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May 2015
Annex 4: NE Rowe Award Rules
Rules of, and administrative procedures for, the
N E Rowe Medal Awards
Issue December 2012
1.
Introduction
The Award was established in 1956 by the Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society in
honour of the valuable work done by N E Rowe when he was Chairman of the Branches
Committee. The aim is to encourage oral presentations of aeronautical subjects as well as
written papers by younger people connected with the profession of Aeronautics.
There are two annual awards available, consisting of a Medal and a monetary grant of
£500. One to each of the age groups below 25 and below 30.
Many of the presentations and papers submitted each year may be of a good standard but
only one medal can be awarded in each of the age groups. In recognition of this, Council
has agreed that a Certificate of Merit can also be granted, where warranted, to other
papers submitted.
The RAeS Medals and Awards Committee together with the Branches Committee has
reviewed the Competition Rules with a view to emphasising the importance of oral
presentational skills (whilst retaining a requirement for a formal written paper in the National
Competition) as well as opening the competition to all young persons connected with
Aeronautics. The timetable has been revised in order to advance the presentation of
awards to be in the same year as the local Branch competitions selecting candidates for the
national N E Rowe competition.
2.
Stewardship
In recognition of the origin of the Award, the N E Rowe Medal award remains in the
stewardship of the Branches Committee. As of 16th October 2009, the administration of the
award transferred to the Medals & Awards Young Persons Sub-committee (M&A YP S-C)
due to the nature of the award.
The day-to-day activities associated with the administration of the award therefore lie within
the joint remit of the Medals and Awards Committee and the Young Persons Board through
the M&A YP S-C with sponsorship of the award retained by the Branches Committee.
The Branches Committee is recognised as the most important link between the RAeS and
its Branches, and is therefore best placed to encourage and support activities at a local
branch level towards the nominations of young people from the branches for this award.
3.
Eligibility
One Medal may be awarded for the best presentation given before any Branch of the
Society, plus accompanying written paper, by any person connected with Aeronautics who
is under the age of 25 years (i.e. has not reached his/her 25th birthday). The second Medal
may be awarded similarly to a person aged 25 years or more but less than 30 years. Ages
are to be within these limits on the day of the oral presentation.
4.
Procedure
4.1 The Local Competitions
The oral presentation is given at a Branch and, in order to encourage entries to the award
at a local branch level, at this stage a written version of the paper is not required. This is
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N E Rowe Award Rules
May 2015
also to ensure that judging at all Branches takes place solely on the basis of an oral
presentation. A prize or prizes for excellent presentations is to be encouraged at the Branch
level before confirming candidates for the national N E Rowe competition.
The presentation is to be devoted to any aspect of aeronautics, space and associated
topics. The presentation is to be completed within a time determined by the branch to suit
their local arrangements (not less than ten minutes, and not in excess of thirty minutes),
followed by a question and answer session at which local adjudicators are present.
Computer driven and other visual aids may be used during the presentation. However, the
degree to which they are employed should be gauged with care as the adjudication criteria
are biased towards the presentation skills, rather than the preparation skills, of the
candidate.
Branches should use the evaluation and marking scheme provided in Appendix 1 to ensure
consistency between disparate judging panels. This will also simplify the process of
submission of a candidate for the National Competition where use of the form in Appendix 1
is mandatory. Particularly for presentations/papers received from younger entrants, who will
have had very limited professional experience, there should be due allowance in the
marking so that there is equal opportunity of reward independent of this factor.
4.2 The National Competition
If considered suitable for an award on the basis of the oral presentation, an electronic
version of the written paper should be created (if not already available) and forwarded with
details of the local assessment (completed copies of Appendix 1) and a copy of the
presentation material to the secretary of the M&A YP S-C by e-mail to
[email protected]
[NB The size of the electronic files for the written paper and the presentation should be
small enough to be sent to personal email systems, i.e. 4 megabytes or less. The main
problem would be likely to be with embedded photographs which should be reduced by
available applications. It should also be noted that illustrations in the paper should continue
to be readable at any reduced size which is used]
Each entry will be judged on the basis of the local panel assessment and the written paper,
with a weighting of 60:40 respectively to reflect the primary purpose of the award to
encourage oral presentation of papers. The presentation material is requested to assist in
the adjudication process, but is secondary to the Branch assessment of the presentation
and the central assessment of the written paper. Also to assist the calibration of the Branch
assessments, the use of the form in Appendix 1 is mandatory for the National Competition
otherwise entries will not be accepted.
The N E Rowe medal award will be judged by a panel comprising as a minimum of two
members of the M&A YP S-C and two members of the Branches Committee, the latter to
be nominated on an annual basis by the Chairperson of the Branches Committee. At least
one representative from the M&A YP S-C will also be a member of the Young Persons
Board. If possible, members of the adjudication panel should not have a connection
with any relevant local N E Rowe competition.
The recommendations of the joint adjudication panel will be considered by the Medals and
Awards Committee and ratified by the Council of the Society, before a final decision is
announced.
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If, in the judgement of the adjudication panel, the papers submitted are not of sufficient
merit, then an Award may not be made. Normally it would be expected that a Branch would
not submit more than one paper for each age category medal in any one year.
However on the basis that the branch judging panel considers that two local entrants are
deserving recipients of recognition for their entries, then the M&A YP S-C will accept more
than one entry per branch per age category, provided that the branch considers the content
of both the oral presentation and written paper and recommends to the M&A YP S-C which
entrant in their view is worthy of receiving the N E Rowe award medal, and which a
certificate of merit.
5.
Presentation of the Paper
The formal written paper must be professionally laid out, of a style suitable to the topic in
terms of basic layout, sub-division, figures, tables and appendices. It is expected that the
paper would need to be at least 2000 words to fully develop a discussion on the topic,
although it should not significantly expand upon the content of the lecture. Brief
appendices may be added in explanation and support of statements made in the lecture;
also detailed supporting material, such as references or mathematical derivations of
formulae which are not suitable for oral versions.
The use of computer generated presentations and desktop publishing applications is
encouraged and produces a professional result. These aids are not, however, essential as
it is the content of the oral presentation and paper that is of prime importance. Clarity and
relevance are the main ingredients.
6.
Adjudication for the National N E Rowe Competition
The final adjudication rests on the local Branch assessment reviews for the presentations
provided by the submitting Branch for evidence of the oral presentation, and the written
paper, as read by the joint Branches Committee and M&A YP S-C panel supported by the
presentation material.
As referred to above, it is therefore important that the assessment framework laid out in
appendix 1 is adhered to. Failure to provide this depth of information will create a weakened
case for the entry as compared to others.
The following comments are also pertinent:"Originality" in this context does not imply a new discovery but that the lecture and paper
have been put together by original effort from appropriate sources and have not previously
been prepared for any other public presentation or for publication. Certain flexibility is
allowed where the presentation is based on a student’s academic project. However it is
essential that the content and the paper have been prepared by the student with a
minimum of supervision. Particularly with regard to post-graduate research papers coauthored by a Supervisor, a letter of assurance regarding the quality of the student’s input
will be required from the Supervisor. The adjudicating panel will take co-authoring into
account when assessing the candidates.
It is essential, where applicable, that proper reference is made to all other material
consulted. It is not, of course, necessary to quote page numbers and similar detail in every
case; the main object must be to allow the reader to find the sources used. Direct
quotations must be acknowledged as such.
The diagrams used should be chosen with special care. They must be capable of being
readily understood in the oral presentation and be useful in the written document.
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The Paper will not be judged pedantically for its grammar but it has to be remembered that
without an adequate use of language (oral and written), reasoned argument is inhibited and
the presenter's case is weakened.
7.
Timing
The Branches Committee and the Young Persons Board will provide an active role in
advertising the existence and merits of the award to all branches and divisions of the
Society, and to provide encouragement to the initiation and/or continuance of local
competitions as appropriate. This should be most evident when Branches are creating their
events timetable for the coming season.
To encourage annual competitions, the lecture must be presented not earlier than 12
months before the closing date and in time for the local assessment to be made and written
paper created and submitted to the local branch, with all of the above forwarded to the M&A
YP S-C secretary not later than 15th July. This date has been selected to encourage
entries from undergraduate students which could be based on their research activities in
the previous academic year, while enabling winning entries to be assessed by the joint
panel and awards to be presented at the Young Persons Conference in November of the
same calendar year.
If for any reason a local competition is not held in a particular year then an entry from the
previous year’s local competition can be forwarded as long as it was not already submitted
for that previous year’s national competition. It is however not acceptable to hold a local
competition and not allow the winner to enter the National Competition on the basis of
submitting an entry from the previous year.
It is the responsibility of the branch to determine its own timetable for the local competition
to ensure that the 15th July closing date is met. No concession on time of delivery can be
allowed and entries received too late to be considered in the year they were presented will
automatically be considered in the following year. However this is to be discouraged as the
limit to number of branch entries per age group per year shall remain. In this event, the
Branch will also be required to make the recommendation required in section 4.2.
8.
Adjudication timetable
All dates presented below are the cut-off dates for each activity, and the activities may of
course be completed in advance of the latest date.
1)
15th July: All local assessments and electronic versions of presentation material and
written paper received by the secretary of the M&A YP S-C, who will then notify Members of
the M&A YP S-C and the Branches Committee Chairman (or his nominated representative)
as soon as possible which Branches have submitted Candidates.
2)
22nd July: Branches Committee Chairman nominates a minimum of two members
of the Branches committee to serve on the joint judging panel each year. Similarly a
minimum of two members of the M&A YP S-C are nominated, at least one of whom must
also be a member of the Young Persons Board. If possible members of the adjudication
panel should not have a connection with any relevant local N E Rowe competition.
3)
Mid August Meeting of the joint panel (to take place in person or by teleconference)
to determine recommended winner(s). M&A YP S-C forwards recommendation to M&A
committee in time for their late – August meeting.
4)
Recommendations then forwarded to Council for ratification at September Council
meeting. Winners notified.
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5)
Mid November: Presentation of Awards at Young Persons Conference.
The exact timetable for all steps will be confirmed annually once dates of the Medals and
Awards Committee and Council meetings are fixed.
9.
Presentation of Awards
The Medals are presented at the Young Persons conference, held annually in November in
4 Hamilton Place. Winners shall be invited to the conference following the ratification of
their nomination by Council and shall attend the conference as guests of the Young
Persons Board.
10.
Publication
If considered suitable, the Society may, with the author's agreement, publish in one of its
journals, any paper(s) submitted for the Award. Papers which were not awarded an NE
Rowe medal can be re-submitted for the RAeS Young Persons Written Paper award. The
submitted paper/presentation and any video of the presentation can be considered for
putting on the RAeS web site only at the request of the author. This will be dealt with by the
Medals and Awards Committee on a case by case basis, subject to company approvals
where relevant and any other copyright issues.
N E Rowe Medals Award - Summary of Rules for the National Competition:
1)
The Medals are to be known as the N E Rowe Medals and are awarded for the best
oral presentation and written paper on an aeronautical subject by a young person.
2)
One Medal is to be awarded to the best paper given before any Branch of the
Society by a person who is under 25 years old. A second Medal is to be awarded for the
best paper given before any Branch of the Society by a person who is at least 25 years but
less than 30 years old.
3)
A "Certificate of Merit" may be awarded in both age groups to recognise
presentations and/or papers of a high standard.
4)
A monetary Award of £500 will be given to the Medal Winners in each age group.
5)
Ages are to be within the limits stated on the day on which the oral presentation is
delivered at the Branch.
6)
The formal paper should not previously have been published or considered for an
award. The oral presentation should be made to an audience at an RAeS Branch,
preferably in a local competition which can carry a local award.
7)
The presentation, excluding discussion, is to be completed in a period not less than
10 minutes and not exceeding thirty minutes, but otherwise as agreed by the Branch
8)
An electronic version of each paper entered by the Branch for the Award should be
submitted to the secretary of the Young Persons Medals & Awards Sub-committee, along
with a copy of the presentation, to arrive not later than 15th July.
9)
Each entry is to be accompanied by an assessment of the oral presentation, by the
local Branch assessors. Completion of the form in Appendix 1 is mandatory, to be
accompanied by further comment if required. The individual assessors’ copies of Appendix
1 will also be accepted.
10)
The entries must have been presented within the 12 months prior to the latest date
for submission to the Main Society.
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Submission for N E Rowe Medal Award
Branch Adjudication Proforma
Branch
Award Age Group
Title of Paper
Nominee’s Name &
Date of Birth
Date of Presentation
Adjudicator
Duration of Lecture
Under 25
Under 30
Allocated:
Taken:
minutes
ASSESSMENT (each section to be scored as suggested below, total 60
marks)
Timing- 5 (keeping to the allotted time)
Presentation of Case- 10 (adequacy of introduction, development of theme or
topic, relevancy of conclusion)
Standard of Oral Presentation- 10 (spoken delivery, audibility, speed, flow)
Standard of Visual Presentation- 10 (relevance, ease of reading and
assimilation)
Discussion- 10 (ability to answer questions, ability to clarify and elaborate to
get the message over)
General- 15 (originality, choice of subject, relevance, technical content, grasp
of subject)
Any other comments
Total score
/ 60
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COMPETITION PROCEDURE
As part of the procedure for holding an N E ROWE Award competition, the competitors and
the judges will need to be briefed. The following is the note used by Farnborough Branch
to brief the judges for an N E Rowe competition.
ROYAL AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY
FARNBOROUGH BRANCH
PROCEDURES FOR N E ROWE LECTURE COMPETITION
Tuesday 3 June 2003
Introduction
Farnborough Branch is holding its first Young Members lecture competition evening for the
N E Rowe Award on 3 June 2003. We have two contenders, both in the under-27 category.
The winner is expected to go forward to the national N E Rowe Award competition,
administered by the Branches Committee. The national competition is a paper exercise, in
which a panel of three members of the Branches Committee consider the written papers
and reports of presentations by the contenders. The national winner is selected, giving the
paper and presentation weights of 40 and 60 respectively. The national award is a medal
plus a cash prize, the value of which is in the process of being increased, possibly to
£1,000.
Three senior members of the Farnborough Branch have agreed to act as judges for the
Branch competition. They are Professor John Chew, Dr Mike Philpot and Frank Armstrong.
We much appreciate their agreement to help with this competition.
Role of the judges
The three judges have two roles. The immediate task is to rank the two contenders and
select a winner for the Branch award. The winner will receive a cheque and both
contenders will receive a certificate. I suggest that judges rank the contenders mainly on
their presentations, but use the written papers to differentiate between a close finish and, if
one paper is seriously lacking in technical content or is significantly flawed in some way,
eliminate the contender regardless of the quality of the presentation. In the course of
assessing the presentations, the judges need to complete the standard marking form
available at the end of the rules for the N E Rowe Award. One of the problems the
Branches Committee faces is trying to fairly assess entries with presentation reports on
non-standard forms, without marks, using different criteria, etc.
Both contenders have submitted papers and these will be circulated shortly. Ideally, each
judge should have read both papers and decided how they rank them and whether there
are technical problems with either. During each presentation, time the presentation. Keep
rough notes and mark a first guess score out of ten in each of the five categories. After the
two presentations, firm up your five scores for each paper and discuss with the other judges
your ranking and marking, to agree an overall ranking. Decide whether the papers
influence the ranking based on the presentation. When you have time (possibly the next
day) complete neat copies of the marking sheets with as extensive comments as you can
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manage for feedback to the contenders and (for the winner) submission to Branches
Committee.
Procedure
The lecture will be in Lecture Room E of the central lecture room block at University of
Surrey, Guildford. Use car park 3 and walk past the Austin Pearce Building to the lecture
room block, which is building 13 on the map of the university. It is about 5 minutes walk
from the car park.
The lecture room will be available from 18.30 for the contenders to check their
presentations. Both are intending to use a PowerPoint projector. Refreshments are
available from 19.00 and I hope we can start the competition lectures prompt at 19.30. The
order of presentation will be decided by lot or coin. A branch officer will explain the
procedure and introduce each contender before their presentation. Each presentation will
be followed by up to 10 minutes questions and discussion.
After the two presentations, the judges withdraw to consider their marks and agree a result.
I will join the judges to complete the cheque for the winner and fill in names on the
certificates. While this is happening, Arthur Kearse will be giving a short lecture on the
Dambusters.
At the end of this lecture and its discussion, the result will be announced and the cheque
and certificates presented.
We want to offer the contenders feedback on their
presentations and it will probably be too late that evening to provide a properly considered
feedback session, so we will need to agree how and when to provide feedback, if it is
required.
With this note I attach a copy of the rules for the N E Rowe Award and a marking form for
the presentation.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you don’t agree with the procedure outlined or have
any queries.
I much appreciate your willingness to act as a judge for this competition.
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