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ISAC Awards

The first award made by the Society was to Sanford Cole, Director of Conferences of the Engineering Foundation of New York. “Sandy” was a firm believer in the future of analytical cytology and in its ultimate benefit to society. At a general business meeting held in 1979, Sanford Cole was awarded an honorary membership in the Society, with the following statement: “His organizational skills, commitment, and support have nurtured the formation of the Society and the establishment of analytical cytology as a recognized scientific discipline.”

In 1992, the Council of the Society established two awards to be made to Society members.

The Honorary Fellow of the Society award was established to recognize significant contributions to the Society. It was renamed Membership Award in 2002.

The Distinguished Service Award was established to honor those individuals who served the Society in a major role, provided major support to the Society and its members, or made a significant contribution to the success of the Society.

The Society established two additional awards in 1994: the Presidential Award for Excellence and the Outstanding Student Award. The Council felt that to assure the long term growth and prosperity of the Society there must be a steady infusion of new scientists into the field of analytical cytology. These awards were established to provide encouragement for younger scientists to enter the field and to recognize excellence in their activities. These competitive awards include a substantial monetary prize. The funding for these awards was provided entirely by the donation of all the royalties from the Handbook of Flow Cytometry Methods, edited by J. Paul Robinson.

The Outstanding Student Poster Award was established in 1996. It is a competitive award given to one or more student poster presenters at each Congress. Finalists are notified prior to the Congress, and present their poster for judging by the Membership Services Committee. Students selected for the award receive a certificate of accomplishment and a modest monetary prize.

The Presidential Award for Excellence is presented to one or more of the outstanding younger members of the Society. To be eligible for this award, a candidate must be a member of the Society, out of post-doctoral training for no more than 5 years, have made presentations at national and international meetings, have published in refereed journals, and attend the Society’s congress. In addition, the candidate must submit a brief paper on the subject of a poster presented at the congress.

The Outstanding Student Award recognizes continuing outstanding performance by a student with service to the field and to the Society. To be eligible for this award, a candidate must be a member of the Society, be a pre-doctoral student, and follow a field of study in any physical or natural science with a goal of working in analytical cytology. In addition, the candidate must submit a brief paper on the subject of a poster presented at the congress. It was renamed Exceptional Student Award in 1998.

The Janis Giorgi Scientist of the Year Award, was created from funds from the Huang Foundation in honor of long-time ISAC member Janis Giorgi who passed away in 2000. She devoted a great deal of time to mentoring younger members and was a role model to a generation of female scientists. The award recognizes an outstanding junior scientist who has made seminal contributions to the field of cytometry/cytomics.

The Best Paper in Cytometry Award was established in 2003, to recognize the best paper appearing in Cytometry, as judged by the editors and associate editors.

The Fulwyler Award for Innovative Excellence, established in memory of Mack J. Fulwyler, the inventor of the electrostatic cell sorter, recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding innovation by invention or in a career of innovative science. A recipient need not be a member of the Society.

The ISAC Scholars program was established to encourage and maintain younger membership in ISAC by funding ISAC membership dues. This program is intended to enhance the number of young members of the Society, and to provide an opportunity for all young members to be mentored in the skills of leadership. Several pharmaceutical companies generously support this program.