formal setting.
Additional information and nominations should be sent to:
State ScienceAdvisor
Governor’s Office of Economic Development
324 South State Street, Suite 500
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: (801) 538-8749
Fax: (801) 538- 8888