Report of the Committee on Education
for the Year Ending June 30, 2006

Fiscal year 2006 was the second full year of activity for the Sigma Xi Committee on Education.

I. Members of the Committee
Willie Pearson, Jr. Committee Chair
Norman Fortenberry Engineering Sub-committee
Fiona Goodchild
Myra Halpin
Kerry Havner Engineering Sub-committee
Cathryn Manduca
John Prados Engineering Sub-committee

Staff Liaisons
Jenny Zilaro
Linda Schmalbeck

II. Meetings of the Committee
The Engineering Education sub-committee held a teleconference on August 4, 2005, to discuss the report of the CASEE intern, Ashrujit Mohanty. During this meeting, Mr. Mohanty reported that he was compiling a database of engineering programs, with a focus on engineering summer camps. The sub-committee agreed to hold a future teleconference to put forth recommendations based on Mr. Mohanty's final report.

The Engineering Education Sub-committee met at the Sigma Xi Center on April 12, 2006 to discuss the distribution of proceeds from the Record Fund:

• The subcommittee will appoint a visiting summer scholar to perform an in-depth review of options for use of the Record Fund interest, including but not limited to a review of the CASEE Fellow's report.
• The subcommittee recommended that Sally Ride Science's TOYchallenge be funded for one more year, but future funding for this and similar programs should be based on a competitive review of proposals. The sub-committee and Sigma Xi staff will prepare a Request for Proposal and suitable advertising for a new program that meets the Record Fund criteria. Sally Ride Science will be notified that they need to participate in this competitive process in future years.
• The sub-committee outlined a timeline of activities and proposed budgets for Fiscal Years 2007, 2008, and 2009.

A joint meeting of the Engineering and Diversity Committees was held at the Sigma Xi Center on April 13-14, 2006. The following conclusions were reached:

• Six regional Young Investigator Award (YIA) candidates will be nominated by the six regional Sigma Xi committees in order to raise the profile of the awards and to develop greater diversity among the awardees.
• The YIA award will be $1000 per awardee, with a projected increase to $2000 per awardee once additional funds are available.
• The Education Committee will collaborate with the Diversity Committee to create and seek funding for a mentoring program.
• The Education and Diversity committees will identify funding for a proposed Anna J. Harrison award consisting of an award certificate and $5000.
• The committee recommends that an Education person serve as Sigma Xi Lecturer.
• The Education and Diversity committee made a joint recommendation to the Board of Directors that direct elections should be held for leadership positions in Sigma Xi.

III. Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education (SMEE) Grants
No chapter SMEE grant applications were received during Fiscal Year 2005-2006.

Each year, the Education Committee awards up to five (5) Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Grants to Sigma Xi Chapters worldwide. The maximum amount for an individual grant is $1,000. The application form is available online at: http://sigmaxi.org/programs/education/chap.smee.shtml . The Committee has developed guidelines stating the goals of Sigma Xi programs in education and setting specific standards that SMEE grant applications must meet. The guidance document has been included with award announcements for chapters that have successfully applied for SMEE grants.

IV. Comments of the Chair:
The Committee has made tremendous progress in developing written policies and setting an action-oriented agenda. In the future, the Committee plans to continue developing strategic priorities, including partnerships, that enhance the stature of Sigma Xi.