This award was established to honor the memory of 2 distinguished researchers and teachers who made enormous contributions to the present understanding of tick-borne diseases in the tropics. Dr. Andy Norval was a native of Zimbabwe who spent most of his career studying the ecology and epidemiology of ticks and the pathogens they transmit. He eventually became a member of the faculty at the University of Florida, Gainesville where he maintained an extensive graduate program. Dr Alan Young spent most of his working life in East Africa at Muguga, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute and later at the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD). He became the world's leading authority on theileriosis and East Coast fever. He provided much support and encouragement to many postgraduate students and young scientists who worked in his training programs. Both of these scientists were dedicated to student participation, encouragement and support and it is to these ideals that this award was created. The Norval-Young Award is given every two years to coincide with the STVM biennial conference and is based on the evaluation of a student research project in the area of tropical veterinary medicine. The award is given to the winner of a competition based on the submission of research abstract and supporting materials and provides support to attend the biennial meeting of STVM.

The award provides:

* An award of 3,000 USD to cover the registration fee, travel- and accomodation costs, to be presented at the TTP8-STVM Conference

The competition is open to veterinary or graduate students worldwide who are currently enrolled in a program or have graduated less than 6 months prior to submission. The winner must present a paper based on their submitted abstract at the meeting.

Application procedure and guidelines 

The applicant must submit the following material for evaluation:

1. Research Summary. The applicant will prepare a thorough and precise summary of not more than 3 typed pages describing a research or clinical medicine project performed by the applicant during their degree program. The project should be in the area of tropical veterinary medicine or have direct relevance or application to it. The summary should contain a Title with all authors and institutions listed, type of research (Masters or PhD etc.), an Introduction (history/motivation), Materials and Methods, Results or Final Disposition and a Discussion/Interpretation of these results. The project or research must be completed by the time of application and submission must be approved by all authors. The summary should convey sufficient information for the review committee to fully evaluate the project.

2. Abstract. A 400 word abstract based on the research summary will be prepared for inclusion in the conference program. The abstract should contain Title, authors, institution and concise description of the research.

3. Letters of Recommendation. The student should submit 2 letters of recommendation from faculty or professional members of the institution(s) which supported the research or clinical project.

4. Application Essay. The applicant should submit an essay of no more than 1 page indicating the applicant's interest in tropical veterinary medicine, prior experiences and career goals.

5. Biographical Sketch. A curriculum vitae should be submitted with the educational background of the applicant including academic awards, presentations or publications. If applicant has already graduated the date of graduation should be included. Application materials will be evaluated by a committee appointed by the Executive Board of STVM. Evaluation will be based on scientific merit, recommendations and applicant essay. The winner will be expected to present a 15 minute oral presentation of the project at the conference in Berlin.

Deadline for receipt of student award application packet: March 31, 2016. Reviews will be completed by or before May 6, 2016. The application must be submitted electronically in Microsoft word or pdf format.

Please send the application by e-mail only to Professor Olivier Sparagano: Ab8677@coventry.ac.uk