Bylaws of IAWS

Article 1. Election of Fellows

Section 1. The election date is June 2, Founding Day, each year.

Section 2. Nominators submit names, contact data, and a 100-word maximum description of the candidate's background to the President.

Section 3. After receipt of a nomination, the President contacts the nominee in writing to indicate that they have been identified as a potential Fellow in IAWS, provides information on the Academy, the dues obligation, and determines if they are interested in being submitted for election. If so, they are asked to prepare documentation described in the Section 4.

Section 4. Nominated Fellows must provide the following documentation using the electronic template provided on the web site and in Times New Roman with a minimum font size of 9.

1. Candidate's name and affiliation. Curriculum Vitae in paragraph form that summarizes academic degrees (years and institutions), professional positions held at one or several institutions, ending with current position highlighted; and major awards and honors, leading positions, significant memberships, visiting positions, editorial boards, consultancies, etc. (topics irrelevant to wood science should be omitted)
2. Principal Scientific Achievements in a paragraph up to 250 words that summarizes the candidate's accomplishments and reason for nomination
3. Publications in the following categories: refereed, books and chapters, patents, and other non-refereed.
4. Citations of 12 maximum principal scientific publications, listed in chronological order, with all authors listed in published order.
5. Maximum length of complete nominations shall be 1 page.

Section 5. In addition to nominations by Fellows at large, it shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to consult with the Academy Board to attempt to identify outstanding wood scientists and to suggest measures, with the approval of the Board, to have their nominations initiated.

Section 6. Nominations must be received by the Vice-President not later than a time determined by the Executive Committee. The Vice-President shall notify the nominee of evident incompleteness or apparent deficiencies in the nomination documents.

Section 7. The nominations shall be posted electronically in a secure manner or mailed to Fellows who are in good standing.

Section 8. The executed evaluation forms are to be completed electronically or alternatively enclosed in an unmarked ballot envelope and sent to the Tellers Committee in a mailing envelope which bears the name and signature of the voting Fellow.. The ballots shall be verified and/or tallied by the Tellers Committee and reported to the President. The Executive Committee decides on the minimum score acceptable for election (and thereby the total number of Fellows elected each year). Thereafter, the President shall invite in writing the elected nominees to become Fellows, with the stipulation that payment of dues represents confirmation of the Fellowship. The newly elected Fellows will be asked to verify their acceptance in a timely manner to the President, who will in turn inform the Secretary of the decisions. Announcement of new Fellows will be published in the next Bulletin and posted on the web site

Section 9. The Secretary shall send to the newly elected Fellows who accept Fellowship the following materials: a Certificate of Fellowship and a copy of the latest Academy Bulletin.

Article 2. Election of Affiliate Members

Section 1. The importance of Affiliate Members in the Academy is two-fold :

1. The Academy derives direct contact with organizations and individuals actively engaged in research and development, and education on wood and wood products
2. The Affiliate Members are recognized by the Academy as active contributors to the field of wood science.

Section 2. The Academy shall actively seek the participation of academic and institutional organizations that are able to support the goals and objectives of the Academy. Such organizations should be encouraged to join the Academy by submitting an application to the Secretary, including a statement outlining the mission and objectives of the institution. The Academy Board will vote on acceptance of the application and the President shall inform the applicant of the result.

Article 3. Elections and Appointments of Officers and Board Members

Section 1. New Executive officers and Members of the Academy Board assume office on the Founding Day, June 2, except for the Treasurer, who assumes office on January 1.

Section 2. A 3-member Nomination Subcommittee, chaired by the immediate Past President and having two other members appointed by the incoming President, will be responsible for nominations, except for the offices of Secretary and Treasurer.

Section 3. In June preceding an election of Executive Committee officers and Board members, the Nomination Subcommittee requests Fellows to suggest candidates. Such suggestions should be submitted by September 2, after which the Subcommittee shall establish a list of nominees by November 1. When selecting candidates for the Board, the Subcommittee shall consider the composition of the entire Board with regard to the coverage of all fields of wood science as well as worldwide representation, in keeping with the statements in Article 1 of the Constitution.

Section 4. The Past-President shall obtain written consent (electronic transmission will suffice) from each candidate on the Subcommittee's list of nominees before submitting the list to the Secretary for the election. When obtaining consent, the Past-President shall request biographical data from the candidates for use in preparing the ballots.

Section 5. The list of nominees with a brief biographical sketch for each is sent to the Secretary no later than February 1. The Secretary sends the list of candidates, with the biographical sketches, and a ballot to all Fellows; an attempt is made to have these materials reach all Fellows by April 1. Fellows shall cast no more than one vote for Vice-President and no more than four votes for Board Members.

Section 6. The ballots are sealed by each Fellow in an unmarked envelope and forwarded to the Tellers Committee in a mailing envelope, which shall bear the signature of the voting Fellow. Ballots should be mailed to reach the Tellers Committee before May 1. Alternatively, with approval by the Executive Committee, the Secretary may submit the ballots by means of combined electronic and hard copy. The Fellows receiving the greatest number of valid votes for the office(s) of the election shall be declared elected. In the event of a tie, the Academy Board makes the selection.

Section 7. Elected Fellows, Board members, and officers shall be notified immediately by the President and will assume office on Founding Day, June 2. All Fellows of the Academy shall be informed of the results of the election by the Secretary.

Section 8. Nomination for the Chair of the Board shall be carried out by a Board Chair Nominating Committee consisting of the four Board members in their final two years of their term and chaired by the current Board Chair. No more than two Board members shall be nominated and may not include those on the Board Chair Nominating Committee. The election by all members of the Board shall be carried out by the current Chair, using electronic or paper ballots, who will determine and communicate the results. The new Chair assumes office on the subsequent June 2.

Section 9. The President nominates candidates for Secretary and Treasurer no later than six months before the expiration of the term of the incumbent and requests Board approval within one month. If the Board does not approve the nominees, the President shall immediately nominate other candidates. If the Secretary or Treasurer wishes to withdraw from office before the normal term of six years is completed, the anticipated date of resignation must be communicated to the President no later than nine months prior to the proposed resignation date. A new Secretary or Treasurer is then nominated by the President and elected by the Board as above to fill the unexpired term.

Section 10. The President may nominate Fellows for special responsibilities as members of the Executive Committee, with terms appropriate for the appointment, and with voting or non-voting status. The nominations shall be submitted to the Board for approval.

Section 11. Means of filling vacancies in the offices of President and Vice-President, and the Board are provided for in the Constitution.

Article 4. The Academy Lecture

Section 1. The Purpose. The Academy Lecture program was established to promote the objectives of the International Academy of Wood Science, which are set forth in the Constitution. It honors distinguished achievements in the science of wood, which in turn encourages high standards of research and publication. Since the Academy Lectures are presented in different parts of the world and in connection with meetings of related professional organizations, the philosophy and activities of IAWS are communicated widely.

Section 2. The Lecturer. Selection as "Academy Lecturer" is the highest honor the Academy can bestow. A Fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science is chosen by the Executive Committee (Section 5. below) to prepare a presentation appropriate for the designated audience. A certificate signed by the President and an honorarium are presented by the President or another Academy Officer (or designated Fellow) to the Academy Lecturer following the lecture.

Section 3. The Subject. The topic chosen for the Academy Lecture is to be one of current concern in the field of wood science and associated technology. It should be relevant to the interests of the audience to be addressed if it is being given at a specialized meeting of a wood science sub-specialty. Ideally, the lecture shall not consist principally of the Academy Lecturer's own research findings, but should be comprehensive in scope and should emphasize the broad and international aspects of the subject.

Section 4. The Occasion. There will normally be one to three Academy Lectures given each year in connection with a Plenary Meeting of the IAWS or at international meetings of highest standards in a subject area related to wood science. Consideration should be given to geographical locations of the meeting sites so that a broad distribution may be achieved over a period of years.

Section 5. Publication. Publication of Academy Lectures in the International Journal of Wood Science and Technology or a similarly respected journal is encouraged, with prominent billing as an IAWS Academy Lecture, and with reference to the venue at which it was presented.

Article 5. Distinguished Service Award

Section 1. This award is made by IAWS in recognition of an individual has contributed distinguished service to any aspect of the broad field of wood science. Such service may have been made in any relevant research, educational, or leadership area that furthers the objectives of the Academy.

Section 2. The candidate shall be nominated by the Executive Committee and approved by the Academy Board.

Section 3. The awardee shall be presented with a certificate by the President at a Plenary meeting of the Academy.