The SSE Council is in the process of renaming what has previously been called the R. A. Fisher Prize. We sincerely thank the many members of our community who have made their thoughts known on this issue. This award was originally named to highlight Fisher’s foundational contributions to evolutionary biology. However, we realize that we cannot, in recognizing and honoring these contributions, isolate them from his racist views and promotion of eugenics--which were relentless, harmful, and unsupported by scientific evidence. We further recognize and deeply regret that graduate students, who could have been recipients of this award, may have hesitated to apply given the connotations. For this, we are truly sorry.
The idea of changing the name has been discussed amongst SSE Councils in the past. After hearing from many in our community and further discussion among SSE leadership, the Council has voted to change this name. A new name will be announced once it is determined, and a fuller explanation and history of this award will be posted on this page.
In the meantime, we are continuing to work on broader issues concerning diversity and representation in our membership, our grant and prize awardees, and leadership. Learn more on the page for our Diversity Committee, which provides strong guidance on these initiatives, and in a 2019 blog post by Diversity Committee representatives.
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