Preamble

April 3, 2019
AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY and EUROPEAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY

Landau-Spitzer Award

The American Physical Society (APS) and the European Physical Society (EPS), through their respective Plasma Physics Divisions, will give an award for outstanding contributions in plasma physics.

The award will be called:

The LEV D. LANDAU and LYMAN SPITZER Jr. AWARD
for Outstanding Contributions to Plasma Physics

The Award will be given to an individual or group of researchers, who has made outstanding theoretical, experimental or technical contribution(s) in plasma physics, and has advanced the collaboration and unity between the United States of America (USA) and the member countries of the European Physical Society. The award may be given to a team or collaboration of up to four persons if such a team consists of individuals from both the EPS member countries and the USA or up to three individuals otherwise. The areas of plasma physics covered by the Award include, but are not limited to, fundamental plasma physics, fusion plasmas, astrophysical or space plasmas, low-temperature plasmas, or high-energy-density plasmas.

Regulations

1) The Award will be given in alternate years, chosen by a joint APS EPS selection committee comprised of 6 members, 3 from each society. The membership of the selection committee to evaluate the nominations is proposed every two years by the Chairperson of the APS Division of Plasma Physics and the Chairperson of the Board of the EPS Plasma Physics Division, based on the guidance of their designated nominating committees or officer(s). The membership is subject to approval by the CEO of the APS and the Board of the EPS Plasma Physics Division.

2) The Award recognizes work carried out in the last 10 years, it is not a lifetime award.
3) The Award cannot be awarded posthumously; no person may be awarded the Award more than once.

4) The Award comprises of a diploma with a citation and a money award of US $4000 in US years or its equivalent currency in Europe hosted years (see paragraph 14).

5) The registration fee of the conference where the award is presented will be waived for the recipient collecting the award and accompanying person (if applicable), as well as tickets to the conference dinner.

6) The nominations must comprise the name and address of both proposing and proposed individuals or teams, and a citation, which will be printed onto the diploma.

7) The winner will be recommended by a vote of the joint Selection Committee. In case of a tie between two persons (or a team), the Chair of the Selection Committee will continue to debate the supporting materials and repeat the vote until a winner emerges. The committee may decide not to recommend a winner for the Award in a particular year if the nominations do not meet the criteria established above.

8) Personal application for the Award is not permitted; members of the Executive Committee (ExComm) of the APS Division of Plasma Physics, or members of the Board of the EPS Plasma Physics Divisions cannot be nominated.

9) The Award Committee Chair will be selected in bi-annual rotation between the APS and EPS members. The rotation sequence is to be decided at the first meeting by consensus or drawing lots. A Vice Chair is appointed from the opposite society by Chair of the selection committee based on consensus. The Vice Chair will become the Chair for the next round of nominations two years later. Other committee members should not serve for more than two continuous award cycles, although exceptions for additional committee terms may be presented to both organizations for consideration.

10) The discussions and decisions on the nominations are strictly confidential. The Selection Committee members are not allowed to discuss any aspect of the nomination procedure with third parties.

11) Once the selection committee has decided on the candidate(s), they must submit the nomination for approval by the APS Council of Representatives and the EPS Plasma Physics Board. Approval by both governing bodies is necessary for determining the award recipient(s).

12) The winner(s) of the Award will be made public by having the citation posted simultaneously on the respective websites of both societies, and also printed, generally in APS News and the Europhysics News. The winner(s) will be notified by the usual procedures in such events by both societies.

13) If necessary, later modifications of the statutes can be executed by mutual agreement between the APS DPP ExComm and the EPS PPD Board, followed by approval of both APS and EPS.