This award was established in 1975 by OSA, the Coblentz Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy to honor the unique contributions of Ellis R. Lippincott to the field of vibrational spectroscopy. The purpose of the Ellis R. Lippincott Award is to honor Dr. Lippincott's memory by the recognition of significant contributions and notable achievements in the field of vibrational spectroscopy. The medal is sponsored jointly by the Coblentz Society, the Optical Society of America and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy.

    The Lippincott Award and the accompanying lecture are presented annually at an appropriate scientific meeting. The Awardee will present an address related to the contributions for which he or she is being honored. In addition, there may be a symposium of talks by invited speakers. Recipients of the medal must have made significant contributions to vibrational spectroscopy as judged by their influence on other scientists. Because innovation was a hallmark of the work of Ellis R. Lippincott, this quality in the contributions of candidates will be carefully appraised. The contributions may be theoretical or experimental or both, and may have been made in the course of applied as well as basic research. No restriction is placed on the citizenship or national origin of candidates. The award consists of the medal (pictured to the right) and travel allowances to the meeting. 

    A candidate need not be a member of any of the sponsoring societies. The award will not be made posthumously unless an Awardee should die after the selection procedure has been completed. Nominations should contain the name and affiliation of the nominee and sufficient background information to justify the nomination. A nominator is expected to believe sufficiently strongly in the quality of the work of his or her candidate to provide evidence of that belief. No restriction is placed on who may nominate, and all nominations received by the committee prior to October 1 in any year will be considered for the award to be presented in the fall of the following year. Files of nominees will be kept active for three years, after which the nominee must be renominated with an updated file or the file will be closed. 

Details on the nomination process and timeline are available at the OSA web site and through the Lippincott Award Coordinator.