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Meetings » Annual Meeting & IRC » FAQs
FAQs
- Q: Why does the meeting move around to different locations?
A: In order to ensure all chapters have geographical ease of access to attending the Annual Meeting, the Committee on Meetings has adopted "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."
- Q: Why does the format of the meeting change each year?
A: Each year the meeting is held in a different location with different opportunities available. Speakers change each year. Cultural and societal issues change. Even the meeting planners change. All of these elements come together to make each meeting a new and different experience.
- Q: Why do some meetings have a theme and others do not?
A: Deciding the content of the meeting varies year to year depending on the meeting location, award winners who will be speaking at the meeting, cultural and societal issues, planning participants, etc. Having a meeting with a theme is decided along with programmatic content decisions. Often elements come together such that having a theme adds to the meeting experience. At other times it does not.
- Q: Can non-members of Sigma Xi participate in the Student Research Conference poster competition?
A: The conference is open to members and non-members alike.
- Q: What areas of research may be presented at the Student Research Conference?
A: Student research posters are accepted in all areas of science and engineering including: Behavioral Sciences, Biochemistry, Cellular & Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Geo-Sciences, Math & Computer Science, Physics & Astronomy, Physiology & Immunology and Interdisciplinary Research.
- Q: Can on-going research, or research completed last year when I was a student, be presented at the Student Research Conference?
A: Students whose research is on-going may participate with a presentation of your preliminary findings. If you completed a research project while you were a student last year but you are not a student this year, you may still register to present at the SRC. Your institution information will be the location where the research was completed.
- Q: Can high school students participate in the Student Research Conference poster competition?
A: A limited number of submissions will be accepted from high school students who have a university faculty member as their primary research advisor as space allows. All students who are under the age of 18 must have an adult chaperone to participate at the conference.
- Q: How are the registration fees set?
A: Setting the meeting registration fees is always a struggle to balance the actual cost of producing the meeting with a reasonable amount for our participants to pay. The biggest cost is always associated with food and beverage (F&B). Just to give some examples, the menu prices from a few recent hotels include $60 for a dozen donuts/danish, $92 for a gallon of coffee, sodas and bottled water or juices are $5.50 each, continental breakfasts are going for $30 per person while box lunches are $40 per person. These are the actual costs of F&B items charged by hotels during a meeting.
- Q: How is the cost of a banquet ticket determined?
A: The cost of a banquet ticket is the exact cost that the hotel charges Sigma Xi for the meal. The fee does not include any profit for Sigma Xi.
- Q: How is the meeting date and site selected?
A: Sigma Xi staff researches, conducts on-site visits and receives bids from hotels that are large enough to provide the services and space the meeting requires. These are usually hotels deemed as second- or third-tiered establishments. Hotels that meet initial requirements of space, location, room rates and services are provided to the Committee on Meetings. The Committee makes the final decision as to the meeting site and date which is then announced on the Sigma Xi Web site.
- Q: How can I become a member of Sigma Xi?
A: Membership is by nomination only. Qualifications for full member status require you to be the first author on at leaset two articles published in a refereed journal. Associate membership is bestowed upon someone achieving initial research achievement. Nominations can be reviewed by a local chapter or the headquarters office. See the Web site for complete details on How to Become a Member: http://www.sigmaxi.org/member/join/index.shtml.
- Q: Do student presenters automatically qualify to become members?
A: After making a presentation at the meeting, undergraduate and graduate students who receive a rating of Good, Excellent or Superior by at least two judges are nominated for Associate membership in the Society. Students are sent a letter of invitation and instructions on how to accept the membership nomination.
- Q: What can I do to keep updated on the meeting and to let others know about it?
A: Sign-up to receive e-mail alerts and let others know they can sign up as well. E-mail alerts are sent to everyone on the list whenever new meeting content is posted to the Web site. Be the first to know all the meeting details, sign-up online at: https://www.sigmaxi.org/meetings/annual/info_request.html.
- Q: Why does the meeting no longer have a dedicated computer room with laptops and printers?
A: In one word: Cost. The cost of providing a dedicated computer room includes expenses for the Internet connection (quoted as high as $10K by some hotels), equipment (laptops, printers, routers, cables, etc.), shipping of heavy computer equipment, travel expenses for an additional staff to setup and support the computer room and the allowance for unfortunate equipment damage or loss during the trip. All these items add up to an expensive service. One that Sigma Xi, as a non-profit organization, can no longer provide. However we always explore the option of providing computer services at each meeting. Sponsors are always sought to cover the cost of a computer room. In the past we have been able to provide "hot spots" for participants who brought their own laptop or discounted Internet access fees with the hotel. And although we can not promise these services will always be provided, we do explore every option for computer access at each meeting.
E-mail: meeting@sigmaxi.org
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