2006 Assembly of Delegates:
North Central Regional Director

November 2-5, 2006
Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center
Detroit, Michigan

Name: Paul A. DeYoung

Present Position: Chairman and Professor of Physics
Organization: Hope College

Address: Dept. of Physics and Engineering
VanderWerf Hall
Hope College
Holland MI 49422-9000
USA

Telephone: 616-395-7517
FAX: 616-395-7123
E-mail: deyoung@hope.edu

Chapter Affiliation: Hope College

Candidate's Statement: My passion is to do high quality research with undergraduate students. I do not do simple projects with my students but instead we carry out fundamental nuclear physics experiments at the NSCL and Notre Dame while also addressing interdisciplinary research questions that can be addressed with our local particle accelerator and nuclear physics techniques. I have found that undergraduate researchers are generally much more capable of high-quality research than many believe. I would look for ways to have Sigma Xi encourage all institutions, from primarily undergraduate institutions to the large university, to effectively involve their undergraduate students in this way.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities: Sigma Xi: member; Assoc Director Baccalaureate Constituency, 00-02; Sigma Xi Committee on Nominations, 99-01 ; Hope Col Chap, Sec/Treas, 87-90; Hope Col Chap, Pres, 94-95. Other: Physics Councilor, Coun Undergrad Res, 91-00.

Biographical Information: DEYOUNG, PAUL A. NUCLEAR PHYSICS. Current Pos: from asst prof to assoc prof, 85-98, Chair(95-04) & Prof Physics, Hope College, 98-05. Kenneth G. Herrick Prof of Physics, Personal Data: b 1955. Educ: Muskegon Comm Col, AS, 75; Hope Col, BA (physics, summa cum laude), 77; Univ Notre Dame, PhD(physics), 82. Prof Exp: postdoc fel, Nuc Struct Lab, SUNY Stony Brook, 82-85. Concurrent Pos: physics councilor, Coun Undergrad Res, 91-00; Prin Invest, "Multifaceted Opportunities in Nuclear Physics for Undergraduates at Hope College," NSF-RUI grant, Hope Col, 04-07; Prin Invest. "Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Physics & Engineering," NSF-REU grant, Hope Col, 99-01. Honors & Awards: Schmidt Fel, Univ Notre Dame, 77-78; Hope College Sigma Xi Award for Excellence in Scientific Research, 1999. Mem: Am Phys Soc; Sigma Xi; Coun Undergrad Res. Res: Heavy-ion nuclear physics at low and medium energies; developing applications of nuclear physics techniques to other disciplines; properties of nuclei and reaction mechanisms with radioactive nuclear beams; integrating computer measurement and control into introductory physics labs.

Name: Linda Kay Meadows

Present Position: Recently Retired Asst VP for Research
Organization: The Ohio State University

Address: 2993 Shadywood Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43221
USA

Telephone: 614-459-8726
E-mail: meadows.1@osu.edu

Chapter Affiliation: Ohio State University

Candidate's Statement: We can look proudly at Sigma Xi's luminous history and at the accomplishments of its distinguished membership. What do we see in its future? International stature. A respected voice and leader in science policy and science education. A robust membership of honorees and affiliates dedicated to its mission. How will it fulfill this noteworthy role? By continuing its role in seeding the research of promising undergraduate and graduate research. By continuing its recognition programs for young and seasoned investigators. By continuing to build on the great interest and energy generated by the postdoctoral survey. By continuing its distinction in publication of the American Scientist. For all the worth of these model efforts, though, they will not be enough. Through the leadership of the Executive Director and the Board, Sigma Xi is increasingly invited to be a prominent voice in position papers developed by the National Academy of Sciences and in setting national agendas with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Sigma Xi is making a difference by its presence at local, national, and world bodies of voices united in creating an environment for science and science education to flourish. The membership decline has been arrested and new chapters are forming throughout the world. New programs are emerging in response to opportunities and the potential to make a significant impact. Right now, the leadership of Sigma Xi is looking to us for support. How can we build membership and make it meaningful to diverse individuals at various stages in their careers and life? How can we better assist local chapters? How can we contribute to the evolution of the annual meeting so that it becomes a magnet for multidisciplinary exchange and a showcase for scientific achievement? How can the regional and constituency officers be more effectively utilized in a) supporting the chapters and b) shaping the future of Sigma Xi. In my tenure as regional director I have had the privilege to see firsthand the outstanding work of the staff of Sigma Xi and to witness the strategic command of its Executive Director. I have learned much about the many committees and how they work together. I have marveled at the data analysis, data driven, and benchmarked decision-making process as well as the productive networking with other organizations. I have been inspired by the mediation of diverse perspectives in Board meetings. I have a great passion for taking what I have learned and working more closely with the chapters in the North Central Region. We can make our region a model for co-creating a new era in Sigma Xi's history.

It has been my privilege to lead my university's strategic planning for research, to help establish a technology transfer office, to work on a statewide science education program to develop teacher leaders, with Nobel Laureate Ken Wilson, to champion and help seed interdisciplinary centers, and to promote undergraduate research. From these experiences I have been trained in and learned about human resource development, visioning, collaboration, setting action agendas and following though on tasks. It is my hope to offer my experience and acquired skills to the region. I would like for us to be known for significant accomplishments - ones we identify together. They may include redefining the roles or involvement of the chapters and chapter boards, increasing membership, hosting international scholars and students, developing position papers, testifying in Congress, creating new alliances with industry, creatively involving students and teachers, expanding the grants program, or taking up an important issue like postdoctoral appointments. The list is suggestive only but it does serve to underscore the need to focus and achieve results. It would be my great honor to take these next steps with you.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities: I have been Co-Principal Investigator of a Battelle funded grant on behalf of OSU Sigma Xi to organize seminars by prominent researchers for freshmen. I have invested funding in the preparation of special research courses for freshmen. Our Chapter works closely with teachers to provide real time assistance to them, offers grants in aid to undergraduate and graduate students, and serves as a body of judges for our State Science Day. Our Chapter Board now consists of several deans from various science and engineering colleges on campus. I organized and hosted the university wide undergraduate research forum for several years, initiated an undergraduate research journal, published a magazine type university research report, co-sponsored the Ohio Women in Science annual conference at Ohio State, and helped secure large scale grants and contracts for science education.

Biographical Information: I have been regional chairperson of the National Council of University Research Administrators and served as fast track proposal task force chair for the Federal Demonstration Project. I have received funding for studies of women and minority scholarship as a function of research grants, and to give national workshops on writing for research and publication. I teach a doctoral seminar on research methodology and have taught a freshman engineering honors course. I have been Vice President of Ohio State University's Research Foundation and Assistant Vice President for Research, responsible for interdisciplinary research centers reporting centrally (Materials, Mapping, Byrd Polar, Cognitive Science) and for undergraduate research. I have a Ph.D. from Ohio State. I taught one year in Japan, another in Taiwan, was a visiting scholar in China, and also coordinated an Ohio business delegation to several countries, representing net-shape manufacturing. I have participated in the NAS study of the postdoc experience on U.S. campuses, in advisory committee meetings of NSF, NIH, and the U.S. Department of Education and in the Big Ten (plus Chicago and Penn State) coordinating council.

Name: Michael P. Polis

Present Position: Professor of Engineering
Organization: Oakland University

Address: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rm. 102J SEB
Oakland University
Rochester, MI 48309-4478
USA

Telephone: 248-370-2743
FAX: 248-370-4261
E-mail: polis@oakland.edu

Chapter Affiliation: Oakland University Chapter

Candidate's Statement: I view Sigma Xi as a very prestigeous organization that should do more to help the public better understand scientific issues facing society. We live in a time when science appears to be misunderstood and viewed with scepticism by a significant portion of the general public. Questions are being raised about such important issues as stem cell research, global warming, and evolution. Sigma Xi is in a unique position to play a leading role in understanding these issues. The prestige of Sigma Xi can be used to raise the level of scientific awareness by helping to articulate why the scientific method is important, and how it allows problems to be understood in a rational way.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities: I have been a member of Sigma Xi since 1973. I was the Oakland University Chapter National delegate to the 2004 Annual Meeting, and serve as Secretary of the Oakland University Chapter. I am currently a Member of the North Central Region's nominating committee. I am a Senior Member of the IEEE and a Distinguished Member of the IEEE Control Systems Society.

Biographical Information: Dr. Polis received the B.S.E.E. Degree from the University of Florida, and the M.S.E.E. and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University, in 1966, 1968, and 1972, respectively. From 1972 to 1983 he was a faculty member in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. From 1983 to 1987 he was Director of the Systems Theory and Operations Research Program at the National Science Foundation. In 1987 he joined the faculty of Wayne State University as chair of the Department Electrical and Computer Engineering. From1993 to 2001 he was Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science, Oakland University, where he is currently a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering. His research interests are in optimization, transportation systems and the identification, estimation and control of distributed parameter systems. Dr. Polis is active in the IEEE Control Systems Society, and is currently Associate Editor for Book Reviews of the IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, he has been an elected member of the Board of Governors (1998 - 2000), Editor for Conference Publications (1992 - 1993), Vice President Membership Activities (1990 - 1991), Associate Editor At Large for the IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (1989 - 1992), and General Chairman of the 27th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control.