Microscopic view of textured, irregular surfaces and structures.

Ruska Award Student Competition

Ruska Award for Microscopy Excellence

The Ruska Award was named in honor of Ernst Ruska, an inventor of the electron microscope, and his brother Helmut, who collaborated in the development of this powerful research instrument. The award recognizes excellent research by students using microscopy as the primary research tool. To qualify for this award, students must follow the Ruska Award Guidelines outlined below and present their work in the form of a PowerPoint presentation at the annual SEMS meeting. The presentation should be 10 minutes in length followed by a 2-minute question and answer period. The Ruska Award Committee will evaluate the scientific merit of the abstract, quality of the writing, quality of the micrographs, and the oral presentation.

All Ruska participants receive meeting registration and a certificate of participation. The first place Ruska Award winner will receive the Ruska Award plaque and a cash prize.

History of the Ruska Competition

 

In 1970, the members of SEEMS wanted to select a name for our student award. They wanted to give the award a name that would be significant to both physical and biological electron microscopists. Dr. Roth suggested that they name the award the Ernst Ruska Award; he was asked to write to Ernst Ruska to get his permission to name the award after him.

 

Mr. Ruska wrote back, in German of course. Since Dr. Roth’s German vocabulary is limited to “gesundheit”, he asked a friend to translate the letter for him. In Mr. Ruska’s letter, he suggested that the society name the award after him and his brother, Helmut, who was a biologist. Dr. Roth wrote back and thanked the Ruska brothers for permitting the society to use their name. 

 

When the time came to actually name the award, it was decided to name it the Ruska AWARD rather than the Ruska Brothers or the Ernst and Helmut Ruska Award due to the fact that the latter two or too cumbersome. They had planned to make the first award at our December meeting in 1971 which was scheduled to be held at Georgia Tech. That meeting was canceled due to a “heavy snow” that greatly limited the attendance at that meeting. Thus the first Ruska Award was made to Danny Akin in 1972. After making the first award, the society sent each of the Ruska brothers a plaque similar to the ones awarded to the students.

 

Everyone says how slow in progress the South is; however, it should be noted that our SEEMS Society gave the first Ruska Award in Ernst’s honor 17 years before EMSA recognized him and 18 years before the Nobel Prize Committee recognized him. So much for the South being behind the times.

Ernst_Ruska-218x300.jpg
ruska-letter-288x300.jpg

Ruska Award Eligibility

  • Applicant must be a member of SEMS.  Click here: Membership Online Form to apply.
  • Applicants must be, or have been, an undergraduate or graduate student during the academic year of the meeting.
  • The applicant cannot be a previous Ruska Award winner.
  • Students must present original research conducted by themselves. The research may be co-authored by the student’s advisor.
  • Send questions to southeasternmicroscopysociety@gmail.com.

Ruska Competition Submission Requirements

To participate in the Ruska Award competition, students must complete the following requirements:

  1. Submit an Abstract
    • Prospective Ruska Award participants must submit an abstract through the Call for Papers page. Abstracts must follow all formatting and submission guidelines provided on that page. 
  2. Prepare a Research Summary 
    • Submit a Research Summary consisting of:
      • A maximum of 2 pages of text, including the Title, Author(s) and Affiliation(s), Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and References.
      • Up to 1 additional page of figures, micrographs, tables, or charts related to the research project. All figures and tables must include appropriate legends or descriptions.
    • The Research Summary must be emailed to southeasternmicroscopysociety@gmail.com along with the completed Ruska Award Checklist.
  3. Submit the Ruska Award Checklist  
    • Complete the Ruska Award Checklist and have it signed by your faculty advisor. The signed checklist must be emailed to southeasternmicroscopysociety@gmail.com with your Research Summary.
  4. Pay Membership Dues and Register for the Meeting

Ruska Award Evaluation Criteria

The Ruska Award Committee will evaluate each participant's research summary and oral presentation using the following criteria:

1. Research Summary

Scientific Merit

  • Scientific soundness and significance of the research
  • Quality of the experimental design and thoroughness of the investigation, including originality and the use of complementary or correlative techniques
  • Adequacy of the data in supporting the conclusions
  • Effective use of microscopy and related methods to address the research question

Micrographs and Figures

  • Quality of specimen preparation, including fixation, sectioning, and staining, where applicable
  • Appropriate use of instrumentation and imaging techniques
  • Overall image quality, including clarity, contrast, composition, and presentation

Quality of Writing

  • Clarity and organization
  • Scientific accuracy and conciseness
  • Grammar, spelling, and overall readability

2. Oral Presentation

  • Clarity and organization of the presentation
  • Effectiveness of scientific communication
  • Quality and effectiveness of visual materials
  • Demonstrated understanding of the research
  • Ability to respond thoughtfully and accurately to audience questions
  • Adherence to the allotted time: 10 minutes for the presentation and 2 minutes for questions