Awards Nominations & Ceremony
NOMINATIONS
Nomination Process & Eligibility
These awards are designed to honor faculty, staff, and current students who demonstrate excellence promoting STEM as a pathway for all learners. WISE celebrates achievement and outstanding advocacy for broadening participation in STEM with four awards bestowed annually at the Willie Hobbs Moore awards ceremony.
All current U-M faculty, staff, and students (regardless of sex or gender) from any of the three campuses are eligible to be nominated for these awards. All U-M faculty, staff, students, and alumni are encouraged to nominate eligible members of the community for these awards.
The nomination process opens up on February 1st of each year, with nominations due in early March. The award ceremony is held in April.
NOMINATION FAQs
Are there eligibility requirements or restrictions?
Nominees must be a science, technology, engineering, or math student or professional and a current student, faculty, or staff member at one of the three U-M campuses. We consider disciplines that are focus areas of the NSF such as social, behavior, and economic sciences to be “STEM” fields.
Previous award winners are not eligible to win the same award twice. They may, however, qualify for a different award for a new achievement.
The awards are open to everyone regardless of sex or gender identity.
Do you accept self-nominations?
Self-nominations are permitted and encouraged.
How do I decide which award someone should be nominated for?
What is the nomination process?
In addition to basic information about the nominee and the nominator, the nomination form asks for answers to a set of short answer questions. These statements are your opportunity to explain why the nominee should be considered for the award. No letters of recommendation should be submitted. The short answer questions can also be found in this Google Doc.
Short Answer Questions
Willie Hobbs Moore Award
1. Please describe up to 3 notable accomplishments from this person’s work/study as a scientist, engineer, mathematician, or other STEM focused individual and explain the impact of this accomplishment.
2. How do these achievements distinguish the individual from others in their field at similar levels of education or professional development? Please describe the individual’s experiences (barriers, challenges, etc.) in their education and/or work that make these accomplishments particularly inspiring.
Sister Mary Ambrosia Fitzgerald Award
1. Please describe both what makes a great mentor and how this individual is an exemplar of mentorship. What is notable, exceptional, or unique about their mentorship efforts? (For example, has this individual’s mentorship benefited a diverse set of STEM students?)
2. What has been the impact of this individual’s mentorship efforts? Both quantitative and qualitative measures of impact are equally valuable to the selection committee.
Claudia Joan Alexander Award
1. What are the objectives of the innovation, intervention or program that is being nominated? Why are the objectives important for STEM equity at U-M? How is this innovation, intervention, or program novel or different from other efforts at U-M?
2. What has been the impact of the innovation, intervention, or program that is being nominated? Both quantitative and qualitative measures of impact are equally valuable to the selection committee.
Cinda Sue Davis Award
1. Please describe at least 2 roles this individual has held on campus and explain how that individual worked to foster greater STEM equity on campus through those positions.
2. Please describe the impact of the work described above. Which members of the U-M STEM community have particularly benefited from the work? Is there evidence of this individual’s efforts creating long lasting change, making STEM at U-M more equitable? If so, please describe.
CEREMONY FAQs
When will the winners be announced?
All nominees will be invited to attend the Willie Hobbs Moore Awards Dinner where we will announce the winners. The 2027 dinner will take place on Thursday, April 22nd at 5:30pm in the Michigan League Ballroom (911 N University, Ann Arbor, MI).
Do award winners receive a prize or scholarship?
The winners will receive a small gift of recognition. There is not a monetary prize or scholarship associated with the awards.
Is there only one winner for each award?
Our goal is to honor achievements at all levels. Thus, the Willie Hobbs Moore Achievement Award, Sister Mary Ambrosia Fitzgerald Mentorship Award, and the Claudia Joan Alexander Trailblazer Awards may have an “early career” winner (for students or professionals just starting out in their STEM journey) and a “late career” winner (for seasoned professionals). We encourage you to nominate any current member of the U-M community, student, faculty, or staff.
The Cinda Sue Davis STEM Equity Leadership Award will only have one winner each year.
Do nominees need to RSVP for the ceremony?
Yes, please! Knowing which nominees will be present helps us plan a smoother event. The deadline to RSVP is Monday, March 30.
When will the ceremony be held and who can attend?
The ceremony is open to all who are passionate about inclusive excellence in STEM!
Each year the ceremony is held in early to mid April. The 2026 ceremony will be Wednesday, April 8.