Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society: 2001 Sigma Xi Annual Meeting

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Minutes of the 2001 Sigma Xi Annual Meeting
November 9-11, 2001
Sheraton Capital Center – Raleigh, North Carolina

One Hundred Second Annual Meeting

A Draft Summary Report

The 102nd Annual Meeting of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society took place at the Sheraton Capital Center Hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina from Thursday, November 8, to Sunday, November 11, 2001. The Assembly of Delegates was convened on 9, 10, and 11 November with Sigma Xi's President, Dr. Marye Anne Fox, in the Chair for the first two sessions and the President-elect, Dr. Frank Gilmore, in the Chair for the final session. The Proceedings of the Assembly are annexed to this report. Delegates also participated in the six Regional Assemblies of Delegates, each of which was also convened on November 9, 10, and 11. During the 102nd Annual Meeting, delegates also participated in the third meetings of the Society's new Constituency Groups, five of which were convened on November 9, 10 and 11. During the Annual Meeting, the following meetings also were held:

November 7 Board of Directors - Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society

November 7 Board of Directors - Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, Incorporated

November 7 Executive Committee

November 8 Committee on Awards

November 8 Search Committee for Executive Director

November 8 & 11 Committee on Regions

November 9 Committee on Finances

November 9 Committee on Development

November 10 Sigma Xi Fund of Canada

On Thursday and Friday, 8 and 9 November, Sigma Xi, with the cooperation of Phi Beta Kappa and the National Humanities Center, sponsored a forum, Science, the Arts and the Humanities: Connections and Collisions. Funding for the 2001 November Forum was provided by the American Chemical Society Matching Gift Fund, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Duke University, GlaxoSmithKline, North Carolina Section of the American Chemical Society, North Carolina State University Chapter of Sigma Xi, and The Phi Beta Kappa Society. Through plenary sessions, concurrent breakout groups, performances, paintings, film, photographs, poetry, talks and discussion, the 2001 Sigma Xi Forum explored the reciprocal influences of science, in its endeavor to understand nature; the humanities, in their role as the shapers of values; and the arts, as acts of creation that speak to our emotions. The two-day Forum also spanned a variety of contexts, ranging from the beauty in science to the use of science and technology to create beauty.

Throughout the Forum, MIT Press and Barnes and Noble Bookstores had exhibits on display for forum participants and delegates. Also throughout the Forum, over 50 works of art, demonstrations, displays and poster presentations were available for viewing by Forum participants.

The 2001 Forum opened on Thursday morning, 8 November, with welcome and opening remarks by Sigma Xi's President, Marye Anne Fox, Chancellor of North Carolina State University. Dr. Fox's remarks were followed by a plenary address, "A New Trivium and Quadrivium," by George Bugliarello, Chancellor of Polytechnic University, and a plenary panel discussion, "Interactions in Research Between the Arts and Sciences," that was moderated by Susan Howard of The Phi Beta Kappa Society and included Felice Frankel of MIT, Minor Meyers of Illinois Wesleyan, George Saliba of Columbia University, and Richard Taylor of the University of Oregon as panelists.

The opening plenary was followed by five concurrent sessions that provided opportunities for small group discussions: "Science on Stage, " "Science and Literature: Bridging the Two Cultures," " Science Fostering Art: Painting, Optics and the Camera Obscura," "Worlds in Concert: Science and Humanities Connections," and "The Literary Scientist."

Thursday afternoon of the forum opened with a plenary session of three addresses: "The Art and Humanity of Engineering" by Henry Petroski of Duke University, "The Conservation Center: Where Art meets Science" by Terry T. Schaeffer of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and "Bridging the Methods of the Hard Sciences to the Humanities" by Wilfred Niels Arnold of the University of Kansas Medical Center. Forum participants then walked to the nearby Fletcher Opera Theater at BTI Center for the Performing Arts for a lecture and performance on "The Music of Earthquakes: Waveforms of Sound and Seismology" with Andrew J. Michael and Stephanie Ross of the U.S. Geological Survey and David Schaff of Columbia University.

Following this lecture and performance, two special events at the forum took place, both of which were made available for the public as well as forum participants. These events were produced with the collaboration of the North Carolina Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) as part of National Chemistry Week, whose theme in 2001 was "Chemistry and the Arts." The events were supported by Sigma Xi and the ACS Matching Gift Fund and took place in the Fletcher Opera Theater at BTI Center for the Performing Arts. The first of these events was a performance and talk on "Violinmaking: Is It Art or Is It Science" by Joseph Nagyvery of Texas A&M University, who was accompanied by violinist Shunsuke Sato, a high school student, and pianist Randall L. Love of Duke University.

After a buffet dinner at the BTI Center Plaza, forum participants had the opportunity to see the opening performance of "Oxygen," a play by Carl Djerassi and Roald Hoffmann performed by the San Diego Repertory Theatre with an introduction and post-performance discussion by Roald Hoffmann. Bryan Bevell directed "Oxygen" and the Managing Producer for the play was Jeffrey West of Duke University. In addition, to the Thursday evening opening performance, additional performances of "Oxygen" took place on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. during the Society's annual meeting.

The second day of the forum opened with a plenary session that included addresses on "Creative Co-Dependents: Science, the Arts and the Humanities" by Catherine R. Stimpson of New York University and "The Stimulus and Value of Combining Art and Science for Humanist Benefit" by Steve Wainwright of Duke University and Charles Pell of Nekton Research. Five concurrent sessions then followed on "Can the Internet Help Teach Complex Problems," " Parts and Wholes: A Dialogue on Science and Art as Complementary Activities," "Western Hemisphere Knowledge Partnerships: Unified Knowledge Universally Shared," "Film, Technology and Science," and "Polymaths, Meta-Creation and Mental Model Building." The Friday morning session of the forum concluded with a plenary panel session "Science, the Arts and the Humanities: Making the Public Case" that was moderated by George Bugliarello and Catherine R. Stimpson and included Robert Connor of the National Humanities Center, Jack Gibbons of Resource Strategies, and Gail M. Leftwich of the Federation of State Humanities Councils as panelists.

The 2001 forum concluded with the presentation of the 2001 John P. McGovern Science and Society Medal to Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Laureate and the Frank H. T. Rhoades Professor of Humane Letters and Professor of Chemistry at Cornell University. Dr. Hoffmann then presented the 2001 John P. McGovern Science and Society Lecture "One Culture: The Commonalities and Differences Between the Arts and the Sciences."

During 2002, an eight-page summary of the November 2001 forum will be included in American Scientist and much of the forum content will be available on the Society's Web site (www.sigmaxi.org).

On Saturday evening, November 10, the annual banquet was held during which Dr. Alexander Rich, William Thompson Sedgwick Professor of Biophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, received the 2001 William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement and delivered the Procter Prize Address "DNA is Normally a Right-Handed Double Helix but Occasionally It Turns Left-Handed." Prior to the presentation of the Proctor Prize, Dr. Thomas Schwartz of The Rockefeller University received a $5,000 grant-in-aid of research from the Procter Prize Fund as the young scientist designated for this award by Dr. Rich. Also during the banquet, Ms. Diane Jukofsky, Director of the Rainforest Alliance Conservation Media Center, was initiated as the 27th Honorary Member of Sigma Xi.

On Saturday morning, Dr. Henry Rodriguez, Project Leader of the Biotechnology Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, received the 2001 Young Investigator Award in the area of the life and social sciences. After receiving the award, Dr. Rodriguez presented the Young Investigator Award Lecture, "Oxidative Stress Diagnostics/Therapeutics and Tissue Engineering: Standards for Tomorrow's Preventive Medicine."

Two workshop sessions were held for delegates on Saturday on issues involving the Society or topics involving science and society. The topics for the first set of workshops on Saturday morning were "Chapters 101: Chapter Management," "Environmental Justice," "Chapter Programs in Ethics," "Communicating Science: Telling the Research Story in Pictures," and "Finding the Right Niche for Your Chapter." The second set of workshops on Saturday afternoon included "Chapters 102: Programs," "Sigma Xi Packard Initiative: Science & Engineering in Developing Countries," "Exploring Career paths in Science and Engineering," "Expanding Your Membership Base and Nurturing Chapter Leadership," and "Resources and Funding Opportunities for Chapters."

Throughout Saturday Sigma Xi's 2001 Student Research Symposium was held with sponsorship by GlaxoSmithKline. Participating in the poster session were 120 collegiate presenters from 8 states and 23 colleges and universities, and 23 high-achieving students from six Triangle-area high schools. A panel of local scientists judged the poster presentations and during the reception on Saturday evening 11 posters were recognized by the judges as outstanding. With support from GlaxoSmithKline, Dr. Marye Anne Fox, President of Sigma Xi, presented the student award-winners with $200 prizes for their research accomplishments. In addition, throughout the annual meeting, delegates had the opportunity to review chapter poster presentations and scientific posters presented by delegates.

Undergraduate and high-school students were partnered for the day on Saturday with mentor scientists from the community in a program sponsored by the Society's Committee on Diversity. The day opened with a welcome from Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Prize-winning chemist from Cornell University, and throughout the day students engaged in informal discussions with their mentors regarding careers in science, attended workshops of their choice, and participated in the Student Research Symposium.

Throughout the meeting, seven international scientists participated in a variety of activities as part of Sigma Xi's Packard Initiative to network scientists in developing countries with each other and the global scientific community. In addition to learning about Sigma Xi and preparing plans to develop Sigma Xi groups in their countries, these scientists gave presentations at a Saturday afternoon workshop on science and engineering in developing countries and attended the Friday evening reception in their honor that was hosted by the Society's International Committee.

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
One Hundred Second Annual Meeting

November 9-11, 2001
Sheraton Capital Center Hotel
Raleigh, North Carolina

Draft Proceedings of the Assembly of Delegate

The Assembly of Delegates to the November 2001 Annual Meeting of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society was convened at the Sheraton Capital Center Hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina in three sessions on November 9,10, and 11, 2001. The Chair of the first two sessions of the Assembly was Dr. Marye Anne Fox, President of the Society, while Dr. Frank Gilmore, President-elect of the Society, chaired the final session of the Assembly.

SESSION I

Introductory Remarks by the President

Dr. Fox introduced herself to the Assembly, then welcomed delegates, spouses, and friends to the one hundred second Annual Meeting of Sigma Xi. She then introduced Dr. Evan Ferguson, the Society's Acting Executive Director, Ms. Ann Gilton, Sigma Xi's Parliamentarian, and Dr. John Prados, the Society's Treasurer.
The President then reminded delegates that this Annual Meeting is the third meeting at which the new constituency groups will meet in Sigma Xi. Therefore, delegates will meet, as they have traditionally done, in 3 Regional Assemblies of Delegates to exchange views and experiences from chapters at a variety of institutional settings. However, delegates will also meet in 3 meetings of their appropriate constituency group, which will provide an opportunity for delegates from chapters at similar institutions to exchange views and experiences. Secondly, in order to streamline the business of the Assembly, the Reports of Officers and Standing Committees have been available for delegates, chapters, and members to review on the Society's Web site since early September and therefore will not be reviewed in the Assembly. Finally, throughout Saturday this annual meeting will feature chapter and scientific posters and undergraduate research posters. She then urged delegates to take the opportunity to attend these sessions and particularly to interact with the undergraduate students.
At the request of Dr. Fox, the Acting Executive Director then explained the voting procedures to be used by delegates to select a President-elect and Treasurer, and for any written ballots in the Assembly of Delegates. To cast their vote for President-elect and Treasurer, delegates were to affix a bar code label from the sheet of labels that they received in their registration packets to the top of the ballot; they were then to indicate their selection on the ballot in the spaces indicated. Ballots for election of the President-elect were to be placed in the ballot box in the registration area by 5:30 p.m. Saturday in order to be counted and results of the election would be announced in the final Assembly on Sunday morning. The small, green ballot books were to be used for any elections in the Regional Assemblies and the small, white ballot books were to be used in the Constituency Groups. Information on all the nominees for elections at the meeting is contained in pages 31-71 of the program. For any ballots taken in the Assembly, the President will announce which number ballot was to be used and delegates were to affix their bar code label to the ballot and mark their ballot; ballots in the Assembly would be collected by the Tellers, scanned electronically, and the results reported to the Assembly. There were no questions concerning the balloting procedure.
Continuing, Dr. Fox reminded the Assembly that there are two recommendations from the Board of Directors to be considered by the Assembly. The first is the eight-point motion on annual dues for the year beginning 1 July 2002, which is contained on page 14 of the program and updated in a handout that delegates received on their chairs for this Assembly. The second Board recommendation concerns how minutes of the Assembly will be approved in the future. In addition, there is a resolution from the Ottawa Chapter that is contained on page 13 of the program and requires consideration and action by this Assembly. She added that there were only 45 minutes in this first Assembly but there would be additional Assemblies on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Therefore, during this first Assembly, agenda items #1-8B would be taken up, including the recommendations of the Board to the Assembly and the proposed resolution, and any questions for clarification in regard to these issues would be answered. Thus, the business of the Society would be placed before the Assembly in this first session. Discussion of these issues would then take place in the three Regional Assemblies of Delegates and in the second and third Assemblies of Delegates, if needed. Voting on these issues would take place in the second or third Assemblies depending on how much discussion will be needed on these issues by the Assembly. This process should provide ample time for discussion of the issues before voting on them. Finally, the President advised delegates that agenda items #11C-E (Election of Directors for Geographic Regions and Constituency Groups, election of Associate Directors of Constituency Groups, and election of members of the Committee on Nominations) will take place in the Regional Assemblies of Delegates and in the Constituency Groups with the results of these elections reported in the final Assembly on Sunday morning.

Approval of the Agenda of the Assembly of Delegates of the 102nd Annual Meeting

The President reminded delegates that the proposed agenda for the Assembly was contained on page 12 of the Annual Meeting Program that each delegate received at registration and this information also has been available on the Society's Web site for delegates, chapters, and members to review since early September. Dr. Fox then advised the Assembly that the Board of Directors had placed a second item (Approval of the Assembly Minutes) under item 7 (Reports and Recommendations from the Board of Directors) of the agenda. Without objection, the amended agenda for the Assembly of Delegates of the 102nd Annual Meeting was adopted.

Approval of the Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting

The proceedings of the Assembly of Delegates, held during the November 2000 Annual Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico from 9-12 November 2000, were then approved without objection or correction.

Report of the President

Dr. Fox reminded delegates that the Report of the President for the year ending 30 June 2001 is on pages 15 and 16 of the program booklet and has been available on the Society's Web site since early September. There were no additions made, nor questions asked, concerning the Report of the President.

Report of the Treasurer

The President reminded delegates that the Report of the Treasurer is on pages 26-30 of the program booklet and has been available of the Society's Web site since late September. In commenting on his report, Dr. Prados advised the Assembly that this report would be his 12th and last report to the Assembly as Treasurer of the Society, since his term as the Society's Treasurer ends on 30 June 2002. He added that it has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as the Society's Treasurer for the past twelve years and it has been an educational and enjoyable experience for him to serve in this capacity. Continuing, the Treasurer advised the Assembly that Sigma Xi is in sound financial condition and the Society finished with a positive balance for the year ending 30 June 2001. Also, the Society has had balanced budgets for the last 3-4 years and he commended the staff for their efforts in maintaining expenditures within the available income of the Society. The Treasurer also advised the Assembly that, during the past year, Sigma Xi saw a slight decrease in its net assets, which was due to the downturn in the stock market. He reminded the Assembly, however, that Sigma Xi's investments are made for the long term and such fluctuations are expected in the short term. There were no questions concerning the Report of the Treasurer. The Assembly then joined Dr. Fox in thanking Dr. Prados for his service to the Society for the past twelve years as Treasurer of the Society.

Report of the Executive Director

At the invitation of Dr. Fox, the Acting Executive Director provided additional remarks to the Report of the Executive Director that was contained on pages 17-25 of the program booklet and had been available to delegates, chapters, and members on the Society's Web site since early September. In opening his brief remarks to the Assembly, Dr. Ferguson urged delegates to read the Report of the Executive Director in their program booklets as the report provided an excellent overview of the Society and its program activities for the year ending 30 June 2001. He then advised the Assembly that Dr. Peter Blair, author of that report, had left Sigma Xi on 31 August to assume his new position at the National Academy of Sciences. In the interim, while Sigma Xi conducts a search for a new Executive Director, the Board had designated him as the Acting Executive Director. Dr. Ferguson then advised the Assembly that Sigma Xi had undertaken a search for the Executive Director position in conjunction with a professional search firm and that search should be completed in spring 2002. He added that thus far the transition period is going very well and thanked the staff, officers, Board, and chapters for their cooperation during the transition period.
Continuing, Dr. Ferguson advised the Assembly that in October 2001 the Society's former headquarters building in New Haven, Connecticut had been sold, and the proceeds from that sale were added to the building fund for the new Sigma Xi Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. In another piece of good news, the Acting Executive Director advised the Assembly that last year the Society's membership declined only 300 members after many years of averaging a decline of about 3,000 members per year. This result may indicate that the efforts of the Committee on Qualifications & Membership, the staff, and the chapters may be paying dividends in addressing the Society's membership decline. However, he cautioned delegates that Sigma Xi cannot afford to relax in its efforts to address this problem, and that everyone must work together and continue to work hard to solve this problem or the problem will continue within the Society.
In closing his remarks, the Acting Executive Director thanked the staff for a most interesting, exciting, and fun forum that preceded this annual meeting and advised delegates of the opportunity to see the play Oxygen, by Roald Hoffmann and Carl Djerassi, which will be performed on two occasions on Saturday during the annual meeting. Finally, he urged delegates to participate in the chapter, scientific, and undergraduate poster sessions on Saturday during the meeting and, in particular, urged delegates to provide positive comments and encouragement to the students participating in the poster session. There were no questions concerning the Report of the Executive Director.

Appointment of the Credentials Committee, Tellers, and the Committee on Resolutions

The President announced that the following individuals had been appointed to the Committee on Resolutions for the 2001 Assembly of Delegates:
Dr. Fox then announced the appointments of the following individuals to constitute the Credentials Committee for the November 2001 Assembly of Delegates:
The following delegates, two from each region, were then announced by Dr. Fox to serve as Tellers in both the Assembly of Delegates and the respective Regional Assemblies of Delegates:

Reports and Recommendations from the Board of Directors

The President reminded the Assembly that motions from the Board of Directors would be presented this afternoon and questions answered for clarification of the motions. Discussion on the motions would take place in the remaining two Assemblies of Delegates, if needed, and the Regional Assemblies of Delegates. The motions would be voted upon during the second or third Assemblies, depending on the amount of discussion needed for the motions.
Annual Dues for 2002-2003 (FY 2003). Dr. Fox reminded the Assembly that this motion was contained on page 14 of the program booklet that delegates received at registration and this information also has been available on the Society's Web site for delegates, chapters, and members to review since early September. Delegates also received an updated version of this motion on their chairs for this meeting that contains the actual increases proposed according to the cost of living (CPI) for the year ending 30 September 2001. An explanation of the motion was contained on page 13 of the program booklet and also has been available on the Society's Web site since early September. The President then invited the Society's Treasurer to introduce the eight-point motion on annual dues and fees for the year ending 30 June 2003 (FY2003) on behalf of the Board of Directors.
The Treasurer explained that this motion on annual dues and fees is identical in form to those presented to the Assembly of Delegates in recent years. That is, the dues are maintained at the previous year's level adjusted only by the cost-of-living, expressed as the Consumer Price Index or CPI, for the year ending 30 September. Continuing, Dr. Prados explained that, because of tying the annual dues to the CPI, only three figures are changed in this motion from that of the previous years: The annual dues rate is increased from US$52 to US$54 in item #1; the Local Support allocation to chapters from affiliated members is increased from US$8.16 to US$8.42 in item #2; and the Life Membership fee in item #6 is increased from US$1,125 to US$1,150. He also reminded delegates that for the first several years, annual dues and fees were based on the CPI for the calendar year and therefore delegates did not know the actual increases for the next year when they met in November. This year, in response to a request from the 2000 Assembly, the Society has based the CPI on the year ending 30 September 2001 so that delegates will have the actual proposed increases before them in the Assembly. In response to a question, the Treasurer advised the Assembly that no increases were proposed for student dues, which would remain at US$20.
Approval of Assembly Minutes. At the request of the President, the Acting Executive Director advised delegates that the Board of Directors had made a recommendation to the Assembly on Wednesday. Therefore, the proposed motion is not in the program booklet but is contained instead on a one-page informational sheet that was placed on the chairs for this Assembly. He then reviewed how the Assembly of Delegates has traditionally approved the minutes of its meeting each year. After each Assembly, draft minutes of the Assembly are prepared and circulated to delegates for approval or any corrections to the draft minutes. Once these are obtained in late spring of each year, the corrected draft minutes are printed in a gray-covered booklet that delegates receive at the next annual meeting and the next Assembly is asked to approve the draft minutes from the previous meeting. The booklets cost $5 to $6 a piece to print due to the limited number of booklets that are printed for the delegates. This process has been questioned many times in Sigma Xi, particularly by delegates because at each annual meeting about 60-70% of the delegates are attending for the first time and they feel uncomfortable approving draft minutes for a meeting they did not attend.
Continuing, Dr. Ferguson explained that, to streamline this process, the Board proposes that at each annual meeting one delegate from each region will be selected by the region to comprise a "Committee on Minutes" for the Assembly. The draft minutes of each meeting will then be prepared and circulated to delegates for approval or corrections as has been previously done. After all the corrections are received for the draft minutes, the Committee on Minutes will ensure that all corrections have, in fact, been made in the corrected draft minutes and then will approve the draft minutes on behalf of the Assembly. The finalized minutes that are approved by the Committee will be placed on the Society's Web site in May or June of each year as a record of the Assembly. Photocopies of the minutes can be made available to delegates on request at each annual meeting. In response to questions, the Acting Executive Director explained that, if the Assembly approves this motion, the new process will take effect for the minutes of this 2001Assembly and the Regional Directors are prepared to select an individual to serve on the Committee from their region at this meeting. Also, the number of corrections to the draft minutes varies from year to year and most corrections involve corrections in the names of delegates or their chapters.

Ottawa Chapter Resolution

The President reminded the Assembly that this resolution was contained on page 13 of the program booklet that delegates received at registration and also has been available on the Society's Web site for delegates, chapters, and members to review since early September. An explanation of the resolution is also contained on page 13 of the program booklet and has been available on the Society's Web site since early September. She then explained how this resolution would be handled in the Assembly. That is, a representative from the Ottawa Chapter will present briefly the Chapter's views on the resolution to the Assembly and a representative from the Board of Directors will present briefly the Board's views on the resolution. During this first session of the Assembly, only questions for clarification of the resolution will be undertaken. Discussion of the resolution will take place in the 3 regional assemblies of delegates and in the 2nd and 3rd Assemblies of Delegates, if necessary. The resolution will be voted upon in the 2nd or 3rd Assembly, depending on the amount of time needed for discussion of the resolution.
Dr. Zachary Jacobson, the Ottawa Chapter delegate, then read the proposed resolution and indicated that the primary purpose of the resolution was to address the Society's membership problem. The Ottawa Chapter felt that it was important to set these priorities as Society policy and, although they may be a statement of the obvious, the chapter felt that a statement of principle was important at this juncture of the Society's history. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Dr. Lange advised the Assembly that the Board had approved this resolution on Wednesday and recommends that the Assembly adopt the proposed resolution. He added that the history behind this resolution was a perception among the chapters that the Society had lost its focus on the critical importance of the health of its chapters and this was strongly reflected in the declining membership of Sigma Xi. The recent governance changes have helped alleviate this perception but it should be the Society's stated policy that nothing is more important to Sigma Xi than reversing the membership decline and attending to the health of the Society's chapters. Also, all other activities of the Society should be examined as to how they contribute to solving Sigma Xi's membership problem.
In response to a question concerning chapter resolutions, the Acting Executive Director explained that any chapter could bring a substantive resolution directly to the floor of the Assembly. This mechanism allows chapters who feel that their issue is not getting appropriate attention from the Board or the Society's committees to place that issue directly before the Assembly of Delegates. Recently, substantive resolutions before the Assembly have included background information on the issue and written positions by the chapter proposing the resolution and an appropriate response from the Board or an appropriate committee. For this resolution, the Committee on Resolutions felt that such information was not necessary, since the resolution seemed to them to be a re-statement of existing Sigma Xi policy. Additional questions were answered as follows:
- This proposed resolution is not a change in Sigma Xi policy;
- If approved, the steps to implement this resolution will fall to the Society's Executive Director;
- The resolution is a clarification and an endorsement of current Sigma Xi policy;
- The resolution is separate from the Society's mission statement;
- The time period for this resolution to be in force, if approved, is indefinite unless the resolution is amended by the Assembly to include a specific time frame.
In addition, there were several comments and suggestions concerning the wording of the resolution and opinions offered on the appropriateness of the resolution. When no further comments or questions were forthcoming, Dr. Fox adjourned the Assembly until the second session on Saturday morning.

SESSION II

Dr. Fox opened the second session of the Assembly of Delegates by reminding delegates that in this session, item #9 (Recognition for Outstanding Membership Elections) and item #10 (Presentation of Certificates of Excellence and Chapter Program Awards) will be taken up first, then the rest of the session will be spent with discussion, and possible voting, on the recommendations from the Board of Directors and the Ottawa Chapter Resolution. She then invited Dr. Penelope Padgett, Chair of the Society's Committee on Qualifications and Membership, to oversee the presentation of the chapter awards.

Recognition for Outstanding Membership Elections

In her opening remarks to the Assembly, Dr. Padgett reminded the Assembly that each year Sigma Xi recognizes chapters that induct the most new members into the Society by awarding them Certificates of Recognition. This recognition is important because Sigma Xi is unique among scientific societies because chapters elect 90% of the Society's new members. She also reminded the Assembly that it is the responsibility of the chapters to maintain and build the membership of Sigma Xi. Dr. Padgett then announced the 16 chapters to be recognized while the President presented Certificates of Recognition to delegates from those chapters in attendance at the 2001 Annual Meeting. The following chapters were recognized: Amherst College Chapter, Brown University Chapter, Carleton College Chapter, Carnegie Mellon University Chapter, Claremont Colleges Chapter, Idaho State University Chapter, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Chapter, Mount Holyoke College Chapter, Princeton Chapter, Saint Joseph's University Chapter, San Diego Chapter, Smith College Chapter, Southern Maine Chapter, Union College Chapter, University of Texas Medical Branch Chapter, and the Washington University Chapter.

Presentation of Chapter Program Awards

Continuing, Dr. Padgett reminded the Assembly that, last year, the Committee on Qualifications and Membership initiated a new award, entitled the Chapter Program Award, that recognizes chapters that have hosted a single, outstanding program during the past year. Winners of these awards are selected by the Committee on Qualifications and Membership from a pool of nominees submitted by the regional directors. Detailed descriptions of the programs will be featured on the Society's Web site and letters of congratulations have been sent to chapter members and administrators at the host institutions. With Dr. Fox presenting certificates to delegates from those chapters in attendance at the meeting, Dr. Padgett then recognized the following chapters, indicating for each chapter why they were selected to receive an award: Charleston Chapter, Chesapeake Chapter, Geneva Chapter, Georgia Southern University Chapter, Greensboro Chapter, University of Michigan Chapter, and the Whitman College-Walla Walla College Chapter.

Presentation of Sigma Xi Chapter Diversity Awards

Dr. Padgett then introduced Dr. Susan Kilham, Chair of the Society's Committee on Diversity, to present the Chapter Diversity Awards. In her brief remarks to the Assembly, Dr. Kilham advised the Assembly that, in an effort to raise the visibility of diversity issues within Sigma Xi, the Committee on Diversity elected this year to offer a program award to chapters that have organized outstanding programs that promote diversity within the science, engineering, and research communities. The Committee reviewed the annual chapter reports and this year selected three chapters to receive this award. Before presenting the awards, Dr. Kilham mentioned the chapters that were nominated for the award and received honorable mention, indicating for each chapter why they were nominated. Chapters receiving honorable mention were: Alaska Chapter, Barry University Chapter, Howard University Chapter, Kansas State University Chapter, Middle Tennessee State University Chapter, Natick Chapter, and the Washington State University Chapter. With Dr. Fox presenting certificates to delegates from those chapters in attendance at the meeting, Dr. Padgett then recognized the following three chapters, indicating for each chapter why they were selected to receive a Chapter Diversity Award: The Academy of Natural Sciences Chapter, California State University at Dominguez Hills Chapter, and the San Diego Chapter. The Assembly then joined Dr. Kilham in congratulating these chapters for their outstanding programs in diversity.

Presentation of Certificates of Excellence

Continuing, Dr. Padgett advised the Assembly that the Committee on Qualifications and Membership awards Certificates of Excellence each year to chapters for their outstanding program and membership activities. In selecting these chapters, the Regional Directors reviewed the annual reports from chapters in their regions and made recommendations to the Committee who made the final selections. The Committee selected these chapters based on the following criteria: impact of the chapter's program on the community; level of innovation or initiative; breadth and variety of programs; and overall quality of the chapter's program. Dr. Padgett then recognized the 10 chapters, indicating for each why they were selected to receive the award, while Dr. Fox presented Certificates of Excellence to delegates from the chapters who were in attendance at the meeting. The following chapters were recognized: Chesapeake Chapter, Eastern New Mexico University Chapter, Hope College Chapter, Loyola Marymount University Chapter, Mayo Foundation Chapter, Mesa State College Chapter, National Institute of Standards and Technology Chapter, Quinnipiac Chapter, San Diego Chapter, and the University of Southern Mississippi Chapter.

Reports and Recommendations from the Board of Directors (Resumed)

Annual Dues for 2002-2003 (FY2003). Dr. Fox advised delegates that the remainder of the second session would be used for discussion of the recommendations from the Board of Directors to the Assembly and the Ottawa Chapter Resolution, beginning with the 8-point motion on annual dues. Depending on the time needed for discussion of these items, a vote on these items may take place during this Assembly or be deferred until the final Assembly on Sunday morning. She then asked if there were any questions or comments in regard to the 8-point motion on annual dues. Without questions or comments, the Assembly then approved the motion on annual dues for 2002-2003 (FY2003).
Approval of Assembly Minutes. The President asked if there were any questions or comments in regard to the motion concerning the approval of the Assembly minutes. Without questions or comments, the Assembly then approved the motion to change the method for approving the minutes of each annual Assembly of Delegates.

Ottawa Chapter Resolution

Dr. Fox asked if there were any questions or comments in regard to this resolution. In response, the Ottawa Chapter delegate indicated that he was aware of suggestions for change in the proposed resolution that arose within the Regional Assemblies of Delegates. Also, he advised the Assembly that the proposed resolution was not an attempt to perpetuate Sigma Xi just to perpetuate the Society, nor to change the goals or mission of the Society. Rather, the proposed resolution was an attempt to focus the Society on its membership decline. Dr. Jacobson then indicated that the second sentence of the proposed resolution did appear to need clarification and he indicated that he had prepared changes in the original proposed resolution, which he hoped would be viewed as a "friendly amendment" to the original motion by the Assembly. Dr. Fox, however, advised Dr. Jacobson that the Parliamentarian had informed her that the revised resolution would be a substitute resolution before the Assembly and, if seconded, would be open to amendment and discussion. On behalf of the Ottawa chapter, the President then read the substitute motion to the Assembly:
"Increasing and retaining members is the highest current priority of both chapter and headquarters activity.
Nurturing and supporting chapters to foster an environment of companionship in research should be the primary focus of headquarters activity to achieve this end."
The motion was then seconded and opened for discussion.
Following several comments in favor and opposed to the substitute resolution, the delegate from the University of New Mexico Chapter proposed two amendments to the substitute resolution. The first amendment would change the wording of the first sentence in the substitute resolution to read "Increasing and retaining members is a high priority of both chapter and headquarters activity." The amendment was seconded and after a brief discussion, the Assembly approved the amendment to the substitute resolution.
The delegate from the University of New Mexico Chapter then proposed a second amendment to the substitute resolution as amended that would change the wording of the second sentence of the resolution to read: "To achieve that end, nurturing and supporting chapters to foster an environment of companionship in research should be the primary focus of headquarters activity." The proposed amendment was seconded. With delegates standing either in favor, or opposed, to the proposed amendment, the Assembly approved the proposed amendment.
The President then read the substitute resolution as amended by the Assembly:
"Increasing and retaining members is a high priority of both chapter and headquarters activity.
To achieve that end, nurturing and supporting chapters to foster an environment of companionship in research should be the primary focus of headquarter activity."
Dr. Fox then opened the floor for discussion of the substitute resolution as amended.
After several comments were made in favor and opposed to the substitute resolution as amended, the President invited delegates to cast their ballots either to adopt or not to adopt the substitute resolution as amended. She then recessed the Assembly until after the presentation of the Young Investigator Award and the Young Investigator Award Lecture, after which the Assembly would reconvene.
Immediately after the Young Investigator Award Lecture, Dr. Fox reconvened the Assembly. She then announced that the Assembly had adopted the substitute resolution of the Ottawa Chapter, as amended, with 74 votes in favor and 55 opposed. Dr. Fox then adjourned the Assembly until the third session on Sunday morning.

SESSION III

Dr. Frank Gilmore, the Society's President-elect, convened the final session of the Assembly of Delegates and introduced himself to the delegates. He explained that, because of urgent other business, the Society's President could not preside over the final session of the Assembly and that he, as President-elect of Sigma Xi, would therefore chair the meeting. The President-elect then advised the Assembly that, during this session, they would undertake the remaining items of business on the agenda that would include items #8B, and #11-14.

Report of the Committee on Resolutions (resumed)

One of the members of the Committee on Resolutions, Dr. Arthur Geller, moved the adoption of the following commemorative resolutions on behalf of the Committee:
BE IT RESOLVED that the 102nd Annual Assembly of Delegates of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society commends Dr. Jack Gibbons for a very successful meeting. Be it further resolved that this Assembly commends the Officers of the Society; Dr. Evan Ferguson, who is serving as Acting Executive Director; and the Sigma Xi staff for their assistance in organizing and running the meeting. The Assembly also wishes to thank the staff for their outstanding support of members, chapters, and the Board of Directors.
BE IT RESOLVED that the 102nd Annual Assembly of Delegates of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society commends the following chapters in recognition of their anniversary celebrations as chapters of the Society:
100 Years
Stanford University Chapter

75 Years
New York University Chapter
University of Cincinnati Chapter
50 Years
Albany Chapter
New York University College of Dentistry
Texas A&M University
25 Years
Calspan Corporation Chapter
Johnson & Johnson Chapter
Loma Linda University Chapter
Mount Sinai School of Medicine Chapter
National Institute of Standards and Technology Chapter
New Jersey Institute of Technology Chapter
Southern Methodist University Chapter
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Chapter
University of Toledo Chapter
The resolutions were adopted by acclamation by the Assembly.

Election of Officers.

The President-elect announced that the following individual had been elected by the Assembly of Delegates to serve as President-elect of the Society from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003:
Peter H. Raven, Washington University Chapter
Dr. Gilmore then announced that the following individual had been elected by the Assembly of Delegates to serve as Treasurer of the Society for a four year term from 1 July 2002:
Richard L. Meyer, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville Chapter

Election of Directors of Geographic Regions and Constituency Groups

Dr. Gilmore then announced that the following individuals had been elected by their respective geographic region or constituency group to serve as Directors of the region or group, and as members of the Board of Directors, for three years from 1 July 2002:

Election of Associate Directors of Constituency Groups.

The President-elect also announced that the following individuals had been elected by their respective constituency group to serve as Associate Director of the group for three years from 1 July 2002:
COMPREHENSIVE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES CONSTITUENCY GROUP
Mary Elizabeth Strasser, California State University at Sacramento Chapter
AREA GROUPS, INDUSTRIES, STATE & FEDERAL LABORATORIES CONSTITUENCY GROUP
Patrick J. Hogan, Gulf Coast Chapter

Election of Members of the Committee on Nominations by Geographic Regions and Constituency Groups.

Finally, Dr. Gilmore announced that the following individuals had been elected by their respective geographic region or constituency group to serve three years on the Committee on Nominations from 11 November 2001:

Committee on Minutes

The President-elect then announced that the following individuals, one from each geographic region, had been elected by their respective regions to constitute the Committee on Minutes and to approve the minutes of this annual meeting on behalf of the Assembly of Delegates:

Report of the Credentials Committee

The Chair of the Credentials Committee, Dr. Dana Delaware, reported that 152 chapters were represented by 157 delegates and additional delegates at the November 2001 Annual Meeting. The membership-at-large was represented by 2 delegates. The Committee noted that a delegate representing the Swiss Chapter also was in attendance at the November 2001 Annual Meeting. Therefore, there were a total of 152 chapters represented at the November 2001 Annual Meeting and 159 delegates and additional delegates in attendance at the meeting.*

Remarks by the President-elect

The President-elect indicated that he would like to comment on three areas in Sigma Xi to the Assembly. First, the chapters of Sigma Xi. He reminded delegates that Sigma Xi consists of 520 chapters and the delegates of these chapters help determine the health, strength, and the well being of Sigma Xi. Dr. Gilmore explained that it is the job of delegates to return to their chapters and to ensure that a cadre of dedicated members exists within the chapter who really want Sigma Xi to be successful. In his view, what it takes to make a healthy chapter is a small cadre of dedicated individuals who really want the chapter to be successful. Thus, the health of Sigma Xi entirely depends on delegates at an annual meeting ensuring that the small, dedicated cadre of members exists within their chapters. He added that it is the role of the Society's headquarters, and the elected officers and directors in Sigma Xi, to coordinate the autonomous chapter initiatives within the Society.
Secondly, Dr. Gilmore explained that the Sigma Xi Center has been both a rallying point in the Society and, at times, a divisive part of the Society. He then advised delegates that, on Wednesday, the Society's Board of Directors voted unanimously to move ahead with the development of the Sigma Xi Center. He explained that the Center would be both a building to house the Society's headquarters operations and to house also the Society's program activities. In regard to the latter, the program activities of the Center will involve the Society's chapters to the greatest extent possible and external funding will support these activities and the chapters engaged in the various programs of the Center. At this point in time, the program activities of the Center are envisioned to include four broad areas: ethics, science and engineering education, health of the research enterprise, and the public understanding of science. Dr. Gilmore indicated that it is critical to the Society that delegates take back to their chapters the information that the Center will be built and operated on funds that are, and will be in the future, obtained from external sources, and that the Society will not build the Center on its endowments or on member dues. Dr. Gilmore then expressed the hope that the remaining funds for the Center will be raised and that Sigma Xi can move forward with the construction of the Center and its programs.
Finally, the President-elect indicated that he would like to comment on the honor of science and engineering because one of the main goals of the Society is the promotion of scientific and engineering research. He reminded delegates that the Society's motto is "Companions in Zealous Research," which to him means that everyone need not spend all their time in research activities, but that for each member of Sigma Xi some of their time should be spent doing science or engineering. Dr. Gilmore added that all members of Sigma Xi need to promote the honor of scientific research and, even though we compete in science, we need to compete as companions in research. Dr. Gilmore closed his remarks with the hope that, over the next few years, the Society can bring its chapters closer together as honorable scientists and engineers, can build the Sigma Xi Center, and can promote the honor in science and engineering.

Adjournment

The President-elect then thanked delegates for their attendance and participation in the meeting and declared the 102nd Assembly of Delegates adjourned
*Following a review of the Annual Meeting attendance at headquarters, it was subsequently determined that 169 chapters were represented by 173 delegates and additional delegates, and the membership-at-large was represented by 2 delegates. Therefore, there were 169 chapters and a total of 175 delegates and additional delegates in attendance at the 2001 Annual Meeting.