- General
- The LeRoy E. Doggett Prize for Historical Astronomy (hereafter "the
Prize"") consists of an appropriate certificate containing a citation from
the Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) of the American Astronomical Society
(AAS).
- At the discretion of the Prize Committee (Sec. III), the Prize may be
accompanied by an honorarium and/or travel expenses to a HAD meeting in
order to give an invited lecture.
- The Prize shall be given no more often than biennially, on the schedule
specified in Sec. IV.
- The Prize shall not be given to any person more than once.
- Recipients of the Prize may be of any nationality and need not be
members of HAD or of the AAS.
- Posthumous awards of the Prize shall not be made.
- The Prize shall be administered in accordance with the Bylaws of the AAS
and the policies of the AAS Council.
- Criteria for the Prize
- The Prize shall be granted on the basis of either or both of the
following criteria:
- a book, Ph. D. dissertation, article, or any other form of publication
that significantly illuminates the history of astronomy, and that has been
published during the previous six years;
- long-term efforts of any kind that have significantly influenced the
field of the history of astronomy.
- In the above, "history of astronomy" is taken in its broadest sense,
that is, to include all historical studies of the astronomical research,
observations, practices, and beliefs of all cultures, past and present.
"History of astronomy" also includes the discipline per se, that is, the
institutions and practices that make it possible to do historical research
involving astronomy.
- The Prize Committee
- The recipient of the Prize shall be chosen by the Prize Committee, which
consists of five persons: the immediate past HAD Chair (Chair of the Prize
Committee), the present HAD Chair, the HAD Secretary/Treasurer (Secretary of
the Prize Committee), and two at-large members proposed by the HAD Chair and
approved by the HAD Committee.
- The two at-large members shall serve staggered four-year terms beginning
in alternate Januaries. At any given time no more than one of these persons
may be a non-member of both the AAS and HAD. In choosing the at-large
members, a balance shall be sought on the Committee between the various
branches and styles of research in the history of astronomy.
- Members of the Prize Committee are not eligible for the HAD Prize until
four years after they leave the Committee.
- Selection Procedure
- In the first HAD Newsletter following the AAS meeting in January (of the
calendar year now defined as "Year One"), a notice shall solicit nominations
for the Prize. A nomination consists of a detailed letter of support and a
complete curriculum vitae for the nominee. Nominations may be proposed by
any Member or Affiliate Member of HAD. In the event that a nominee is being
proposed primarily for a single publication, it is the responsibility of the
proposer to arrange for copies of the publication to be supplied to the
Committee.
- Nominations will be accepted by the Secretary of the Prize Committee
until 30 days before the Annual Business Meeting that occurs one year later
(close of nominations is thus normally during December of Year One).
- The Prize Committee's selection shall be guided by the nomination
materials, further materials that they may solicit, and the desirability of
balancing the awarding of Prizes over the years between different branches
and styles of research or service in the history of astronomy. The Committee
may also at any time make its own nominations for consideration.
- The Committee shall select a recipient by majority vote.
- The Committee may decide at any time not to award a Prize for the
current cycle. If such a decision is made by 31 August of Year Two, a new
call for nominations may be made in the next HAD Newsletter, with Year Two
now becoming Year One of a new biennial cycle.
- Nominees who do not win the Prize are automatically carried over as
candidates for the next two Prize cycles, after which time a person must be
re-nominated.
- The Prize Committee shall make its announcement of the winner, if any,
as well as the citation for the winner, no later than by 30 September of
Year Two. The Committee shall also decide at this time whether the recipient
shall be invited to give a lecture at the following HAD meeting (normally in
January of Year Three), whether travel expenses for the recipient shall be
provided, and the amount of any honorarium. These decisions will be guided
by the procedures given in Sec. V.
- In summary, the selection schedule is as follows:
- Feb., Yr. 1 -- Prize Committee constituted.
- Through early Dec., Yr. 1 -- nominations accepted.
- 31 Aug., Yr. 2 -- possible decision to have no award and immediately
re-open nominations to close in early Dec., Yr. 2, which now becomes Dec.,
Yr. 1.
- 30 Sep., Yr. 2 -- announcement of Prize recipient.
- Jan., Yr. 3 -- usual time for recipient to receive Award and give a
talk at an HAD meeting.
- Feb., Yr. 3 -- new Prize Committee constituted.
- Prize Fund
- If suitable funds can be obtained for this purpose, a permanent Prize
Fund shall be established and administered by the AAS. The HAD Committee
shall determine what fraction of the Fund's income shall be used to maintain
the Fund against inflation. The remaining income shall be available for the
Prize and its associated expenses. If income from the Fund is insufficient
or if no Fund exists, the HAD Committee may authorize that Prize expenses be
obtained from the HAD general account.
- The HAD Committee and Prize Committee shall make prudent and equitable
decisions regarding the amounts to award in any given year for any honoraria
and travel expenses.
- Amendments
- The HAD Committee is empowered to change these rules by majority vote;
such changes shall not apply to the current Prize
cycle.
