2005 Assembly of Delegates:
Southwest Regional Associate Director

2005 Sigma Xi Annual Meeting and Student Research Conference
November 3-6, 2005
Westin Seattle Hotel
Seattle, Washington

Name: Bertis ("Bert") Britt Little

Present Position: Associate VP Research and Professor of Computer Science and Math
Organization: Tarleton State University - Texas A&M University System

Address: Box T-0010
Stephenville, Texas 76402-0010
USA

Telephone: 254-968-9463
FAX: 254-968-9509
E-mail: Little@tarleton.edu

Chapter Affiliation: Tarleton State University

Candidate's Statement: In the recent decade Sigma Xi membership has been declining. My major thrust for the Society's health is concentration on reversal of membership attrition. I will identify inactive chapters and visit them to try to reactivate them. I will also visit existing chapters and reinforce the importance of Sigma Xi membership. Re-analysis of the recent membership survey indicates that the top four reasons Sigma Xi members renew are: (1) the value of Sigma Xi membership (i.e., honor); (2) reasonable dues compared to other societies; (3) the American Scientist subscription, and (4) improvement of the public image of research. The top two reasons for NOT renewing were lack of (1) support for young investigators and (2) a major grants program. Sigma Xi would attract and retain more members if the society were more visible, made research more accessible to professionals and the public, and if we were able to provide more support, including grants, to young investigators.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities: I helped found Sigma Xi Chapter 833 in 2002 at Tarleton State University. Fostering research and education is my self-assigned role in the society. I serve on the Sigma Xi Strategic Planning Committee (2007), and was a delegate to 2003 and 2004 meetings. I use indirect costs from my grants to support the local chapter's annual student science symposium, the Tarleton Sigma Xi Research Journal, student travel to meetings, and to pay the society dues for interested students.

Biographical Information: I am a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Society and other professional societies (e.g., IEEE, ACM, SIAM, ACFE, HBC and SSHB). I serve on editorial boards and review panels. I was a Boy Scouts Scoutmaster for 15 years and a mentor for gifted high school students. My Ph.D. concentrated in human genetics of a genetically isolated Zapotec Indian community in the Valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico, and I continue that research today. Education and Professional Experience: B.A., Appalachian State University; M.A., Ball State University; Ph.D., The University of Texas-Austin; Lecturer, UT-Austin, 1979-1983; Assoc Prof, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Clinical genetics, 1983-1999; Assoc VP Research and Prof of Computer Science and Math, Tarleton State University , 1999 to present. Publications: More than 100 peer reviewed scientific and medical publications; four medical textbooks on human teratology, drugs in pregnancy, and psychiatric treatment during pregnancy.

Name: Richard Edward Miller

Present Position: Director, Federal Compliance and Policy Administration
Organization: TEES Engineering Experiment Station - Texas A&M University System

Address: 4304 Hyde Park Lane
Bryan, TX 77802
USA

Telephone: 979-862-6313
FAX: 979-862-7553
E-mail: rich-miller@tamu.edu

Chapter Affiliation: Texas A&M University

Candidate's Statement: There is a continuing emphasis on research activity. The statistics confirm that research funding is increasing. There is a number of professional organizations that react and respond to the changing landscapes. Sigma Xi must position itself to find a niche in all of this activity and represent the interests of the research enterprise. Our partners should be AAAS, COGR, FDP, NCURA, SRA at the national/international levels. There are comparable opportunities that exist on each campus. Sigma Xi must put forth some effort to support the research enterprise. In addition, Sigma Xi has been established as an organization that embraces multi disciplinary and interdisciplinary research. It is becoming fashionable to deviate from the traditional lines of research. We need to exploit our position and step up to support and strengthen interdisciplinary efforts.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities: I have functioned as Vice President and President of the TAMU chapter on two occasions. I have represented the TAMU chapter at two annual conventions. My current responsibility is as Executive Director of the chapter. In this latter responsibility I attempt to relieve the Chapter officers of the day-to-day tasks of operating a chapter.

Biographical Information: I attended Stevens Institute of Technology and obtained a bachelor's degree in engineering in 1959. After undergraduate training I accepted a position at The Boeing Company in Seattle Washington, missile division. I attended the University of Washington and earned the PHD in Physical Chemistry in 1966. I had postdoctoral experiences at Princeton, MIT and Penn. State University. I assumed administrative positions Michigan State University and The Ohio State University. Currently I am at Texas A&M University, where I have been employed in a variety of research positions for 22 years. While at TAMU I earned an MBA (1987). I was a consultant to SpectraPhysics Corporation in California. Professional organizations include SRA, NCURA, COGR, PLU (the Chemistry Honorary where I was National Treasurer).

Name: Marshall David Sundberg

Present Position: Professor
Organization: Emporia State University

Address: 1200 Commercial Street
Emporia, KS 66801
USA

Telephone: 620-341-5605
FAX: 620-341-5607
E-mail: sundberm@emporia.edu

Chapter Affiliation: Emporia State University Chapter

Candidate's Statement: I was elected by a liberal arts college chapter and served as a chapter officer at two regional comprehensive universities and a major research university which included membership from local industry. While the mission of Sigma Xi is universal, the challenges for chapters to meet these goals vary considerably depending on the nature and resources of the institution. Yet several things are clear, regardless of size and make-up of the chapter. First, science education is the best way to foster understanding of science, and the best way to learn science is to do science. We advance our cause by promoting scientific inquiry at k-16 and beyond. Second, it is easier to recruit and retain members if the chapter is visible in the host institution and in the community. As associate director I will assist the director in working with regional chapters to invigorate their programs and recognize new members through initiation into the Society.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities: Active since election, 1974 (Carleton College Chapter); currently President, Emporia State University (ESU) Chapter (founding Chapter President, 1998); previous service includes Secretary and Vice-President (ESU, Louisiana State University [LSU], and University of Wisconsin Eau Claire/Stout Chapters), and President (LSU Chapter); represented all three Chapters at National Meetings.

Biographical Information: Professor of Botany, Emporia State University. BA, Carleton College (1971); MA, PhD, University of Minnesota (1973, 1978). Faculty member, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (1987-85), Louisiana State University (1985-1997), Emporia State University (1997-present). Fellow, Linnean Society of London; American Institute of Biological Sciences, Council member (1992-5); Editorial Board, Cell Biology Education (2001-present); Botanical Society of America, Charles H. Bessey Award (1992), Editor, Plant Science Bulletin (2000-present), Chairperson, Membership and Appraisal Committee(1997-8), Education Committee (1991-3), Teaching Section (1983-4); National Science Teachers Association, Review Panel, Journal of College Science Teaching (1998-2001).

Name: Virginia L. Trimble

Present Position: Professor of Physics, University of Calfornia, Irvine
Organization: University of California, Irvine

Address: Physics Dept., FRH 4129
University of California
Irvine, CA 92697-4575
USA

Telephone: 949-824-6948
FAX: 949-824-2174
E-mail: vtrimble@uci.edu

Chapter Affiliation: University of California, Irvine

Candidate's Statement: We all know what Sigma Xi's problems are, including (a) the gentle decline in membership, as stalwarts move into emeritus status and beyond, while newly-elected associate members frequently drop out; (b) more rapid decline of the population of industrial research scientists, as companies focus on short-term productivity, (c) lack of recognition of our name and mission on the part of both students and colleagues, and (d) some uncertainly about what we can/should be doing within the various kinds of chapters. I do not have a solution, though I have some tentative ideas, like, (1) consider electing graduating seniors who do not plan going on to graduate school (at least immediately) but into industrial/technological firms that have historically had research arms, (2) make sure we get permanent addresses for graduating seniors and PhDs who are new assoc. and full members, so that we do not lose them when their college addresses self-destruct in a few months; (3) give prizes (803 invented a couple of new ones this year), co-sponsor talks and research exhibits, and generally remember that there is some truth in the Hollywood dictum that "there is no such thing as bad publicity." Anyhow, I still have the membership pin that my father received more than half a century ago and am willing to try to make it continue to mean something in the scientific community.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities: Sigma Xi: Director-at-large 1996-99; Committee on Awards 1996-99; Committee on Meetings 1997-2003; Committee on Qualifications and Membership, 1996-97. President, Secretary-Treasurer UCI Chapter (various terms). Other: President, Division of Union-wide Activities of the International Astronomical Union 2003-06; Vice-President, American Astronomical Society 1997-2000; Member, Executive Board, American Physical Society 1998-2001; Chair, Commission 19 (Astrophysics), International Union of Pure and Applied Physics 2002-05.

Biographical Information: VIRGINIA L. TRIMBLE. BA UCLA 1964 (physics and astronomy); MS Caltech 1965 (physics and astronomy); PhD Caltech 1968 (astronomy); MA Cambridge University 1969 (honorary). Recent Publications: Astrophysics in 2004, PASP 117 (in press, with M. Aschwanden); Gamma Ray Bursts in their Historic Context, in E. Fenimore & M. Galassi eds, AIP Conf. Proc. 727, 7, 2004; The Quest for Other Worlds, from 350 BCE to 1995 CE, in S.S. Holt & D. Deming, eds, AIP Conf. Proc. 713, 3, 2004; Productivity and Impact of Optical Telescopes, PASP 117, 111 (2005, wtih P. Zaich & T. Bosler); Scaling Laws in the Distribution of Galaxies, Rev Mod Phys 76, 1211 (2004, with B.J.T. Jones, V. Martinez, & E. Saar). Research interests: The structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the universe, and of the communities of scientists who study them.