2011 Assembly of Delegates:
Northwest Regional Associate Director

2011 Sigma Xi Annual Meeting & International Research Conference
November 10-13, 2011
Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina

Name: Linda H. Mantel

Present Position: Associate Research Professor
Organization: Center for Science Education, Portland State University

Address: 1511 SW Park Avenue, Apt. 1302
Portland, OR 97201-7806

Chapter Affiliation: Columbia-Willamette

Candidate's Statement: I am pleased to be a candidate for Director of the Northwest Region for a second term. During my first term, I have tried to raise the profile of the Northwest Region and support our individual chapters as much as possible. I have visited chapters in Oregon and Washington and communicated with members throughout the region. We are fortunate in having a number of strong chapters that carry out innovative programs for members and the public. However, each year I also hear from colleagues whose chapters are struggling for lack of member renewals and participation in events. I still believe that member retention is higher for chapters with a history of participatory programs. If I have the opportunity to serve again in this position, I will try to encourage additional cooperative activities between and among chapters and participation with other scientific societies that meet in our region.

I have been active in local and national Sigma Xi activities since 2003 and have been a member of the Society for more than 40 years. Over the course of my academic career, I have been affiliated with public and private institutions, large and small, as well as museums and laboratories. Having been in Portland since 1993, I have had the opportunity to get to know and work with many colleagues in science in the northwest. I still believe that our region has enormous potential to make an impact on some of the major public issues in science—environmental protection, habitat protection, energy and natural resources, uses of technology, health care. These are all areas in which Sigma Xi can be a strong voice and carry scientific influence. In addition, furthering the scientific education of the next generation in which Sigma Xi can and should play a major role.

Having served on the Board of Directors of Sigma Xi for three years, I am aware of the many challenges that we are facing as an organization at this time. It is likely that structure of both the organization and the Board will change; indeed, there may be no Regions at some time! I think this would be a great loss, because I have heard the outstanding ideas and enthusiasm that delegates from our region have shared at our caucuses. It would be a shame to lose this input and collegiality. It is clear that changes will be coming, based on re-evaluation of our programs and activities and our potential role in the scientific community. I am still ready and willing to take part in these difficult, yet ultimately rewarding, discussions.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities:
Director, Northwest Region, 2009-2011. President, Sigma Xi Chapter of the Columbia-Willamette beginning July 2008; Secretary, Sigma Xi Columbia-Willamette 2004-08. Associate Director, Multi-institutional Constituency, 2005-2008. Member, Search Committee for Executive Director, 2007. Member, Sigma Xi Committee on Diversity; Member, Sigma Xi Committee on Nominations (representative of the Northwest Region); Member, Strategic Planning Committee; Member, Ad-hoc committee on Technology. Organizer and participant, panel on Collaborations to improve science in Southern Africa for Sigma Xi Forum, 2003. Yearly judge for Student Research Conference at the Annual Meeting.

Executive Director of the Northwest Science Expo System, the statewide Intel ISEF-affiliated pre-college science fairs. Judging Advisory Committee, Society for Science and the Public. Program coordinator for the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation at Portland State University. Past-President of the Board of the Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, OR. Member of the Board, Contemporary Art Council of the Portland Art Museum. Recent Past-President, Association for Women in Science.

Biographical Information:  Dr. Linda H. Mantel received a B.A. in Biology from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Illinois. She was a Research Fellow in the Department of Invertebrates at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, after which she joined the Biology department at City College of the City University of New York. During her 25 years at CCNY, Dr. Mantel was a faculty member, department chair, and Assistant Provost for Graduate Studies and Research. She carried out research on crustacean physiology, endocrinology, and toxicology, and trained a number of undergraduate and graduate students. She was also active in the City College chapter of Sigma Xi and served as nominations coordinator for Biology for several years. Since moving to Portland, OR in 1993, Dr. Mantel has served as Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Biology at Reed College, as Interim Vice-President for Academic Administration at Willamette University, and as Assistant Vice-President for Technology Services at the University of Portland. Dr. Mantel has focused on increasing the diversity of students and colleagues in science throughout her professional career. She was active in the Oregon Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (OCEPT), as a member of the Diversity Committee. She participated in the activities of Project Kaleidoscope, a national organization of institutions dedicated to reform of undergraduate education in science. Dr. Mantel serves regularly as reviewer for biological journals and as a panelist for NSF grant programs. She is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences, the Association for Women in Science, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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