2012 Assembly of Delegates:
Nominees for President

Fiscal Year 2015: July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015

George H. Atkinson

Chapter Affiliation: Indiana University

Candidate's CV

Candidate's Statement: Sigma Xi has long established itself as one of the most effective and distinguished organizations devoted to fostering excellence in scientific research. Such efforts by many professional organizations to encourage and support the highest quality of scientific research throughout academic, private sector, and governmental communities worldwide remain core issues associated with economic prosperity and political stability, both nationally and internationally.

The role of scientific research in 21'' century societies, however, is rapidly changing. Societies are increasingly expecting scientific researchers to focus on well-recognized challenges that often require immediate attention (e.g., climate change, environmentally compatible energy sources, infectious diseases, food safety and security, nuclear safety, biodefense, etc.). Although it is evident that realistic options that can address such challenges require both an understanding of and confidence in credible scientific information, far too many current societal debates and disagreements appear to be unencumbered by either.

Since these challenges often transcend physical, political, and even cultural borders, societies are being forced to adopt policies that are coordinated regionally, and even globally. Simultaneously, frontier research is being conducted within increasingly broad international communities often driven by completely different priorities. Certainly the technologies derived from these research advances are being developed internationally.

While these dramatically rapid and often profound research advances routinely offer numerous opportunities that can potentially transform almost any 21'' century society, the political and public processes used by societies to decide which options to embrace and which ones to reject have routinely been slow, ineffective, haphazard, and counterproductive. Frequently, they have also been inconsistent with sound scientific understanding.

Although the flaws in decision-making processes can be attributed to a variety of factors, the decreasing understanding of and respect for the basic egalitarian nature of the scientific methods defining essentially all research is of critical importance. Improving the communication between those who are scientifically knowledgeable and those political and public individuals responsible for making andjor influencing policies requires renewed attention by the scientific community - and especially the organizations representing them. If societies are to systematically reach effective decisions reflecting credible scientific understanding, researchers need to appropriately participate proactively in these societal debates that lead to "actionable decisions."

Many societies separately, and the global community in general, would greatly benefit from a more active engagement of organizations such as Sigma Xi in the debates concerning which options to accept and which to reject. Such engagement must, of course, be conducted without straying into advocacy andjor lobbying for narrowly defined perspectives.

Sigma Xi, however, might consider helping to ensure that scientifically credible information representing broad international perspectives be presented and debated throughout policy discussions in government and the private sector. Such leadership, conducted in an egalitarian, non-partisan manner, builds on Sigma Xi's commitment to advance scientific research and its effective applications to societal needs. While political and public support for scientifically based viewpoints has often wavered, it is increasingly urgent that credible options be identified that can be realistically implemented within the current politically oriented environment. Of course, efforts to address short-term aspects of climate change, environmentally compatible energy sources, food safety and security, nuclear safety, biosecurity, etc. all must be balanced with their longer-term consequences. No less important is the education of new generations of scientists concerning how to effectively integrate scientific understanding into the public support required for politically acceptable policy decisions.

It would, of course, be a privilege to help lead Sigma Xi in reaffirming and strengthening its historic commitment to ensuring that excellence in scientific research continues to be given the highest priority. It would also be personally rewarding to help Sigma Xi define an increasingly important leadership role in processes by which governments and the private sector ensure that the remarkable achievements emerging from scientific research are effectively used to promote the type of economic prosperity and societal security we hope will define the 21'' century.

Interview with George H. Atkinson:

Recent Experiences: I have been fortunate to serve in a variety of academic and government positions that focus on questions of domestic and international science policy and how science can be effectively interfaced into major societal decisions. While details of these activities are in my resume and background material I have attached, I would like to highlight three specific efforts which I believe will provide an overall perspective on my commitment to enhancing the role of science research throughout society.

First, my academic research and teaching activities were recognized some years ago when I received both a Senior Fulbright and a Senior Alexander von Humboldt award. I have remained engaged with both organizations (e.g., the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung invited me to present the keynote address in Berlin on the occasion ofits 5 Qth anniversary). The Fulbright Foundation and the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung are organizations that have been remarkably successful in promoting not only the highest-quality scientific research throughout institutions worldwide, but also by fostering great respect for the perspectives of credible scientific communities worldwide. These are examples of outstanding organizations with which Sigma Xi might find useful collaborations in pursuit ofits goals.

Second, my service as the Science and Technology Adviser to Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice offered me remarkable opportunities to experience how government policies - both domestic and international - are formulated and implemented. The experience of participating in the effective, and sometimes not so effective, use of scientific understanding within government has shaped my perspectives. My design and creation of the jefferson Science Fellows program at the Department of State is an example of how one can significantly enhance the role of science within government through providing opportunities for a large number of distinguished academic scientists to work within the U.S. and international policy communities. To date, more than 80 U.S. academic scientists have been jefferson Science Fellows in the Department of State andjor USAID. These )SF awardees have worked in various ways to integrate the results of scientific research into the practical world of real policy making.

Third, my recent efforts in designing and launching the new Institute on Science for Global Policy (ISGP) represents an effort to introduce a new and, hopefully, more effective, model for scientists, engineers, and technologists to communicate with those who make andjor influence domestic and international policies. The invitation-only ISGP conferences focus on identifying a few distinguished subject-matter experts who present and debate (without attribution) innovative options with an international group of policy makers responsible for addressing the most significant 21'' century challenges that affect essentially all countries. Each ISGP conference also seeks to identify areas of consensus and actionable next steps of specific value to governments and the private sector. As an organization that does not advocate on its own agenda, the ISGP is routinely invited to brief governmental and private sector organizations concerning the views and conclusions of others emerging from its conferences.

It is evident that the foremost priorities for the incoming President of Sigma Xi need to remain focused on the organization's historical commitment to foster and strengthen outstanding scientific research. I would find working on such commitments to be most enjoyable and rewarding. In addition, I would welcome an opportunity to help structure and implement Sigma Xi programs designed to improve communication between the scientific researchers and policy makers, both domestically and internationally. If formulated and implemented in the egalitarian, non-parochial spirit reflective of the principles underlying excellent scientific research, these Sigma Xi programs could help clarify the information needed by societies currently struggling to resolve some of the most significant technical issues of our time. By adopting such a leadership role, Sigma Xi could ensure a broader public understanding of how excellent scientific research can directly address the challenges of everyday life.

As President of Sigma Xi, I would be committed to work diligently on both of these issues.

Thomas Kvale

Chapter Affiliation: University of Toledo

Biographical Information: Prof. Kvale is currently a Professor of Physics and serving as the Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research at The University of Toledo, where he has been on the faculty since 1986. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Dept. of Radiation Oncology on the Health Science campus of The University of Toledo. Thomas Kvale has been active in Sigma Xi at the local levels since being elected into membership in 1980 at the University of Missouri-Rolla. His professional experience includes receiving a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College (1975), a M.S.-physics from University of Missouri-Rolla (1977), and a Ph.D.-physics also from the University of Missouri-Rolla (1984). He was a postdoctoral fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (1984-1986) and a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellow at the NASA-George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (summer 1988). His research interests include experimental atomic physics, medical physics, and general undergraduate research. He has held grants from the U.S. Dept. of Energy, NSF, and the Ohio Board of Regents. Besides belonging to Sigma Xi, his other professional affiliations include the American Physical Society (APS) and its Divisions of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (DAMOP) and the Physics of Beams and Fields (DPBF); and the Ohio Region Section of APS; the Council on Undergraduate Research and its division of undergraduate research program directors (URPD); and ΣΠΣ (Sigma Pi Sigma), The Physics Honor Society.

Candidate's Statement:

Sigma Xi is one of the few premier, professional organizations to be both multi- and inter-disciplinary at the very heart of its existence. This is both a valuable asset and a challenge in today’s climate. The challenge as I see it, is that the younger researchers in academia and industry are becoming more focused in their areas of research at greater levels of understanding and encouraged to do so by their institutions’ reward structures. Sigma Xi's Vision, Mission, and Culture statements however, direct the organization to be more "generalist". In my opinion, this has contributed to decreased membership in Sigma Xi but for memberships in the focused professional organizations to be stable or even increase. As such, Sigma Xi should be promoted as "the" professional organization to foster the interactions between researchers in different fields and thus be true to its multi- and inter-disciplinary foundation and by doing so, to provide opportunities for breakthroughs in the disciplinary fields. This is Sigma Xi's strength, as has been recognized by many others for some time now. I was pleased that the characteristics of the national meeting were recently changed from mainly a business meeting to more of a research meeting. I am also pleased to see that regional research meetings are being established. Sigma Xi's strength is in the local chapters. With these changes of the national meetings and regional meetings, I believe the local chapters would be revived and/or strengthened as Sigma Xi highlights its roots as first and foremost a research society. These chapters are valuable resources to foster young investigators in research and in the safe and ethical conduct of that research. They are also the places where countless, valuable interactions take place between researchers in different fields. I experienced this both as a young investigator and as a "seasoned" faculty mentor. The Grants-in-aid of Research program, the American Scientist, and other programs and/or awards are extremely valuable functions of the national Sigma Xi. Since nature does not recognize the artificial national boundaries, so Sigma Xi is expanding to meet the needs of its international companions in zealous research and take its rightful place as the world-renowned research society.

I am honored to be placed in nomination and will continue to work and support Sigma Xi to the best of my abilities in whichever capacity I can.

Interview with Thomas Kvale:

Sigma Xi Activities: Thomas Kvale has been a member of Sigma Xi since 1980. He was recently appointed as a member of the Communications and Publications Committee of the national office was on the ballot for president in 2011. He has served mainly at the local levels, being president of the UT chapter of Sigma Xi in 1997 and its director of the Sigma Xi/Dion D. Raftopoulos Student Research Symposium for the years 2002-2004. He has served as the chapter representative to the national meetings in 1997, 2009, and 2011. He has been one of the primary organizers of the annual Posters at the Capitol: Undergraduate Research in Northwest Ohio event where undergraduate students present their research to state legislators. The national office awarded the Univ. of Toledo chapter one of the 2011 "Chapter Program Excellence" awards for its support of this program.

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