US Citizenship Not Required

The award is open to all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of citizenship or country of study. One or two awards are typically given annually. If two Hancock Awards are given in one year, one of the awards will be given to an undergraduate student and the other to a graduate or post-graduate student.

The award will be presented at the annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference. In 2022, this conference will take place June 6-8 in Reston, VA. The Hancock winner must give an oral or poster presentation during the conference as well as submit a report to ACS GCI on their experience after the conference in order to receive reimbursement.

There is no limit on the number of applications that can be submitted by any one academic institution or project advisor; however, only one application is permitted per student. Students who completed their degree prior to May 1 of the previous year are not eligible for the award.

The selection criteria used to judge applications received for the Hancock Memorial Award are similar to those used for the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. The criteria were designed to ensure that award recipients are furthering the goals of green chemistry and/or green engineering. The student activity must meet the scope and objectives of the award and address one or more of the focus areas:

1. The student activity should offer potential human health and/or environmental benefits. The activity should further a technology that might, for example:
   • Reduce toxicity (acute or chronic) or the potential for illness or injury to humans, animals, or plants
   • Reduce flammability or explosion potential
   • Reduce the use or generation of hazardous substances, the transport of hazardous substances, or releases to air, water, or land
   • Improve the use of natural resources, for example, by substituting a renewable feedstock for a petrochemical feedstock
2. The student activity should be potentially applicable to a large and broad-based segment of academia, industry, or society at large. The activity should further a technology that is, for example:
   • A practical, cost-effective approach to green chemistry
   • A remedy for a real environmental or human health problem
   • Readily transferable to other academic institutions or industry sectors
3. The student activity should be innovative and of scientific merit. The activity should be, for example, original (i.e., never before investigated, researched, or employed) and scientifically valid.

The recipient of the award receives a one-time cash prize of $1,000 USD. The award is presented at the annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference. In 2022, the conference will be held June 6-8 in Reston, VA. In addition to the monetary award, transportation, lodging, and registration fees for the conference are reimbursable up to $1,000 USD.

Please send your application in a single PDF file to gci@acs.org with “Hancock Award Application – [applicant’s last name]” in the subject line. Applications should be written by the student applicant.

Applications must be no longer than eight pages (8½-by-11-inch), written in font no smaller than 11 point, with margins of at least 1 inch. Applications longer than eight pages total will not be accepted. The application should include the following:

1. A one-page cover sheet with the complete names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses (if available) of the following individuals:
   • The undergraduate or graduate student applicant
   • The primary sponsor (academic institution and project advisor)
   • Contributors (individuals or organizations that provided financial or technical support for the student activity)
   • Contact person – person who is responsible for all communications with the program (the student or advisor)
2. The cover sheet should be followed by a background section (no more than one page) containing the following information:
   • For undergraduate applicants: type of degree expected (B.A., B.S. or Associate), major and any minor fields of study, and the month and year the degree is expected
   • For graduate applicants: type of degree expected (M.S. or Ph.D.), field of study, number of years already spent pursuing graduate work, and the month and year the degree is expected. In addition, graduate applicants must provide their undergraduate institution, type of degree earned, major and any minor fields of study, and the month and year their undergraduate degree was awarded.
   • Current undergraduate or graduate grade point average. In addition, graduate applicants must provide their cumulative undergraduate grade point average.
   • List of applicant’s public presentations and publications, if any
   • A sentence or two on the applicant’s academic interests and motivations
   • A sentence or two on the applicant’s career plans
3. The background page should be followed by an abstract page containing the following information:
   • A project title.
   • An abstract not to exceed 500 words that briefly describes the student’s studies or research.
4. The remaining five pages can be used to detail how the project meets the selection criteria. Explain the following:
   • How the student’s studies or research meet the award scope and objectives and focus areas
   • The potential human health and/or environmental benefits
   • The potential application to academia, industry, and society
   • The innovation and scientific merit of the student’s project

Quantitative statements of benefits are more useful to judges than qualitative ones. The judges recognize that some applicants will not be able to conduct a full lifecycle or cost-benefit analysis, but like to see a discussion of impacts across the lifecycle. Some selection criteria might not apply to every project. Such instances should be indicated where appropriate.