Submitting an Award Reference
This guide is intended for individuals who have been asked to serve as a reference for an award or medal nomination. Your contribution to the process is very important. In the interest of efficiency and speed, all references are submitted online through BEAM, OSA’s Awards and Honors System.
The nominator will enter your name and contact information into BEAM. You will then receive an email from OSA with a link to the reference form in BEAM. If you have difficultly accessing BEAM, please contact the OSA Awards Office or use the password reset link in the email. Important - please do not create a new OSA account as it won’t be associated with your reference requests.
What Information is Provided in BEAM?
References are able to view the following information:
- Award/medal scope
- Proposed citation for the nominee
- 1-page narrative/letter of support from the nominator
- Nominee’s CV/Resume
What is Required from References?
- Provide a letter or statement describing your specific knowledge of the nominee's accomplishments that support the nomination for this award. This should emphasize those achievements that align with the scope of the award/medal. Note - this must be a PDF document.
When are References Due?
10 July
Paul F. Forman Team Engineering Excellence Award & OSA Treasurer's Award
10 August
Herbert Walther Award & John Tyndall Award
1 October
All other OSA Awards & Medals
Important Note: The nominee does not participate in the process. To maintain confidentiality, the necessary facts should be obtained from the nominee only if the complete and correct background information is not available elsewhere.