The Medical Devices and Diagnostics (MDD) Section will sponsor a student paper competition for the Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) in Baltimore. A manuscript suitable for journal submission is required to enter. The first-place winner will receive $500; the second-place winner will receive $300.

To be eligible, applicants must be a student (undergraduate, master’s, or PhD [full or part time]) on or after September 1, or be within two years of graduation if the submitted work was initiated while a student. The applicant must be first author on the paper, and the adviser (or other coauthor) must write a letter stating that the applicant had primary responsibility for the research and write-up. The applicant also must be a member of MDD.

To Apply

Applications are due December 15. Send an email to MDD with the following attachments (in PDF format):

• A curriculum vita
• A letter from the adviser (or other coauthor) verifying the student status of the applicant and briefly describing the applicant’s role in the research and writing of the paper
• A cover letter describing the contributions of the paper to MDD
• The paper—including all tables, figures, and appendices—as a single PDF file

Papers will be reviewed by an MDD committee. Criteria for selection will include novelty in theory/methods/applications, significance and potential impact of the research, and clarity of writing and presentation. Decisions of the committee are final.

Applicants will be notified of the committee decision by January 30, 2017. The winners (including those receiving honorable mention) must submit abstracts and register for JSM by February of 2017 through the official JSM abstract submission system. To receive the award, the winners must register for the conference and present a talk under the auspices of the MDD on the topic of the winning paper. Those who are not selected as winners are encouraged to submit a contributed abstract to JSM 2017.

Students may submit papers to no more than two sections and may accept only one section’s award. Students must inform both sections applied to when he or she wins and accepts an award, thereby removing the student from the award competition for the second section.

Prizes

MDD anticipates awarding a $500 award to the first-place winner and a $300 award to the second-place winner. The best paper winner and honorable mention winners will be presented with a certificate at the MDD section meeting during JSM.