Report of the Committee on Awards
for the Year Ending June 30, 1998

The Committee met on November 20, l997 in Washington, DC during the November 1997 Annual Meeting.

The William Procter Prize
During its meeting in November, the Committee discussed several excellent nominations for the Procter Prize to be given at the November,1999 Annual Meeting in Vancouver. The Committee subsequently recommended that Dr. Carl Djerassi, Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University, be elected by the Board of Directors to receive the November 1998 Procter Prize. The Board accepted the Committee's recommendation. Dr. Djerassi has accepted the nomination. He will receive the Prize and deliver the Procter Prize Address during the November 1998 Annual Meeting in Vancouver. Dr. Djerassi has done some of the initial research on the chemistry of natural products including the development of several steroids and antihistamines. In addition, Dr. Djerassi synthesized the first oral contraceptive, founded a medical research company, was president of Syntex, and has written eight books and published numerous poems and short stories in literary magazines.

At the November 1997 Annual Meeting, Dr. Philip Morrison, Institute Professor Emeritus of Physics of at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was awarded the Procter Prize and presented the Procter Prize Address, Head Start on the Millennium. Dr. Morrison is a distinguished theoretical astrophysicist, a respected scholar-philosopher and interpreter of science and technology for the general public, and a leading expert on, and advocate of, nuclear and conventional arms reduction. Dr. Morrison has authored or co-authored a dozen books, has been a columnist and the regular reviewer of science books for Scientific American, and has appeared widely on radio and television in a number of science programs.

Each year, the winner of the Procter Prize has the privilege of naming a young colleague to receive a $5,000 Grant-In-Aid of Research from the Procter Prize Fund. Dr. Morrison chose William Mphepeng Lesame, a mathematician at the University of South Africa. He was present at the November,l997 Annual Meeting to accept his Award.

Dr. Djerassi has nominated Dr. Jose Giner of Syracuse University. Dr. Giner has agreed to accept his nomination at the 1998 Annual Meeting. Dr. Giner is Assistant Professor of Organic Chemistry at Syracuse University and was Dr. Djerassi's last Ph.D. student.

Honorary Membership
At its November 1997 meeting, the Committee on Awards recommended, and the Board of Directors subsequently approved, the nomination of Mr. Maurice F. Strong as an Honorary Member of Sigma Xi. Mr. Strong is recognized worldwide for his activities towards securing a global plan for sustainable development of humans and the environment (Earth Summit). Mr. Strong has accepted the nomination and will receive his Honorary Membership at the November 1998 meeting.

Mr. Bill Kurtis and Mr. David Ansley, previously elected as Honorary Members, accepted their Honorary Memberships at the November 1997 Annual Meeting. Mr. Ansley is the Science Editor for Consumer Reports magazine. Mr. Kurtis is the executive producer and host of "The New Explorers" TV Series and is a news anchor for WBBM-TV in Chicago. At the Annual Meeting, Mr. Kurtis also participated in the workshop, "Communicating Science on Television." He talked about (and briefly demonstrated) his acclaimed science documentary series which has led to an innovative education program called the "Electronic Long Distance Learning Network (eld!n)." He also shared some sequences from his "The New Explorers" series at the annual banquet.

Young Investigator Award
Dr. John D. Gillaspy, a member of the Atomic Physics Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersberg, MD, was selected by the Committee on Awards to receive the first Young Investigator Award. The Board of Directors approved his nomination. He has accepted and will receive his Award and speak at the 1998 Annual Meeting. Dr. Gillaspy is the leader of the Electron Beam Ion Trap project at NIST. He is a member of the NIST Sigma Xi Chapter.

Regional nominees receiving certificates of recognition as outstanding young investigators include: Dr. M. Kutzner (North Central Region), Dr. C. Young (Northwest Region), Dr. M. Akay (Northeast Region) and Dr. G. Hademenos (Southwest Region).

The Young Investigator Award was created by the Board of Directors to acknowledge the work of outstanding young Sigma Xi members early in their research careers as well as the ability to communicate its importance to the general public. The Award alternates between the physical sciences and the life and social sciences. The award includes a certificate of recognition and $5,000.

The Monie Ferst Award
This award, given by the Georgia Institute of Technology Chapter of Sigma Xi in the name of the Society, is given to a scientist who has made a "notable contribution to motivation and encouragement of research through education." The Chair of the Committee on Awards and the senior Southeast Regional Director join the president and several members of the Georgia Institute of Technology Chapter to select the recipient each January.

The recipient of the 1998 Monie Ferst Award was Dr. Chenming Hu, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Hu's research has focused on the theory of integrated circuit devices, and especially on metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) device physics and engineering, for which he has achieved world renown. Dr. Hu has received the Berkeley Distinguished teaching Award and is known for his commitment to his students and for his ability to inspire them to extend themselves beyond preconceived boundaries.

International Science and Engineering Fair
In May 1998, Sigma Xi renewed its participation in the International Science and Engineering Fair, which was held this year in Fort Worth, Texas. Sigma Xi participated in the "Special Awards" category at the Fair and awarded three prizes for the best interdisciplinary team projects at the Fair. Each team received a cash prize, and each team member received a certificate of recognition, and a one-year subscription to American Scientist; the winners school library also received a one-year subscription to the magazine.

At the May 1998 Fair, the first prize winners of $900 were Fernando Basilio Avila and Roberto Eduardo Morrison of de la Salle School in Talca, Chile. The second prize winners of $600 were Heather Matthews and Twila Paterson of William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The third prize winners of $300 were Gwenivere Thomas and Kimberly Buehring of Banquete High School in Banquete, Texas.

Judges for the Sigma Xi awards were from the TCU Chapter of Sigma Xi; Dr. Dick Rinewalt, President of the TCU Chapter, served as Chair of the Sigma Xi judging team. The Committee would like to express its gratitude to Dr. Rinewalt and all of the Sigma Xi judges for their efforts in assisting the Society's participation in the 1998 International Science and Engineering Fair.

Sigma Xi Awards
Details for all Sigma Xi awards can be found on the Sigma Xi Web page <http://www.sigmaxi.org/prizes&awards/prizes.htm> or from local Sigma Xi chapters.

Nominations for Sigma Xi awards are welcomed by the Committee on Awards and can be forwarded to the Committee at the Society's headquarters. Dr. Evan Ferguson can be contacted at the Society's headquarters for additional information about Sigma Xi's awards.

Committee on Awards
As I conclude my term as Chair, and as a member, of this Committee, I would like to thank the Board of Directors and particularly the Directors-at-Large with whom I have worked on this Committee for their efforts in making the Committee's work so enjoyable. On behalf of the Committee, I would also like to thank Dr. Evan Ferguson and his staff for their help and guidance with the work of this Committee. It has been a great pleasure to work with all of you. The members of the Committee on Awards for the year ending June 30, 1998 were:

Millicent C. Goldschmidt, Chair, Committee on Awards
W. Franklin Gilmore
Lynn O. Lewis
Clifford N. Matthews
Virginia L. Trimble
Robert Zand