Report of the Committee on Qualifications and Membership
for the Year ending June 30, 2002

I. Meeting of the Committee The Committee met on March 8-10, 2002 in Research Triangle Park, NC. The committee's charge, articulated at the Society's 1996 annual meeting, is: to develop policy issues and make recommendations to the Executive Director and/or Board, with the objectives of strengthening the Chapters and increasing the Society's membership while maintaining the tradition of honor in science and engineering.

Committee members present at the meeting were: Penny Padgett, chair (University of North Carolina), Kathy Browne (Rider University), Jeanne Mechler (IBM), Ruth Miller (Kansas State University), Graham Peaslee (Hope College), John Rimoldi (University of Mississippi), Ron Weinberg (Lawrence Livermore National Labs). They were joined during the weekend by these staff members: Pam Blondin, Director, Membership and Chapter Programs; Lisa Rhoades, Manager, Chapter Programs; Christine Piggee, International Programs Coordinator; Julia Reed, Student Program Coordinator; Linda Schmalbeck, Manager of Education Programs. They also welcomed guest Dr. Geoffrey Davis.

II. Business and Activities of the Committee Members of the committee were asked to contribute content ideas for inclusion in a broad-based survey of Sigma Xi members during the summer of 2002.

During its meeting, the Committee on Qualifications and Membership supported the following actions.

1. Communication with Other Committees: To encourage the use of committees to flesh out ideas, the committee suggested that each January, staff should notify all members, with an extra emphasis on Society leadership, that committees will be meeting and will consider suggestions at their meetings. Staff will also add a 'suggestion box' to the annual report form for chapters and on the Sigma Xi Web site.

2. Chapter Annual Reports: The CQM made several suggestions to improve the reporting form. To further encourage use of chapter funding opportunities, add to the Chapter Annual Report form the question "did you use Sigma Xi funding opportunities?" Staff will research the idea of reporting back to chapters after they submit (or not) their annual reports. The response should give them a sense of where they stand relative to other chapters and would be an opportunity to share praise and suggestions.

3. Student Research Symposium: Staff described a new effort to capitalize on the success of the 2001 Student Research Symposium that coincided with the annual meeting. The CQM supports plans to expand the program in coming years and will volunteer to nominate all of the undergraduates who present research at the Student Research Symposium at the meeting.

4. Survey of Doctoral Programs: Dr. Geoff Davis presented a description of a broad-based survey of doctoral programs that he has been developing with support from the Sloan Foundation. The CQM enthusiastically recommended that Sigma Xi pursue a partnership with Davis, Sloan and other funding agencies to see this project to fruition.

5. Sigma Xi Fellows: In response to a recommendation during the fall 2001 Board information session, the CQM discussed the idea of introducing a "Fellow" status for select members. After some discussion the CQM asked staff to research and report back to the committee how other organizations define such a category of membership, what the category honors, how much the individuals pay for dues and what additional benefits and commitments they make.

6. Serving Students: After discussion of student programs and issues, the CQM reemphasized our commitment to attracting and retaining good students. They recommended that we focus on getting undergraduates who come to the research symposium nominated by the committee and perhaps have a meeting of students and young members at the annual meeting to get input.

7. Bridge Dues: The committee continues to recommend that the Society consider piloting a bridge dues system that offers people dues that are halfway between student and regular dues for two years after graduation. The pilot should be a three-year pilot. Staff will explore the issue with the new Executive Director and forward this recommendation as appropriate to be considered as part of a long range plan.

8. Collection of Local Dues: The Committee on Qualifications and Membership recommended that staff adopt Procedures for Collection of Local Dues from Inactive Chapters.
   • Local Dues will continue to be collected from chapters for no more than three years after the chapter no longer has a list of current officers on file at the Society's headquarters. The funds collected will be put into an "inactive chapters" local dues reserve account at the Society's headquarters. If at any time in the three-year period the chapter notifies Sigma Xi of its current officers, the money collected will be sent to the chapter.

   • If at the end of the three years Sigma Xi has still not received a list of current officers from the chapter, the money collected from that chapter will be moved from the "inactive chapters" local dues reserve account to the chapter revitalization account and can be used to assist the revitalization of any chapter.

   • Chapters that had local dues collected that were moved into the chapter revitalization account will be given financial support from the chapter revitalization account if the chapter is revitalizing. The money given to the chapter from the revitalization account may not necessarily equal the amount of that chapter's local dues moved into the account.

   • Money from the chapter revitalization fund will be used to support any chapter that is revitalizing regardless of whether that chapter had local dues collected.

   • All chapters will be notified of this procedure. Chapters will be notified of the procedure each year that the chapter does not have a list of current officers on file and the local dues are being directed to the inactive chapters local dues reserve account.

III. Committee Review of Chapter Resolutions from 2001 Annual Meeting

1. Ottawa Resolution to Notify Chapters of New Members: The CQM supports doing an analysis if the value added aspects of this proposal to determine whether automatic notification to chapters of members relocating into the area would have a positive impact on stemming the loss of members. The analysis will be conducted in the following manner:
   • To protect privacy, individual members can request that their information not be shared.
   • Once a year in December or January, staff will notify chapters of all individuals who have moved into their local area during the previous year.
   • For two to three years, the Chapter Annual Report will ask whether officers used the information to encourage members to re-affiliate and, if yes, how many people re-affiliated?
   • Three measures will determine success: how are chapter officers using it? How does it impact re-affiliations? How does this impact overall membership numbers?

2. Fairleigh Dickinson University Resolution to Include Refereed Papers at Sigma Xi's Annual Meeting: The CQM agreed that the annual meeting has a specific purpose and functions that need to be addressed first and foremost: governance, chapter support/leadership. Including scientific presentations at some level is appealing insofar as they do not compete or detract from these two goals.
   • This committee does not support getting into refereeing scientific papers. There is no adequate way to benefit the society by creating a referee process for the annual meeting-resources required would not justify the outcome.
   • Recognizing that many of the delegates at the Sigma Xi annual meeting could be well served by the opportunity to present scientific posters, the committee supports the continuation of the current practice of including scientific poster papers at the annual meeting. Staff will make every effort to publicize the opportunity and to draw attention to the scientific posters.

3. Fairleigh Dickinson University Resolution to Make Sigma Xi Awards at Professional Meetings: The committee did not support this proposal. This would require a major financial and logistical commitment from the Society that we are in no position to make. The major technical society awards are in the range of $5000 and we cannot afford to send individuals. Additionally, since there are more than 700 scientific and engineering societies, the selection of which societies would be impossible.

III. Awards for FY2001

1. Certificates of Excellence
   Certificates of Excellence were awarded to the following chapters for overall outstanding activity during FY2001. Nominees were chosen by the Regional Directors based on Chapter Annual Reports, and winners were selected by the Committee on Qualifications and Membership as Chapters of Excellence.

   • Chesapeake-The Chesapeake chapter presented awards to 22 high school students and three outstanding teachers, who were special guests at a banquet featuring NASA's principal investigator for the Deep Impact Mission. Chapter members visited the school of each of the students nominated for an award, giving the students an opportunity to talk about their projects.

   • Eastern New Mexico University-The success of this chapter's programs featuring Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturers led the university's president to establish a permanent annual fund to assist the chapter in organizing future series. Nearly 100 students and faculty participated in two workshops on scientific integrity and ethics. Member recruitment has also been a priority for the chapter.

   • Hope College-For the third consecutive year, the chapter scheduled its Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer series to coincide with Science Day, for which 450 high school students visited the campus. Chapter members made small group research presentations during the day. At the chapter's Undergraduate Student Research Awards reception, students were recognized for significant research achievements and invited to join Sigma Xi.

   • Loyola Marymount University-The chapter promotes mentored undergraduate research through a series of brown-bag seminars and an annual poster session in conjunction with the spring induction banquet. During the year the chapter organizes talks by about 10 speakers from outside the university community on issues in research or public policy. Several chapter members sponsor high school students in their labs.

   • Mayo Foundation-Members served as judges at regional and state science fairs, and the chapter established grants and awards to assist and recognize students. Other activities during the year included a series of five public lectures, the development and distribution of a pamphlet, slide show and video about the Sigma Xi chapter and sponsoring a booth at Mayo Research Day to promote membership in Sigma Xi.

   • Mesa State College-In memory of chapter founder Gene Saccomanno, the chapter collaborated with a local hospital on a series of lectures on human genetics research and its impact on lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. The chapter also initiated a program to provide research seed grants to deserving undergraduates and high school students.

   • National Institute of Standards and Technology-Activities during the chapter's 25th year included a program on the Sigma Xi Packard Initiative for International Scientific Networking and a series of eight public lectures on wide-ranging topics. A special lecture was presented in memory of Gregory Poirier, reviewing the highlights of his career at NIST.

   • Quinnipiac-A series of public seminars on medical advances was among major chapter activities during the year. One by Ronald Bechett and Gerald Conlogue at Quinnipiac University on the use of modern imaging techniques to study mummy remains in Peru and Egypt is the subject of a public television series currently in production.

   • San Diego-A newsletter, Web site and e-mail listserv have kept members up-to-date on chapter programs and activities. A new grant fund was used this year to encourage and honor four middle school science fair winners. The chapter also awarded its first Award for Distinguished Achievement to George Hemingway for his efforts to begin the Ensenada Chapter in Mexico.

   • University of Southern Mississippi-The chapter continued its Excellence in High School Science Teaching Award, which attracted 25 nominations this year from counties in the southern part of the state. Talks during the year by a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer and seven other speakers were well received by students, faculty and the general public.

2. Chapter Program Awards
   Chapter Program Awards were given to the following chapters for organizing and/or hosting a single, outstanding program during the last year. Winners were selected by the Committee on Qualifications and Membership during the Certificates of Excellence review process and detailed descriptions of the programs will be included on the Sigma Xi Web site.
   • The Charleston Chapter sponsored an entire week of activities celebrating Charles Darwin's birthday that included lectures and demonstrations for the public.

   • The Chesapeake Chapter a quarterly lunchtime program of classic science films that appealed to a large cross-section of the professional and support staff from this integrated government research facility.

   • The Geneva Chapter, through its involvement in the Partner in Science Education program, and working in cooperation with scientists from Cornell University and Hobart and William Smith College, is helping to enrich science education in the local schools.

   • The Georgia Southern University Chapter held a lively panel discussion on Science and the Media: Relaying Research to Reporters and the Public.

   • The Greensboro Chapter hosted their 15th annual puzzle contest to which 400 middle school students submitted entries. The winners and their family members were guests of honor at the chapter's spring awards banquet.

   • The University of Michigan Chapter's forum on the Internet and the Research University included panel discussions on the impact of distance learning on the mission of the research university and on tenure and intellectual property rights.

   • The Whitman College-Walla Walla College Chapter's listserv for area teachers delivers announcements about math and science lectures on campus, as well as interesting science news.

3. Certificates of Recognition
   Certificates of Recognition were awarded in to the following 15 chapters which initiated the most new members last year.
   
   • Amherst College
   • Brown University
   • Carleton College
   • Carnegie Mellon University
   • Claremont Colleges
   • Idaho State University>
   • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
   • Mount Holyoke College
   • Princeton
   • Saint Josephs University
   • San Diego
   • Smith College
   • Southern Maine
   • Union College
   • University of Texas Medical Branch
   • Washington University

IV. Approved New Chapters, Mergers and Name Changes

1. New Chapter
   On November 1, 2001, the following chapter was installed:
   Carthage College Chapter, Kenosha, Wisconsin

2. Mergers The following mergers were approved by the Committee (the second name listed remains the chapter name):
   • Marathon merged with Colorado School of Mines
   • Greater Baltimore Sigma Xi Chapter of the University of Maryland merged with Towson
   • Midland merged with Central Michigan University
   • ICI Americas merged with DuPont

3. Name Changes
   The following name change was approved by the Committee:
   • Central Michigan University Chapter changed its name to Central Michigan Chapter

V. Membership of the Committee
For the year ending June 30, 2001, the Committee on Qualifications and Membership consisted of the following members:

Chair: Penelope Padgett, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kathleen Browne, Rider University
Howard Ceri, University of Calgary
Donald McGraw, University of San Diego
Jeanne Trinko Mechler, IBM Microelectronics
Ruth Miller, Kansas State University
Graham Peaslee, Hope College
John Rimoldi, University of Mississippi
Ronald Weinberg, Lawrence Livermore National Lab.

Staff Liaisons:
Pam Blondin, Director of Membership and Chapter Programs
Lisa Rhoades, Chapter Programs Manager

VI. Acknowledgments
In addition to the two staff liaisons, the committee wishes to thank the staff for their hard work and dedication to membership, chapters and programs. Particular thanks go to these members of the department of membership and chapter programs:
Kevin Bowen, data services coordinator
Sharon Davis, members services manager
Paulette Harmon, data services manager
Marvin Hill, member service representative
Kathy Massenburg, Administrator, Chapter Services and Membership
Christine Piggee, international program coordinator
Julia Reed, student program coordinator
Linda Schmalbeck, education programs manager
Eric Tolliver, data entry specialist
Sylvia Watts, member service representative
Dee Windley, meetings manager

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