Report of the Committee on Meetings
for the Year Ending June 30, 2000

The Committee on Meetings deliberated during the month of April 2000 to consider the long term planning for future sites of the Annual Meeting and Forum. Committee members participating in the deliberation were George Bugliarello, Chancellor, Polytechnic University; Raymond E. Fornes, Vice Provost for Research, North Carolina State University; John H. Gibbons, Senior Fellow, National Academy of Engineering; David Jensen, Research Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts at Amherst; and Virginia Trimble, Professor, University of Maryland and University of California at Irvine.

The committee received a research summary and detailed analysis of prospective sites from Dee Windley of the Sigma Xi staff. In recent years, identifying available hotels that meet our specific requirements for facilities, service, and cost has continued to be challenging for the size and type of meeting hosted by the Society. In addition to reviewing competitive hotel cost, availability, and air fares in cities with good air service, more research has become necessary regarding alternative facilities (i.e., secondary hotel arrangements), possibilities for more connections with "local host" Sigma Xi chapters (which helps with such activities as field trips, poster sessions, and our increasing demands for telecommunications facilities at the meeting), and consideration of the topic of the Forum scheduled for that year. In its deliberations, the Committee continued the general practice of seeking geographic diversity in a historical order of West, Middle, and East then back to West, with exceptions for special circumstances that might arise.

Meetings already committed are this year’s meeting in Albuquerque and 2001 in Raleigh. In May 2000, the committee approved the following future sites for the Society’s forum and annual meetings: Houston/Galvaston for November 2002 and Los Angeles (Southern California) for November 2003. An eastern location is anticipated for 2004 but has not yet been selected.

Peter D. Blair, Chair George Bugliarello Raymond Fornes John H. Gibbons David Jensen Virginia L. Trimble