Appendix to the Report of the Executive Director
for the Year ending June 30, 2001

Chapter Activity Highlights

The National Institute of Standards and Technology Chapter hosted a presentation on the Sigma Xi Packard Initiative for International Scientific Networking, which is being funded by a three-year grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. NIST currently has 379 international guest researchers from 65 different countries, making it an ideal organization in which to promote the expansion of the Sigma Xi network around the world.

The Fairfield University Chapter held its second annual poster session, based on the success of the first event, which attracted posters from almost every department in the sciences. The chapter, in its second year, has been a catalyst for promoting research on the campus.

The Stevens Institute of Technology Chapter hosted a Partners in Science program devoted to mentoring high school teachers throughout New Jersey. The teachers participate in campus workshops and research activities and learn techniques to bring scientific research into their classrooms.

A public information session sponsored by the Black Hills Regional Chapter on the effort to convert the Homestake Gold Mine in to a huge underground physics laboratory was attended by approximately 75 researchers, university administrators and interested citizens and was front page news in the local newspaper. The talk was given by Marvin Marshak of the University of Minnesota.

The Princeton University Chapter joined forces with colleagues in the Science Advisor program from Lucent, Food Machinery Corporation and Bristol-Myers Squibb to sponsor a spring conference for young women about careers in science, math and technology. Six women scientists spoke to more than 150 students at the Princeton University Plasma Physics Laboratory.

Nearly 600 people attended a talk by celebrated neurologist and best-selling author Oliver Sacks that was part of the Second Annual Jesse Ball duPont Behavioral Neuroscience Speaker Series at Washington College, for which the Washington College Chapter was a co-sponsor. Howard University Professor Geraldine Twitty spoke at the new chapter's installation ceremony in April.

The Hungarian Chapter sponsored a lengthy debate on the question of research resources in Hungary, which was attended by politicians and government decision-makers mainly from the Ministry of Education.

A hiking excursion to a mountain research station in the Jšri Lakes area of Switzerland drew considerable public interest after the Swiss Chapter publicized the fact that chapter members would be available on-site to answer questions about their work there. The station is maintained by the University of ZŸrich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology-ZŸrich.

Among other activities, the Arkansas State University Chapter supplied judges for the Northeastern Arkansas Science Fair and helped sponsor a visit on campus by Sigma Xi's 2000 Young Investigator Award-winner Sherry Yennello, a nuclear chemist at Texas A&M University.

In cooperation with the Lowcountry Hall of Science & Math, the Charleston Chapter co-sponsored and organized an entire week of activities in February surrounding Charles Darwin's birthday. Events included hands-on workshops for teachers and lectures on a variety of topics related to evolution.

The annual Student Research Symposium was one of the highlights of the year for the Tuskegee University Chapter. The two-day event included poster and oral presentations by graduate and undergraduate students. The presentations and judging were followed by a symposium address on ÒChoosing the Right PathÓ by Irving McConnell of the McConnell Group of Dublin, Pennsylvania.

A lively panel discussion on ÒScience and the Media: Relaying Research to Reporters and the PublicÓ was sponsored by the Georgia Southern University Chapter, featuring four GSU scientists and five regional media representatives. As a result of the discussion, the reporters, scientists and the audience came away with a deeper understanding of each other's goals and concerns.

The California State University at Dominguez Hills Chapter co-sponsored a Students Trained in Academic Research Symposium, which was an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to present their research. Each student gave a 10-minute presentation following an introduction by his/her mentor.

A highlight of the year for the Rice University-Texas Medical Center Chapter was a presentation at the annual awards banquet by American Scientist editor Rosalind Reid, who spoke on ÒScience, Art, Story: Picturing Research,Ó conveying the intricate balance between art and science.

Based on the success of talks by Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturers Mary A. Smith and Elizabeth Brumfiel, a permanent annual fund was established by the university president to assist the Eastern New Mexico University Chapter in organizing a series of lectures for years to come.

The University of Oklahoma Chapter sponsored a talk for science majors about working in industry by a senior scientist from Kerr-McGee. This was part of an ongoing series aimed at informing students about career options in science. Chapter members also met during the year with assistants in the office of U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas, a member of the House Committee on Science.

Law enforcement personnel from throughout the region attended a lecture on ÒStudies of Decomposing CadaversÓ sponsored by the University of Kansas Chapter. The speaker was William M. Bass, founder and director emeritus of the Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Tennessee.

Several members of the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse Chapter attended the Council on Undergraduate Research Posters on the Hill Symposium in Washington, D.C., and met with regional congressmen and senators to impress upon them the importance of undergraduate research.

A seminar featuring four students who had attended the Global Climate Conference in The Hague was among the highlights of the year for the Carleton College Chapter. Attended by about 150 students, faculty and staff, the seminar was co-sponsored by the Environmental and Technology Studies program.

The University of Minnesota Chapter began a new seminar series this year on topics of general interest to scientists. This inaugural effort included a talk on El Ni–o and another on genetic engineering. Both were well-attended, and the chapter plans to continue the series.

Nearly 100 introductory biology students were among those who attended a talk by Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer Ron J. Doyle that was sponsored by the Central Michigan University Chapter. A University of Louisville microbiologist, Doyle spoke on ÒHistory, Misery and MicrobesÓ and also met during the day with undergraduate and graduate students.

A lively forum on ÒThe Internet and the Research UniversityÓ was a highlight of the year for the University of Michigan Chapter. Two panels discussed the impact of providing instruction via the Internet on the mission of the research university and the impact of distance learning on tenure and intellectual property rights.

Sponsored by the Vassar College Chapter, David Strayer's talk on the zebra mussel invasion of the Hudson River was front page news in the Poughkeepsie Journal. Strayer is affiliated with the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York.

The Alfred University Chapter hosted a talk by Robert Bitting, university vice president of research and sponsored programs, about the newly-created Center for Energy and Environmental Research on campus. Initially funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this center promotes faculty research involving many graduate and undergraduate students.

The theme of the University of Toronto Chapter's annual lecture series this year was ÒScience and Society-We're InvolvedÓ and included talks on homelessness in Toronto, high temperature superconductivity and creating and performing research-based drama.

More than 75 Sigma Xi, South Dakota State University and industry members volunteered to be academic/industry resources for high school student projects, and more than 400 students participated in this year's science fair. The South Dakota State University Chapter also held summer training workshops for teachers.

The Mesa State College Chapter collaborated with a local hospital to co-sponsor a series of lectures on the human genome and its impact on lung cancer and treatment. The series honored the memory of Gene Saccomanno, the chapter's founder.

Ninety-four sixth graders from Hart Middle School participated in hands-on physics workshops organized on campus by the Oakland University Chapter. A chapter member and two physics students also visited an elementary school to present workshops involving experiments with light, heat and motion.

The Louisiana State University Chapter organized an international symposium on ÒQuantitative Genetics and Plant Breeding in the 21st CenturyÓ that included more than 20 speakers from Australia, France, the Netherlands, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, England and the United States. The symposium was attended by about 200 scientists from around the world.

The University of California at Riverside Chapter held a two-week summer science institute at Wells Intermediate School for 12 K-12 teachers, and chapter members also worked with teachers once a month during the year in full day sessions developing inquiry-based activities for students.

The annual Poster Day sponsored by the University of Puerto Rico at MayagŸez Chapter featured 96 posters, mostly on graduate research projects, and was attended by approximately 200 students and faculty.

The Lynchburg Chapter provided science support for the new Amazement Square Museum, assisting with exhibit planning and preparation as well as with workshop training programs for science teachers and museum guides. The museum opened early in 2001, attracting 8,500 visitors in a two-month period.

The inaugural Student Research Symposium organized by the University of Louisiana at Monroe Chapter provided an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to present their work to an audience of 90 students and faculty.

The Kansas State University Chapter created a new award this year for researchers within seven years of having received their doctoral degrees. The first award was presented the Fengyou Jia in the department of entomology.

During the year, the Nalco Chemical Chapter and ONDEO-Nalco cooperatively participated in a series of science demonstrations at 58 local elementary schools in the area surrounding Naperville, Illinois.