2007 Assembly of Delegates:
Research & Doctoral Constituency Director

2007 Sigma Xi Annual Meeting and Student Research Conference

November 1-4, 2007
Rosen Shingle Creek Resort and Golf Club
Orlando, Florida

Name: Penelope J. Padgett

Present Position: PH Epidemiologist
Organization: NC Division of Public Health

Address: 404 Manor Ridge Drive
Carrboro, NC 27510
United States

Telephone: 919-715-9122
E-mail: penny.padgett@ncmail.net

Chapter Affiliation: University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Candidate's Statement: One of the major strengths of Sigma Xi is its unique blend of scientific disciplines and interest. There are few avenues for the type of cross-disciplinary interactions that the organization provides. The leadership of Sigma Xi must continue to emphasize the strengths of the organization and use them to guide the society in the coming years. Having served on the Board of Directors during a time of reorganization and restructuring in the 1990's, I feel that I can contribute both institutional memory and experience in the challenging days ahead. I have been and continue to be committed to serving Sigma Xi and being a cheerleader for the society. My membership in Sigma Xi has given me a wealth of opportunities to learn from its many distinguished members and to serve both the society as a whole and my home chapters. I hope to continue to serve in the capacity of regional director.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities: Elected to Sigma Xi in 1991 from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter. Served as Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for six years. Served on the committee on Membership and Qualifications for six years and the GIAR for six years. Have been a volunteer reader for GIAR for over ten years. Have served as the president of the UNC-Chapel Hill Chapter since 2000.

Biographical Information: Penelope J. Padgett earned a bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a degree in Medical Technology from the Watts Hospital School of Medical Technology in Durham, NC. She worked as a clinical microbiologist for four years before entering graduate school at Virginia Tech. She earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology at Virginia Tech and went on to an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia. She joined the faculty at Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, PA as an assistant professor after her postdoctoral fellowship ended. She left Wilkes College to accept a position at Shippensburg University where she earned the rank of Professor. Over her 17 year career at Wilkes and Shippensburg, she taught microbiology, pathogenic microbiology, immunology, microbial physiology, microbial ecology, virology, and human biology. Additionally, she taught Biology 11, Principles of Biology, at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2001-2003. In 1997, she entered the Department of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill to earn an M.P.H. in infectious disease epidemiology. She left Shippensburg University in 1999 to pursue her career in public health and has served as a market place analyst for the North Carolina Primary Health Care Association, a project coordinator for the Diabetes Management Project in the Department of Medicine at UNC Hospitals and a research associate at the NC Center for Public Health Preparedness. She joined the HIV/STD Prevention and Care Branch as a Public Health Epidemiologist in August 2004.

Name: Robert Zand

Present Position: Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Macro Science & Engineering
Organization: University of Michigan

Address: Univ. of Michigan-Biophysics
930 North University Avenue
Ann Arbor MI 48109-1055
United States

Telephone: 734-764-5138
E-mail: rzand@umich.edu

Chapter Affiliation: University of Michigan Chapter

Candidate's Statement: I am the current Associate Director of the Research and Doctoral Universities Constituency and I am seeking election to become the Director of the R&D Constituency since Tony Iacopino is stepping down as the Director. I am committed to pursuing an increasingly strong visibility and role for Sigma Xi within the university community and the public domain. That goal is especially important today when Sigma Xi is seeking to find a new National Director to replace Pat Scully who led the organization into new and exciting avenues while enhancing the visibility of Sigma Xi, both nationally and internationally. Now, the death of Evan Ferguson has imposed an additional burden on the Society. Evan functioned as the bedrock and font of knowledge on the constitution and by-laws, in addition to his many official responsibilities of the Society. He will be difficult to replace as will the leadership of Pat Scully.

The academic research enterprise has become increasingly intense as faculty and administrators desperately try to maintain their laboratories, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and technicians whose hands and brains are responsible for the productivity of the lab. The requirement for funding extends not only for salaries and stipends but also for the "tax" that the institution imposes upon space, utilities, etc. Most of these funds are derived from the overhead funds that are a component of government grants. Typically, these overhead funds amount to an additional 50 per cent of the grant award. The public is unaware that many universities are instituting policies that prevent the researcher from applying to private foundations for grants because they typically pay only 10 to 25 percent for overhead. While the various media report on scientific discoveries, there is no public awareness that these advances are accomplished by the faculty, students, and coworkers who face serious financial and material problems in achieving these discoveries.

Sigma Xi is in a unique position to become an outspoken advocate for those researchers on whom the advancement of knowledge and technological breakthroughs depend. The excellence of research carried out in this country is an essential national resource that is slowly being eroded by a lack of funding in the U.S, in contrast to increased funding in countries as Japan, Ireland, Germany and China. Where once the most capable foreign students strove for admission to U.S. universities, they now apply in large numbers to universities in the above noted and other countries. Membership in Sigma Xi keeps declining each year. I attribute this, in part, to a lack of visibility on and off campus. Our members need to feel that Sigma Xi is THE advocate in their battle for research dollars, laboratory stability, and public recognition. Our national headquarters must raise its visibility and recognition within their own geographic community.

The significance of Sigma Xi must be revitalized --as an organization whose members are elected because of their potential research contributions and their significant contributions to the advancement of science. I will work to help this constituency and the National office to speak out forcefully to the state and legislative bodies in order for them to realize that scientific research is the foundation for the economic and scientific well- being of our country. To continuously reduce financial and moral support for education and research is equivalent to the eventual destruction of a vital national resource. This constituency within Sigma Xi can assist in promoting the revitalization that will ultimately lead to the elevation rather than the slow elimination from the group of honored research organizations. Therefore, I ask you to consider these issues and cast your vote for me.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities: Bob Zand has served two terms as the North Central Regional Director and two terms as a Director at Large. He is currently the Associate Director of the Research and Doctorate Constituency group. He has served on the Committee on Regions, the Committee on Membership and Qualifications, the Committee on Awards, the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and the Search Committee for the Executive Director (Pat Scully). In addition, he was the primary mover in getting the Sigma Xi Board of Directors to commit to participation in the Intel National Science and Engineering Fair. And, he recently participated in the meeting at RTP on Post-doctoral fringe benefits.

Biographical Information: Dr. Zand earned a B.S. degree with majors in chemistry and physics at the University of Missouri, an M.S. degree in Polymer Chemistry at the Polytechnic University of New York,, and after service in the army, returned to graduate school and received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Brandeis University. He received an NIH postdoctoral fellowship for studies in the Biochemistry Department at Harvard University Medical School and, after two years, joined the newly formed Biophysics Research Division, at the University of Michigan, directed by his postdoctoral mentor. His current appointments at the University of Michigan are: Professor of Biophysics; Professor of Biochemistry; Professor of Macromolecular Science and Engineering. He was elected to Sigma Xi by the Harvard-Radcliff Chapter and, since his arrival at the University of Michigan , has held positions at the Michigan Chapter as a Council member, Chapter Secretary, Vice President and President. He has been active at the Societal and community level for more than 20 years with various committee and elected positions, as noted above. In addition he has been a judge for a number of years, for the Sigma Xi Chapter at the Southeastern Michigan Science Fair.