Robert Packard Award
Robert Packard Award - Best Overall Oral Presentation
The Robert L. Packard Award is presented for the Best Overall oral presentation. The winner may be undergraduate or graduate. Eligibility is open to any student who has not previously received this award. The Robert L. Packard Award was first awarded in 1985 for the best student presentation. In 1990, when the TSM Award was established, the Packard Award was designated for the best presentation in classical mammalogy. Since 1998, the Packard Award has been designated for the Best Overall oral presentation. The award was named in honor of Robert L. Packard (1928-1979), the founder of the Texas Society of Mammalogists.
Mammalian Molecular Biology, Evolution, and Systematics
These awards recognize excellence in research using primarily molecular approaches. They are made up of the following awards:
TSM Award - Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation
The TSM Award is presented for the best oral presentation in mammalian molecular biology, evolution, or systematics by a graduate student. Eligibility is open to any graduate student who has not previously received this award. The TSM Award was established in 1990.
Bobby Baker Award - Best Undergraduate Student Oral Presentation
The Bobby Baker Award is presented for the best oral presentation in mammalian molecular biology, evolution, or systematics by an undergraduate student. Eligibility is open to any undergraduate student who has not previously received this award. The Bobby Baker Award was established in 2013 in honor of Bobby Baker (1986-2012), who was an active and award-winning undergraduate member of the Texas Society of Mammalogists.
Clyde Jones Graduate Award - Best Graduate Student Poster Presentation
Clyde Jones Undergraduate Award - Best Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation
The Clyde Jones Awards are presented for the best poster presentations given by one graduate student and one undergraduate student in mammalian molecular biology, evolution, or systematics. Eligibility is open to any student who has not previously received the award at the respective academic level. The initial Clyde Jones Award was established in 2004 in honor of Clyde Jones (1935-2015), Horn Professor of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University. Jones was an active member of TSM since its inception in 1983 until his death in 2015, and was President of the Society in 1987-1988.
Classical mammalogy at the organismal level
These awards are for excellence in research at the mammalian organismic level and can be (but not limited to) projects that are ecological, morphological, or behavioral in nature.
William B. Davis Award - Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation
The William B. Davis Award is presented for the best oral presentation in classical mammalogy at the organismal level by a graduate student. Eligibility is open to any graduate student who has not previously received this award. The William B. Davis Award was established in 1998 in honor of William B. Davis (1902-1995), a leading mammalogist in Texas and the first Head of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University. Davis authored or co-authored five editions of “Mammals of Texas” (1947, 1960, 1966, 1974, 1994).
Rollin H. Baker Award - Best Undergraduate Student Oral Presentation
The Rollin H. Baker Award is presented for the best oral presentation in classical mammalogy at the organismal level by an undergraduate student. Eligibility is open to any undergraduate student who has not previously received this award. The Rollin H. Baker Award was established in 2002 in honor of Rollin H. Baker (1916-2007), president of the Society in 1984-1985 and an active member of TSM from 1984 until his death in 2007.
Vernon Bailey Graduate Award - Best Graduate Student Poster Presentation
Vernon Bailey Undergraduate Award - Best Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation
The Vernon Bailey Awards are presented for the best poster presentations given by one graduate student and one undergraduate student in classical mammalogy at the organismal level. Eligibility is open to any student who has not previously received the award at the respective academic level. The initial Vernon Bailey Award was established in 2004 in honor of Vernon Bailey (1864-1942), Chief Field Naturalist and Senior Biologist for the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Biological Survey from 1897 to 1933. Bailey conducted the first and most complete biological survey of Texas, from 1889 to 1905.