2002 Student Research Conference Preliminary Program

Saturday, November 16, 2002
Moody Gardens Hotel
Galveston Island, Texas

Special thanks to NIEHS - The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for sponsoring the 2002 Student Research Conference

Saturday, November 16 – All times are subject to change.
8:30-9:15 a.m.	Pick up registration packet and set up posters for Student Research Conference
9:15-9:45 a.m.	Welcome & Orientation Benoit Mandelbrot, Professor of Mathematics, Yale University and Patrick Sculley, Executive Director, Sigma Xi
9:45 ­ 10:35 a.m.	Students with Poster Presentations Judging of poster presentations will take place throughout the morning while students are present as well as while students are in workshops.
10:45 ­ 11:40 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions Making order out of Chaos: The Beauty of Mathematics with Benoit Mandelbrot It has been said that few scientists can claim to have started revolutions or generated new paradigms. Benoit Mandebrot is one of them. Think Geometry is dry and boring? You haven't seen fractals. Mandelbrot, has been an early pioneer in the field of fractal mathematics, and was the first to coin the phase "fractal geometry" in the mid-1970's. Join the mathematician who can only be described as a living legend through a visual journey exploring the occurrence of fractals images throughout mathematics and the natural world. Communicating Science: Telling the Research Story in Pictures The ancient human tradition of storytelling with pictures has helped ideas leap across boundaries of language, culture and time. How can you use pictures to tell the stories of science to unfamiliar audiences? American Scientist Magazine's Editor-in-Chief, Rosalind Reid will describe examples from the history of scientific illustration and show how illustration is developed for American Scientist. Come prepared to picture your research. Exploring Career Paths in Science and Engineering A panel of scientists at various career stages will offer insight and discuss their experiences in academia, research and the work world. Brief presentations followed by a question and answer period will specifically address the interests and concerns of all students contemplating research careers. Science, Journalism and Politics: When Cultures Collide Like science, but don't think you want to BE a scientist? Join National Public Radio science correspondent Richard Harris for a discussion of one of the most exciting careers today: science journalism. How do journalists decide what is a big science story? How do they choose their sources? Why is there so little coverage of science on the evening news, and why are there often inaccuracies? How can scientists work with journalists to improve the coverage of science in the popular media? And how would you get started?
11:45 ­ 12:30	Young Investigator Lecture - Paschalis Axexandridis, University of Buffalo-SUNY Nanoscale Organization via Self-Assembly and Directed Assembly The Sigma Xi Young Investigator award is one of the society's most distinguished prizes. This lecture is given annually to an accomplished young researcher who is within 10 years of his or her terminal degree.
12:30 ­ 2:00 p.m.	Student Luncheon (Complimentary for all student presenters)
2:00 - 3:15 p.m.	Graduate School Panel Graduate students at various stages of their education will offer insights and advice for getting into graduate school and succeeding in the sciences.
3:15 ­ 5:10 p.m.	Student Orange Group 3:15 - 4:10 p.m. with posters & judges 4:10 - 5:10 p.m. with graduate school recruiters & exhibitors* Student Blue Group 3:15 - 4:10 p.m. with graduate school recruiters & exhibitors* 4:10 - 5:10 p.m. with posters & judges *This time is to be used to network with recruiters and exhibitors at the meeting. These conference participants are valuable sources of information. In talking with them, students may chose to provide recruiters and exhibitors with their personalized business cards which Sigma Xi will provide at the beginning of the day.
5:10 ­ 5:45 p.m.	Special Remarks - Patrick Sculley, Executive Director, Sigma Xi
5:45 ­ 6:30 p.m.	Students and Exhibitors remove presentations from Exhibit Hall
6:30 - 9:00 p.m.	Reception & Awards Ceremony at the Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid 7:00 - 7:30 p.m. Awards Presentation Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served. Patrick D. Sculley, Executive Director, Sigma Xi and Frank Gilmore, President, Sigma Xi will present the student awards. The Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid is a 10-story rainforest which boasts a wide variety of colorful butterflies, birds, tropical fish waterfalls and gentle pools under a canopy of lush, exotic plants.