2007 Assembly of Delegates:
Northwest Regional Director

2008 Sigma Xi Annual Meeting and Student Research Conference

November 20-23, 2008
Marriott Renaissance Hotel
Washington, D.C.

Name: Linda H. Mantel

Present Position: Retired

Address: 1511 SW Park Avenue, Apt. 1302
Portland, OR 97201-7806
United States

Telephone: 503-294-0644
E-mail: crablady@teleport.com

Chapter Affiliation: Columbia-Willamette

Candidate's Statement: I am pleased to be a candidate for Director of the Northwest Region. I have been active in local and national Sigma Xi activities since 2003 and have been a member of the Society for more than 40 years. Over the course of my academic career, I have been affiliated with public and private institutions, large and small, as well as museums and laboratories. Having been in Portland since 1993, I have had the opportunity to get to know and work with many colleagues in science in the northwest. I consider that our region has enormous potential to make an impact on some of the major public issues in science-environmental protection, habitat protection, energy and natural resources, uses of technology, health care. These are all areas in which Sigma Xi can be a strong voice and carry scientific influence. This year's topic of Water for the Annual Meeting is an excellent example of a way to bring together many ideas and voices.

I am aware of the many challenges that Sigma Xi is facing as an organization at this time; these challenges are by no means unique to us. Sigma Xi's culture, mission, and vision are still valid, but the way they are made manifest to our various constituencies of the public and other scientists, can perhaps be re-imagined. In addition, there are issues of structure, activities, and governance that may have been appropriate in the past, but would benefit from a careful re-evaluation as to their current relevance. I am ready and willing to take part in these difficult, yet ultimately rewarding, discussions.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities: President, Sigma Xi Chapter of the Columbia-Willamette beginning July 2008; Secretary, Sigma Xi Columbia-Willamette 2004-08. Associate Director, Multi-institutional Constituency, 2005-2008. Member, Search Committee for Executive Director, 2007. Member, Sigma Xi Committee on Diversity; Member, Sigma Xi Committee on Nominations (representative of the Northwest Region); Member, Strategic Planning Committee; Member, Ad-hoc committee on Technology. Organizer and participant, panel on Collaborations to improve science in Southern Africa for Sigma Xi Forum, 2003. Yearly judge for Student Research Conference at the Annual Meeting.

Four years as President of the Board of the Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, OR. Now Past-President for this year. Executive Director of the Northwest Science Expo System, the statewide Intel ISEF-affiliated pre-college science fairs. Project coordinator for the Student Research for Science Teachers program, Center for Science Education, Portland State University. Member of the Board, Portland Downtown Neighborhood Association. Recent Past-President, Association for Women in Science.

Biographical Information: Dr. Linda H. Mantel received a B.A. in Biology from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Illinois. She was a Research Fellow in the Department of Invertebrates at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, after which she joined the Biology department at City College of the City University of New York. During her 25 years at CCNY, Dr. Mantel was a faculty member, department chair, and Assistant Provost for Graduate Studies and Research. She carried out research on crustacean physiology, endocrinology, and toxicology, and trained a number of undergraduate and graduate students. She was also active in the City College chapter of Sigma Xi and served as nominations coordinator for Biology for several years. Since moving to Portland, OR in 1993, Dr. Mantel has served as Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Biology at Reed College, as Interim Vice-President for Academic Administration at Willamette University, and as Assistant Vice-President for Technology Services at the University of Portland. Dr. Mantel has focused on increasing the diversity of students and colleagues in science throughout her professional career. She was active in the Oregon Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (OCEPT), as a member of the Diversity Committee. She participated in the activities of Project Kaleidoscope, a national organization of institutions dedicated to reform of undergraduate education in science. Dr. Mantel serves regularly as reviewer for biological journals and as a panelist for NSF grant programs. She is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences, the Association for Women in Science, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Name: Catherine K. Skokan

Present Position: Associate Professor of Engineering
Organization: Colorado School of Mines

Address: Division of Engineering
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO 80401
United States

Telephone: 303-273-3960
E-mail: cskokan@mines.edu

Chapter Affiliation: Colorado School of Mines Chapter

Candidate's Statement: The grass roots structure of Sigma Xi differentiates this society from most other scientific and research groups. As an organization, we should continue to use this strength to offer local members services that meet community needs. Bringing information about national level services to local chapters and encouraging the use of these services would be my primary goal.

Sigma Xi and Other Activities: SIGMA XI: Vice President, President, Program Chair, Treasurer (present position) local chapter, Nominating Committee for Northwest Region. Presently, Associate Director, Northwest Geographic Region. Also, American Geophysical Union, Engineering and Environmental Geophysics Society, National Association of Science Teachers, Colorado Association of Science Teachers, American Society for Engineering Education. Active in music program at CSM and play in local chamber orchestra.

Biographical Information: Catherine K. Skokan received her Ph. D. in Geophysical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. She is presently an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines. Her research interests include engineering applications of geophysics, curriculum development, and K-12 outreach. Her present research projects include funding from Bechtel Foundation, National Science Foundation, and the State of Colorado Department of Higher Education, which help to bring engineering curriculum to the K12 community to help to excite students in math and science. She also has a grant from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to develop energy curricula for Native American Colleges. As well, she is active in the Humanitarian Engineering project at CSM which has resulted in a minor. She travels frequently with students as they undertake engineering projects to help under-served populations.