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  1st Visible Path Award Competition

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*The Visible Path Graduate Student Award recognizes research on how
social networks improve professional performance. *

*Early this year, INSNA announced a newly-created Visible Path Graduate
Student Award at the Sunbelt XXV International Social Network Conference
in Redondo Beach, California. *

*INSNA will give the annual award, which carries a $5,000 prize plus
paid expenses to the Sunbelt conference, to a graduate student in
recognition of research on how social networks are used to improve
individual and inter-organizational performance. *

*"Social network analysis touches many disciplines -- anthropology,
sociology, psychology, political science, economics and communications
science for starters - yet there are few awards that are specifically
designed to support basic social network research," said Bill Richards,
INSNA president and professor of communications at Simon Fraser
University. "This award seeks to encourage research for benefit of
everyone who is interested in the juncture of social network analysis
and organizational performance." *

*The award taps into broadening awareness of social network analysis
sparked by articles, popular business books and new companies selling
web services and software that capitalize on social networks.*

*"The timing is right for graduate students looking to uncover social
network insights that can advance an increasingly popular discipline
with growing opportunities for application" said Stanley Wasserman,
professor of sociology, psychology, and statistics at Indiana University
and chief scientist for Visible Path Corp. in New York."*

*To apply for this year's award, students submit a paper to the
committee before 1 September 2005. Submitted papers will be evaluated by
a committee of four judges; their decision will be final. Judging will
be on the basis of the level of originality in the ideas and techniques,
the possible applications and their treatment, and potential impact. The
awardee will give a formal presentation at Sunbelt 2006 in Vancouver.
The paper must be written between September 1, 2004 and August 31, 2005.
Eligible students must be sole (or first) author on the submitted paper.
Letters of support should be submitted with the paper. The committee may
arrive at the conclusion that none of the submitted papers merits the
award. *

*The award will made for the first time in 2006. Funds for the award
have been provided by Visible Path <http://www.visiblepath.com>
(http://www.visiblepath.com).


**Address for submission (please note that electronic submissions (.pdf
files) is required):*

*Professor Ronald Burt
Chair, Visible Path Graduate Student Award Committee
Graduate School of Business
University of Chicago
5807 South Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60637
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