Awards

2023 award winners are listed below.

Instructions and deadlines for 2024 award nominations are also provided below.

Matilda White Riley Distinguished Scholar Award

This annual award honors a scholar in the field of aging and the life course who has shown exceptional achievement in research, theory, policy analysis, or who has otherwise advanced knowledge of aging and the life course.

The 2023 winner is Richard Settersten (Oregon State University).

2024 Nomination Process: To nominate a colleague for the MWR Distinguished Scholar Award: Submit a full nomination letter by March 1, 2024. Letters of nomination should describe the nominee’s contributions to the study of aging and the life course that warrant consideration. If multiple persons wish to nominate a person, we strongly encourage co-signers on a single nomination letter. Nominations will be carried over for consideration for the award for two years beyond the year of the initial submission of the nomination package.

Materials should be sent to Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson, Chair of the Matilda White Riley Distinguished Scholar Award Committee, at monicakj@wsu.edu. Other committee members include André Christie-Mizell, Anna Muraco, and Markus Schafer.

Outstanding Publication Award

This annual award honors an outstanding recent contribution to the field of sociology of aging and the life course as determined by the Outstanding Publication Award Committee.

The 2023 award is for a book by Ken Chih-Yan Sun (Villanova University):
Sun, K. C. Y. (2021). Time and migration: How long-term Taiwanese migrants negotiate later life. Cornell University Press.

2023 Honorable Mention: Richard Settersten (Oregon State University), Glen Elder (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), and Lisa Pearce (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill):
Settersten, R., Elder, G., and Pearce, L. (2021). Living on the Edge: An American Generation’s Journey through the 20th Century. The University of Chicago Press.

2024 Nomination Process: Eligible publications include original research reports, theoretical or methodological developments, and policy-related contributions. The outstanding publication can be an article or book chapter published within the past three years (from 2021-2023) to be eligible for the 2024 award.

A single author or one of the coauthors must be a SALC member. Multiple entries cannot be submitted by the same author(s); please choose the strongest entry. Only SALC members are permitted to make nominations, but nominators should make only one nomination. Self-nominations are accepted. Papers that have been uploaded as Advance Access articles but have not yet been published cannot be submitted until next year.

A nomination letter should accompany a PDF of the article or chapter. The letter should provide the full citation, describe the scope of the manuscript, and highlight some of its contributions to the field. Nominations of publications for the award should be sent to Hui (Cathy) Liu, Chair of the Outstanding Publication Award Committee, at liu3839@purdue.edu. Other committee members include Lisa Pearce, Sung Park, and Jacqui Angel. All nominations are due by March 1, 2024.

Graduate Student Paper Award

This annual award honors an outstanding paper written by a graduate student member(s) of SALC, as determined by the Graduate Student Paper Award committee. The award consists of $250 presented to the winner at the SALC Business Meeting, held during the annual ASA meeting.

The 2023 award is for a paper by Alexander Adames (University of Pennsylvania):
“The Cumulative Effects of Colorism: Race, Wealth, and Skin TonePost-Reform China”

2023 Honorable Mention: Erin Ice (University of Michigan):
“Bringing Family Demography Back In: A Life Course Approach to the Gender Gap in Caregiving in the United States”

2024 Nomination Process: Papers authored or coauthored solely by students are eligible; faculty co-authorship is not allowed. Eligible student authors include master’s and pre-doctoral student members of the section who are currently enrolled in a graduate program, or who have graduated no earlier than December 2023. Unpublished, under review, accepted, or published papers are eligible. If published, the paper should have appeared within the past two calendar years (e.g., a paper nominated in 2024 may have been published anytime in 2022 or later). Unpublished papers should not exceed 9,000 words of text (excluding references, tables, etc).

To be nominated, send an electronic version of the paper along with a completed and signed SALC Graduate Student Award Nomination Form to Merril Silverstein, Chair of the Graduate Student Paper Award Committee, at merrils@syr.edu. Other committee members include Marc Garcia, Emma Zhang, Nik Lampe, and Ayrlia Welch. All nominations are due by March 1, 2024, and self-nominations are encouraged.

SALC Mentoring Award

SALC has a rich legacy of mentoring, both of students and junior faculty. We want to honor this history by recognizing SALC members who have distinguished themselves as mentors in the field of aging and the life course.

The 2023 co-winners are Deborah Carr (Boston University) and Janet Wilmoth (Syracuse University).

2024 Nomination Process: Submit a nomination of a candidate by March 1, 2024. The nominee’s CV should be included with the nomination materials. Letters of nomination should describe the nominee’s contributions to mentoring in the area of aging and the life course that warrant consideration. If multiple persons wish to nominate a person, we strongly encourage co-signers on a single nomination letter and for co-signers to include short specific personal descriptions of how the nominee has mentored them. We also urge those preparing nomination letters to indicate where co-signers are working now and to think broadly about types of mentorship and the contributions of that mentorship for promoting diversity and inclusion in the discipline and beyond. Specifically, letters should describe mentorship experiences over the range of the nominee’s career, including but also going beyond mentorship provided around research and for graduate students, and include specific details regarding the nominee’s mentorship. Nominations will be carried over for consideration for the award for two years beyond the year of the initial submission of the nomination package.

Nominations can be sent to Debby Carr, Chair of the Outstanding Mentor Award Committee, at carrds@bu.ed. Other committee members include Harry Barbee, Asmita Asaavari, and Patti Thomas.