Iowa's Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (I-CASH) requests nominations for its fifth annual Agricultural Safety and Health Hall of Fame Award. The award recognizes individuals and/or organizations in the public or private sector in Iowa making substantial and long-term contributions to the health and safety of the state's agricultural community.

Nominees should have contributed in a leadership role to agricultural safety and health prevention through promotion or awareness activities for a considerable length of time (five or more years). Prevention, education, program evaluation, policy education, policy development, and organizational infrastructures are potential areas for outstanding merit. The recipient will receive a $100 cash award at a ceremony to be held during the Iowa State Fair in August 2006.

Last year's award winner was Janis F. Stone, Ames. Stone retired in September 2003, as a professor at Iowa State University and as a textiles and clothing specialist with Iowa State University Extension. Stone spent most of her career working with safety issues. Her research has focused on protective clothing for pesticides and sun exposure. She has worked in this area for 28 years and published numerous research articles. Stone's safety-related work goes beyond research. She integrated her research efforts into outreach programming. Stone's work has changed the way Iowans and others think and act related to sun safety and pesticide practices. Her publications and presentations on applied research have been shared nationally and internationally.

I-CASH is headquartered at the University of Iowa College of Public Health and is a joint venture of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, the Iowa Department of Public Health, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The I-CASH motto is, "Helping Farmers Stay Alive and Well."

Award entries must include both the nominator's and nominee's contact information; a one- to two-page statement from the nominator explaining why the nominee is an excellent candidate for the award and describing relevant contributions by the nominee; and two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the nominee's agricultural safety and health work. In addition, nominators are encouraged to include documentation that attests to the nominee's efforts, such as newspaper articles, newsletters, or other printed media or evidence of public recognition.

The judging panel will be a group of health and agricultural leaders with expertise in agricultural safety and health issues particular to Iowa.

Nomination forms and additional award information are available online, or contact Eileen Fisher, associate director of I-CASH, at 319-335-4224 or eileen-fisher@uiowa.edu.

The deadline for nominations is June 15, 2006.

Janis F. Stone, professor emerita, textiles and clothing extension, Iowa State University.