January-February 2011 · Volume 20, Number 1

Sullivan Selected From the President President-Elect

elly O. Sullivan was Time for Realistic, Thoughtful Action elected the 75th In recent years, the Society has made many efforts to become Kpresident of Sigma Xi or evolve into a more vibrant and effective organization. Our at the Society’s 2010 Annual leadership team seems to know what changes are necessary to move Meeting in Raleigh, North Sigma Xi forward. Unfortunately, many of the efforts toward implementation of needed Carolina. She will begin her service as president-elect on change become stalled—viable, valuable ideas becoming lost at times in endless dialogue. July 1, 2011. Some of our members claim to have the answers, while others want to point Sullivan is director of institutional fingers. Still others think of the challenges as strictly an “Executive Committee or partnerships at Pacific Northwest National President’s” issue or problem. Few take the time to note that while the President is Laboratory (PNNL). Her research focused only one individual, the Society’s presidency and leadership involve all of us—every on the electronic structure and stability of stakeholder and member of Sigma Xi. small molecules and ions of atmospheric and The good news is that, as an organization, Sigma Xi has the potential, talents and mass spectrometric interest. capacity to reinvigorate, re-invent and right itself into a viable, competitive entity. She received her B.S. from Christian The initial vision for Sigma Xi is still relevant today, and as we celebrate our 125th Brothers College and was the first Clare Boothe Luce Graduate Fellow at the Anniversary it is time to take charge again. My position is that this is not an impossible University of Notre Dame. She received her goal, nor is it a novel one by any stretch of the imagination—as many organizations Ph.D. in physical chemistry at Texas Tech have found it necessary to re-invent themselves to remain viable and sustainable. University in 1994. The decline in membership and its impact on financial resources have created a “sense Sullivan taught at Mankato State of urgency” for many members—despite years of data and evidence predicting the current University and at Creighton University, where state of affairs was inevitable. Bottom line, we did not get to this place overnight, nor she also directed the Creighton Chemistry will such challenges be surmounted readily or easily (barring appearance of a significantly Players, a demonstration team that regularly generous Sigma Xi benefactor). When and where do we begin; where do we go from here? played to standing-room only crowds. In 2001, she left academia to serve as the There is a spark: the number of new initiates in FY2010 was greater than in recent years. first director of the Office of Fellowship I viewed the recent symposium at the Annual Meeting as a successful attempt to Programs at PNNL. She transitioned address issues beyond the society’s governance and business activities; to be a recognized into the role of director of institutional and valued presence among our scientific colleagues; and to significantly limit the drain on partnerships, identifying the best possible revenue normally associated with such an undertaking. collaborators for PNNL’s research efforts. The quality of the speakers was outstanding, and they provided a wonderful overview She contributed to shaping the National of the interface between science and policy in our ongoing fight to have a safe and secure Innovation Initiative, which laid the food supply. With more than 600 registered attendees, it was a great improvement over groundwork for the widely-referenced recent years. Was this good enough? The answer is no; we always should seek ways to “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” report. She has played an active role in the improve. We have actively begun planning the meeting for November 2011 with a theme Government-University-Industry Research of research ethics. It should be an exciting event that you will want to attend. Roundtable at the National Academies, So what is our mandated new direction or model for Sigma Xi? For this to become leading efforts in STEM education. clear, we all have a part to play—to recommit and actively contribute to the development Sullivan served in several leadership roles for of a new vision and direction. Now is the time to be constructive, to act, or to ask how the Omaha Sigma Xi Chapter prior to moving you can help. The Committee on Strategic Planning has invited all members to submit to Washington state. She serves as president of suggestions for action steps to take (see the email address below). Having mandates and the Tri-Cities Washington Chapter and in a ideas are meaningless if we don’t all get involved, contributing our individual and collective number of capacities at the Society level. “I want people to know what Sigma Xi talents toward finding solutions to the problem. is and what membership means,” she said. At the Annual Meeting, a change in the bylaws was approved that will for the first “To achieve this we need to take a hard time allow all Sigma Xi members to participate directly in the election of the Society’s look at membership criteria and how we leadership by individual ballot. We hope this will give members a greater sense of elect members. I want Sigma Xi to have ownership in your Society. the stature it deserves as a one of the few What are you willing to do to get Sigma Xi on a positive, sustainable path? multidisciplinary scientific societies.” Send me your ideas at [email protected]! She continued, “We need to create and leverage programs that help our members Joseph A. Whittaker connect and learn from and with each other.” • www.sigmaxi.org 2011 January-February 93 Celebrating Sigma Xi’s 125th Anniversary

This is the first in a series celebrating Sigma as well as at Cornell. Through the 1890s the Xi’s 125th anniversary. Society’s membership grew, and by the turn of the century Sigma Xi claimed more than n 1886 at Cornell 1,000 members in eight chapters. University, a group Iof engineering In the first decade of the new century, chapters students and junior were added at the rate of one to three a year. faculty member Many adopted programs that went beyond Frank Van Vleck began scientific debate. None, perhaps, matched organizing a new scholarly the importance of those supported by the Frank Van Vleck society. The group intended Stanford and Berkeley chapters after the 1906 not only to establish an honor society like San Francisco earthquake. those already existing in other fields, but At Stanford, a three-member engineering also to promote a new, more academically commission of Sigma Xi members oversaw oriented type of engineering education. By 1887, Sigma Xi was holding “regular meetings for the discussion of scientific reconstruction of the campus. The Berkeley From the beginning, the founders emphasized subjects,” and the following year, the group Chapter publicized its concerns about that this new scientific honor society would elected five women to full membership, which public health in the devastated city, where be broad in its outlook, devoted to all of both promoted the interests of women and rapidly breeding rats gave rise to cases of science and engineering, much as Phi Beta made their research more available to the bubonic plague. The Berkeley Chapter Kappa covered the liberal arts. scientific community. led an eradication campaign, prodded public officials to action and raised funds. The fledgling organization received its Entomologist Anna Botsford Comstock was Few chapters have done more for their first support from an older member of the among the group of women inducted by communities. Cornell science faculty, geology professor the Cornell Chapter in 1888. Her 400-page Henry Shaler Williams. Having already tried Handbook of Nature Study, published in At its quarter-century anniversary in 1911, to establish an honor society for science 1911, is still in print. Also inducted were Sigma Xi had about 2,000 members in students, Williams was pleased to merge his Susanna Phelps Gage, Hariett Groteclass 30 chapters. interests with those of Sigma Xi’s founders. Marx, Julia Warner Snow and Mary American Scientist, He became the Society’s chief mentor, Margaretta Wardall. September-October 1986 serving as the first elected president of the By that time, chapters had been established Cornell Chapter and a leader of the growing •••••••• organization until the turn of the century. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Union College, Stevens Institute of Technology and Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society today Sigma Xi was designed to reward excellence Rutgers College, is known as the international honor society in scientific research and to encourage a for research scientists and engineers. There are sense of companionship and cooperation more than 500 Sigma Xi chapters in North among scientists in all fields. In selecting America and abroad, at colleges and universities, a name and motto for the new honor government laboratories and industrial research society, the founders chose a combination centers. Over the years, more than 200 members of Greek letters—Sigma Xi—not being have received the Nobel Prize. In addition to used by any other group. Later, a motto publishing American Scientist, Sigma Xi awards based on these initials was developed to hundreds of grants annually to promising student confirm its purpose: Spoudon Xynones, or researchers and sponsors a variety of programs “Companions in Zealous Research.” Anna Botsford Comstock that support science and engineering. •

Sigma Xi Chapters University of Kansas Stanford University University of Missouri 1886-1911 Yale University University of California University of Colorado University of Minnesota Columbia University Northwestern University University of Nebraska University of Chicago Syracuse University Cornell University University of Wisconsin Stevens Institute of Technology Ohio State University University of Michigan University of Washington Rutgers College University of Pennsylvania University of Illinois Worcester Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Brown University Case School of Applied Science Purdue University Union College Iowa State University Indiana University Washington University

94 Canadian Broadcaster Becomes Walters Named Honorary Member Interim Treasurer

ob McDonald, one of wrote the introduction to The radford B. Walters Canada's best-known Quirks & Quarks Question was approved Bscience journalists, Book and the Guide to Space: Bby the Board was inducted as an Honorary 42 Questions (and Answers) of Directors to be the Society's interim treasurer Life Member of Sigma Xi at About Life, the Universe and until the election to be the Society's 2010 Annual Everything. held in November 2011. Meeting. The host of CBC Beyond his work in media, He is vice president and chief medical Radio’s award-winning science Bob serves on several boards officer of RTI International, an independent program Quirks and Quarks, and is chairman of Geospace, a nonprofit research institution based in he has been communicating Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. new environmental center and science internationally RTI scientists provide research and planetarium in Toronto. through television, radio, print and live technical expertise to governments and presentations for more than 30 years. McDonald has been honored for businesses in more than 40 countries. his outstanding contributions to the Walters’ primary role is to help shepherd He is also a regular science commentator drug candidates developed in RTI’s promotion of science in Canada as the on the CBC News Network, science laboratories into clinical trials for their recipient of the Michael Smith Award correspondent for CBC TV’s The National evaluation as potential human therapeutics. from the Natural Sciences and Engineering and the award-winning host and writer of He has been a Sigma Xi member since Research Council, the Sir Sanford Fleming the children’s series Heads Up! 1972 and was appointed to the Finance Medal from the Royal Canadian Institute Committee in 2008. As an undergraduate McDonald has also hosted the television and the McNeil Medal from The Royal at Harvard, he pursued a joint major in mini-series The Greatest Canadian Invention Society of Canada. He also received a chemistry and physics, graduating summa and the seven-part series Water Under Fire. 2008 Gemini Award for Best Host in a cum laude in 1973, then traveling to London As a print journalist, he has written three Pre-School, Children's or Youth Program on a Marshall Scholarship. Walters earned science books and contributed to numerous or Series. his Ph.D. at University College in 1976, textbooks, newspapers and magazines, returning to the Harvard-MIT Program McDonald has received six honorary in Health Sciences and Technology and including The Globe and Mail, Owl degrees, from the University of Guelph, completing his M.D. cum laude in 1979. Magazine and many others. Carleton University, Laurentian This was followed by an internship in His latest book is Measuring the Earth With University, McMaster University, general surgery at Johns Hopkins and residency training in neurological surgery at a Stick, a collection of essays reflecting on University of Calgary and University of Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1985, his many years as a science journalist. He Winnipeg. • he joined the faculty in the Department of Surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. He left the faculty to complete an M.B.A. Four Members Win Nobel Prizes at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and in 2002 joined Academy Funds, a Three Sigma Xi members shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and a venture capital firm specializing in the fourth shared the Nobel Prize in Economics. commercialization of intellectual property Richard F. Heck (SX 1953) at the University of Delaware, Ei-ichi Negishi based on university research. In 2005 (SX 1968) at Purdue University and Akira Suzuki (SX 1964) at Hokkaido Walters became an independent life sciences consultant until joining RTI in 2007. University, Japan, were honored for their development of palladium- catalyzed cross couplings, a tool used worldwide in commercial production He has served on the board of the North Carolina Healthcare Information and of pharmaceuticals and complex molecules used to make electronics. Communications Alliance, Inc., a nonprofit Peter A. Diamond (SX 1960) at the Massachusetts Inistitute of Technology consortium dedicated to improving shared the economics prize for work that helps explain unemployment and health in North Carolina by accelerating job markets. the adoption of information technology and enabling policies. While at Academy Over the years, more than 200 Sigma Xi members have received the Funds, he was appointed a member of the Nobel Prize. • Governor’s Task Force on Nanotechnology and North Carolina’s Economy. • www.sigmaxi.org 2011 January-February 95 Society Directors Thirty-Eight Students Receive Medals Elected at Sigma Xi Conference uring the 2010 Sigma Xi Annual hirty-eight student researchers received Undergraduate Division Meeting and International Research awards for their poster presentations at the 2010 Sigma Xi Student Research Behavioral Sciences Conference in Raleigh, North T D Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dario Figueroa - University of California, Irvine Carolina, chapter delegates elected members Nearly 300 students representing more Seva Khambadkona - The Ohio State to the Society’s Board of Directors. than 100 academic institutions presented University The following directors of geographic regions their research at this year's conference. Biochemistry, Physiology and Immunology Each year, the Sigma Xi Student Research and constituency groups will serve three years Conference, held in conjunction with the Catherine Fick - Oakland University beginning July 1, 2011. Society's Annual Meeting, showcases some Sarah Lieser - Viterbo University Research and Doctoral: Robert Zand, of the premier student research in the world, Cellular and Molecular Biology University of Michigan and connects senior researchers with students. Nicole Anayannis - SUNY Purchase In addition to the poster competition, Myurajan Rubaharan - George Mason University Mid-Atlantic: Cristina Gouin-Paul, District the two-day conference featured a variety of Alvin Shi - Duke University of Columbia networking opportunities. Participants also had a chance to hear talks by leading scientists Jennifer Yonan - University of California, Irvine Northeast: Pamela Kerrigan, College of and engineers, including Sigma Xi award Chemistry Mount Saint Vincent winners. Anthony Prosser - University of Kansas A special award for a student presentation The following associate directors will also serve that focused on the theme of Sigma Xi Ecology & Evolutionary Biology three years beginning July 1, 2011. Food Safety and Security symposium was Kristina Bonaparte - University of California, Multi-Institutional: Andrew Velkey, presented to Huiying J. Lu of North Carolina Irvine Tidewater, Virginia State University. Other student award- Engineering winners were as follows: Comprehensive Colleges/Universities: An Truong - North Carolina State University Ileana Carpen, Tennessee Technological Graduate and Doctoral Environmental and Geo-Sciences Candidate Division University Lauren Marston - North Carolina State University Behavioral Sciences Northwest: Prabal Ghosh, Manitoba Interdisciplinary Research John Hernandez and Katie Adams - Texas Emma Babb - Duke University Southeast (to fill term ending June 30, A&M University - Corpus Christi Gino Graziano - Santa Barbara City College 2011): Julio Turrens, University of South Biochemistry, Physiology and Math and Computer Science Alabama Immunology Christine Sawyer - Santa Barbara City College North Central (to fill term ending June 30, Samantha Furr - University of North Carolina at Charlotte Physics and Astronomy 2012): Gus Buchtel, University of Michigan Cellular & Molecular Biology Alex Garner - University of Florida Southwest: Bertis B. Little, Tarleton State Matti Asuma - University of Wisconsin - High School Division University • Madison Interdisciplinary Research including Huiying Lu - North Carolina State University Behavioral Sciences Chemistry Givi Basishvilli - Harlem Children Society Jessica Bongiovanni - University of North Biochemistry, Physiology & Immunology Top Electing Carolina at Charlotte Angela Zhang - North Carolina School of Chapters Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Science and Mathematics Luanna Prevost - University of Georgia Kimberly Clark - Josephine Dobbs Clement The following Sigma Xi chapters Engineering Early College High School were recognized at the 2010 Annual Eric Forrest - Massachusetts Institute of Cellular & Molecular Biology Meeting for initiating the most Technology William Su - North Carolina School of Science new members in 2009-2010: Brown Andrew Loebl - North Carolina State and Mathematics University, Claremont Colleges, University Chemistry Swarthmore College, Massachusetts Environmental and Geo-Sciences Taylor Adair - William G. Enloe High School Institute of Technology, Washington Kelly Smith - University of North Carolina at Joseph Moo-Young and Nick Liu - North University, Smith College, Amherst Charlotte Carolina School of Science and Mathematics College, Williams College, Carleton Interdisciplinary Research Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and College, Texas A&M University, Mount Vikrant Dutta - North Carolina State University Environmental Science Holyoke College, Wellesley College, Seth Ebersviller - University of North Carolina Yun Tang - North Carolina School of Science University of Missouri, Lafayette at Chapel Hill and Mathematics College and Denison University. • Math, Computer Science, Physics and Math, Computer Science, Physics, Astronomy Astronomy and Engineering Farzad Sadjadi - University of Minnesota Melissa Chan - William G. Enloe High School 96