Vol. 2, Issue 4
June 2008
Sigma Xi Member Newsletter
Welcome to your Member Newsletter. This communiqué depends on your news and views. So e-mail us now, at development@sigmaxi.org. We always welcome your contributions.
IN THIS ISSUE
WHERE ARE ALL THE WOMEN?
Joan M. Lakoski (1975), Ph.D., asked a pertinent question in a recent e-mail to the editor: "Are there any women scientists in the news? Just a thought...." Please send your comments to development@sigmaxi.org. We too would like to hear from more of our women members!
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WHAT WAS THE SPARK?
From the editor: In last month's eNewsletter I asked what was that spark you were hit with as a child or teenager that helped or made you decide that you wanted to be a scientist or an engineer. The responses were amazing!
If you didn't quite get around to sending in your contribution, please do so, as I really feel we have a winning concept here, in collecting your experiences in an anecdotal manner and sharing them among our members, teachers, parents and grandparents, to help generate our own sparks to catch the imaginations of the children we have contact with.
To get you started, we have posted the first draft of What Was Your Spark?
Do let me know what you think and please send your stories to development@sigmaxi.org.
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NEW NATIONAL ACADEMY MEMBERS
Seventeen Sigma Xi members are among 72 new members that have recently been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. They are Thomas D. Albright (1982), Richard B. Alley (1983), Edward A. Boyle (1976), Stephen L. Buchwald (1977), Emily A. Carter (1984), B. Rosemary Grant (1998), Michael E. Greenberg (1977), David M. Hillis (1987), Evelyn L. Hu (1976), Frank T. Leighton (1978), Thomas M. Liggett (1965), Claire E. Max (1972), Paul E. Olsen (1978), Luis F. Rodriguez (1976), Johanna Schmitt (1982), George F. Smoot (1966) and Jack L. Wisdom (1981).
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MEMBERS' NEWS
Harold A. Geller (2006), associate chair in the department of physics and astronomy at George Mason University, writes: "I was awarded the GMU Alumni Association 2008 Faculty Member of the Year Award. You can see more about it here:
http://gazette.gmu.edu/articles/11851/. I also had a book published, which is available on Amazon.com. And I appear on a recently released video podcast.
DiAnna L. Hynds (2004), Ph.D., assistant professor in biology at Texas Woman's University, writes: "On April 24, 2008, I was awarded the Mary Mason Lyon award during the Honors Convocation at Texas Woman's University. The honor is named for the founder of the first college for women, Mount Holyoke College, and is awarded to junior faculty for excellence in teaching, research and service. It is the highest honor the university awards to junior faculty."
Kehai Li (2006) writes: "I recently received a prestigious award, the Hengry Granjon Prize. It is an annual international competition among 53 countries sponsored by the International Institute of Welding (IIW), judging papers devoted to research into welding technology. Every year only one or two young welding researchers receive the award in the category of "joining and fabrication technology." The award was given to me for the development of a novel arc welding process, Double-Electrode Gas Metal Arc Welding (DE-GMAW), which uses a bypass torch to produce a higher wire melting rate with lower heat input to the base metal. That is, it adds an extra heat source to the typical process to speed the travel velocity of welding, thereby increasing productivity, while avoiding the potential for problems caused by overheating. A patent petition has been filed for this innovative process. I first stood out the competition in the U.S., and then finally won. It's a very prestigious award recognizing the recipient's outstanding research abilities. As a winner, I have been invited to attend the IIW Annual Assembly in Graz, Austria, July 6 - July 11, 2008."
Nagib M. A. Nassar (2006) writes: "I have recently released the most productive cassava cultivar ever known and distributed it to small farmers in Brazil's Federal district and Gioas state. It stems from a hybrid of common cassava with the relative wild species Manihot cearulescens; the roots weigh about 20 kg/per plant. Releasing this cultivar supports my philosophy on the importance of wild cassava for the overall improvement of the crop. What I am working to bring to everyone's attention is the threat of extinction of many wild cassava relatives in their natural habitats due to the destruction of their ecosystems. One of my current projects is to re-introduce these wild species into their natural habitats, and encourage small farmers to take care of them, showing them simple technique of grafting the wild cassava on the common cassava to increase root productivity. In this way the wild cassavas are taken care of by farmers and adopted by them as a mean of in increasing their income. Moreover, wild cassavas being planted close to hybrids hybridize naturally with cultivars, producing new types more adapted to local conditions."
Lauren L. Pecorino (1988), Ph.D., at the U.K.'s University of Greenwich, writes: "The second edition of my book entitled: The Molecular Biology of Cancer: Mechanisms, Targets, and Therapeutics has been published by Oxford University Press (March 2008). It contains three additional chapters (The Cell Cycle, Infections and Inflammation, and The Cancer Industry) and enhanced coverage of apoptosis. A new 'How do we know that?' feature in which experimental methods and data are discussed has also been added. A test bank of multiple-choice questions is available to lecturers. Comments about the content of the book from Sigma Xi members are welcome: L.Pecorino@gre.ac.uk. A book signing event took place at the American Association for Cancer Research in San Diego, on April 14 and 15."
Peter J. Snyder (1986), Ph.D., writes: "I am leaving my position as a professor of clinical neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience, department of psychology, University of Connecticut, in June 2008. I will be joining the faculty of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, as a professor of clinical neurosciences (neurology), and as the vice president for clinical research for a five hospital consortium that comprises the major teaching hospital affiliates of the medical school (Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children's Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Bradley Hospital, Newport Hospital). I will be splitting my time and efforts between research administration, serving as the science integrity officer for these institutions, and continuing my own research and teaching that focuses on the development of novel biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as writing on the history of the neurosciences."
Zev Stern (1978), Ph.D., a teacher of high school biology in the New York City public schools for 17 years, writes: "I recently published a book review in 'Reports of the National Center for Science Education,' on Lee M. Spetner's new book, Not By Chance! Shattering the Modern Theory of Evolution.
Daniel J. Williams (1975), Ph.D., professor and associate chair in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at Kennesaw State University, Georgia, writes: "We recently published a paper, 'Group 13 chelates in nerve gas agent and pesticide dealkylation,' that was profiled in the Royal Chemical Society of Great Britain's Chemical Sciences news magazine. We've devised a destruction method based on dealkylating agents. Organophosphate-based nerve agents and pesticides can now be cleaved in a single reaction. This research demonstrates the first technique whereby nerve agents or pesticides can be made inactive in a direct reaction. The resulting non-toxic byproducts would be solids that could be easily handled or disposed of. Looking to the future 'the technology could also be used to decontaminate vehicles or other objects that have been exposed to nerve agents. The guy in the funny suit is me."
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MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Christopher R. (Chris) Brodie (2004), Ph.D., has joined the North Carolina Biotechnology Center as vice president of corporate communications. For the past five years Brodie has been an associate editor of American Scientist magazine. Brodie is the co-founder of Science Communicators of North Carolina (SCONC), a professional organization of scientists, journalists, public information officers, teachers and museum curators. SCONC currently has more than 200 members. He is also a Fulbright Scholar for 2008-2009. During a four-month residence in Oslo, Brodie will teach science communications at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy may not seem to have much in common with heart attacks. One is a rare inherited disease that primarily strikes boys. The other is a common cause of death in both men and women. To Atul J. Butte (1995), they are surprisingly similar. Butte, an assistant professor of medicine at Stanford, is among a growing band of researchers trying to redefine how diseases are classified - by looking not at their symptoms or physiological measurements, but at their genetic underpinnings. It turns out that a similar set of genes is active in boys with Duchenne and adults who have heart attacks. The research is already starting to change nosology, as the field of disease classification is known. Seemingly dissimilar diseases are being lumped together. What were thought to be single diseases are being split into separate ailments. Just as they once mapped the human genome, scientists are trying to map the "diseasome," the collection of all diseases and the genes associated with them. You can read more at: http://snipurl.com/27jrp.
People living in the earliest known settlement in the Americas harvested seaweed and other marine plants from a coastline more than 50 miles away, new research shows. Scientists discovered several species of seaweed and marine algae dating back more than 14,000 years at the Monte Verde archaeological site in south- central Chile. The findings suggest that these early Americans were beachcombers with a tradition of using coastal resources, says study lead author Tom D. Dillehay (1975). "At least some first Americans had a broad spectrum diet, because we're seeing that they exploited a wide range of resources from multiple environmental zones - terrestrial, coastal, and so forth," said Dillehay, an anthropologist at Tennessee's Vanderbilt University. You can read more at: http://snipurl.com/27y70.
Mary Lynne Dittmar (1984), Ph.D., has been appointed to the newly-created position of vice president, strategic communications and outreach for the American Astronautical Society (AAS). In this role she will represent AAS' positions to all space stakeholders. During her 20-year career in space-related fields, Dittmar served as chief scientist and senior program manager for Boeing's Commercial Space Utilization Program, and manager of the flight operations group on the International Space Station Program. Since 2004 she has been president and CEO of Dittmar Associates in Houston, Texas, where she has led a number of influential studies of public perception and strategic communications in the U.S. space program. She has recently supported NASA Headquarters' office of strategic communication in the development of the NASA Strategic Communications Implementation Plan and currently supports the NASA Johnson Space Center in strategic planning as well as outreach to "Gen Y" professionals in the space community and among the general public.
When biologist Frank E. Fish (1984) spied a figurine of a humpback whale in a Boston gift shop and noticed the pointy bumps along its fins, he said, "That has to be wrong." But when the shop manager produced a photograph that showed the leading edge of the long fins was indeed serrated like the teeth on a saw, Fish was intrigued and decided to investigate. He discovered that these bumps, called tubercles, are this creature's secret weapon, allowing a whale the size of a school bus to make tight turns and capture prey with astonishing agility. Fish, a biology professor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, is now using this technology perfected by nature to produce fans with serrated blades that use 20% less electricity than traditional models. This finding contradicts conventional designs that strive for the smoothest possible edges. You can read more at: http://snipurl.com/290af.
Pamela C. Ebert Flattau (1972), a member of Sigma Xi's D.C. Chapter, has been elected to three memberships of the Committee on International Relations in Psychology (CIRP) of the American Psychological Association. CIRP traces its origins to the rehabilitation of European psychology laboratories and libraries damaged or destroyed during World War II, and plays an active role in the international exchange of scholars, free circulation of scientists and development of psychology as a science and as a profession throughout the world: www.apa.org/international/cirp/.
Alfred L. Gardner (1971), affiliated with the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and National Museum of Natural History, is the editor of a new publication released in May, 2008, Mammals of South America: Marsupials, xenarthrans, shrews, and bats (The University of Chicago Press, volume 1). The book is a massive and outstanding contribution to the knowledge of South American mammals, this volume being a detailed summary of the systematics, distribution and natural history of 115 genera and 387 species.
Mother was right. Our shoes are filthy, and we'd be smart to leave them at the door, like they do in Japan. Even microbiologist Charles P. Gerba (1978) was surprised to discover what we track into the house on our footwear. "I'm starting to make myself paranoid," he said. "It seems like we step in a lot more poop than I thought." Gerba is a professor in the University of Arizona's Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science. He's spent years studying how humans spread microbes around and "share" them wherever they go. You can read more at: http://snipurl.com/27v5v.
When older people can no longer remember names at a cocktail party, they tend to think that their brainpower is declining. But a growing number of studies suggest that this assumption is often wrong. Instead, the research finds, the aging brain is simply taking in more data and trying to sift through a clutter of information, often to its long-term benefit. The studies are analyzed in a new edition of a neurology book, Progress in Brain Research. Some brains do deteriorate with age. Alzheimer's disease, for example, strikes 13% of Americans 65 and older. But for most aging adults, the authors say, much of what occurs is a gradually widening focus of attention that makes it more difficult to latch onto just one fact, like a name or a telephone number. Although that can be frustrating, it is often useful. "It may be that distractibility is not, in fact, a bad thing," said Shelley H. Carson, a psychology researcher at Harvard whose work was cited in the book. "It may increase the amount of information available to the conscious mind." For example, in studies where subjects are asked to read passages that are interrupted with unexpected words or phrases, adults 60 and older work much more slowly than college students. Although the students plow through the texts at a consistent speed regardless of what the out-of-place words mean, older people slow down even more when the words are related to the topic at hand. That indicates that they are not just stumbling over the extra information, but are taking it in and processing it. When both groups were later asked questions for which the out-of-place words might be answers, the older adults responded much better than the students. "For the young people, it's as if the distraction never happened," said an author of the review, Lynn A. Hasher (1966), a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and a senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute. "But for older adults, because they've retained all this extra data, they're now suddenly the better problem solvers. They can transfer the information they've soaked up from one situation to another." You can read more at: http://tiny.cc/sWJgr.
Roald Hoffmann (1987) learned to observe from an early age. Born Jewish in Poland in 1937, he spent long days of his childhood hiding from the Nazis in an attic near the border of the Soviet Union. He noted the changing light, the seasons and other children playing through a small portal to the outside world. "I'm a watcher," he says. "I look at how things interact. It interests me." After he immigrated with his mother and stepfather to New York City in 1949... this curiosity helped him gain admission to the city's selective Stuyvesant High School.... While he was there, a New York University physics professor gave him photographic plates that contained the tracks of cosmic ray particles. Hoffmann undertook various measurements and attempted to identify the elementary particles created when the cosmic rays decayed, based on the tracks they left. He wrote up the results. Although "it was not a great piece of work," he says, the topic was hot and the paper earned Hoffmann a finalist spot in the 1955 Westinghouse Science Talent Search. You can read more at: http://snipurl.com/28jcs.
Stan Lumish (1983), Ph.D., has joined the board of directors of Chiral Photonics, Inc. (CPI). CPI is a photonics company commercializing next generation optical components, lasers and displays based on its proprietary in-fiber and thin-film technologies as well as glass microforming capabilities. Lumish, most recently, is the former chief technology officer at JDS Uniphase Corporation (JDSU). JDSU is the leading provider of communications test and measurement solutions and optical products for the telecommunications industry.
Shah N. Malik (1973), M.S. (Pharm), R.Ph., of Vancouver, Washington is the 2008 recipient of the APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA-APPM) Distinguished Achievement Award in Community and Ambulatory Practice. Malik was officially recognized at the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition March 14-17 in San Diego, California. The award was established to recognize the achievements of an individual who has made a significant contribution or sustained contributions to the provision of pharmaceutical care within community and ambulatory practice. Malik was selected in recognition of dedicating his distinguished career to developing pharmacy-based immunization programs on the national and regional levels. He has been a role model, mentor, and advisor to countless pharmacists, interns, and student pharmacists, having trained hundreds of community and hospital pharmacists across the country.
Richard C. McCarty (1992), a distinguished psychologist who has led the College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt University for the past seven years, has been appointed as the university's provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. McCarty, 61, will succeed Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos as Vanderbilt's provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Noemi G. Mirkin (1991), Ph.D., an associate research scientist in the department of biophysics at the University of Michigan, has been elected Fellow of the American Physical Society.
Anna B. Nagurney (1982), John F. Smith Memorial Professor in the Isenberg School of Management, was the organizer of an international conference, "Humanitarian Logistics: Networks for Africa," which took place May 5-9 at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center at Lake Como in Italy. Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, the conference brought together academic researchers and human services practitioners who examined state-of-the-art logistics and supply chain research, experiences from the field in Africa and humanitarian logistics partnerships between the academic community and African nations and relief agencies. "Logistics networks, in times of crisis, provide the essential infrastructure for the movement of both goods and services," said Nagurney, who authored the grant proposal that funded the conference. Goods, she notes, includes water, fuel, clothing, medicines, housing and other basic supplies. Services include relief and medical workers, engineers and technicians, security officials and critical expertise. http://hlogistics.som.umass.edu/.
Daniel. O. N. Obikwelu (2005) is a consultant for Shell Nigeria. He has a masters in metallurgical engineering (with a merit award as the best graduating student in his class) from Wayne State University, Detroit, and a Ph.D. (metallurgy) from Michigan State University, East Lansing. Obikwelu has been appointed acting chair of the department of metallurgical and materials engineering of the apex University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He has been elected Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and was judged by the College of Fellows as the best fellow of the year. He was also elected Fellow of the Nigerian Metallurgical Society for professional excellence. Obikwelu is the chief inspector of the engineering regulation and monitoring arm of the Council for Regulation of Engineering Profession in Nigeria (COREN). COREN is responsible for engineering practices in Nigeria and has the mandate of government to close down any company or group of companies that do not obey COREN engineering standards.
Sastry G. Pantula (1982), of North Carolina State University, has recently been elected by the American Statistical Association (ASA) as president-elect of the association for 2009. Pantula, who is the head of the NCSU statistics department and director of the Institute of Statistics, will serve as ASA president beginning January 1, 2010. He will be the association's 105th president.
Rosemary J. Smith (1984), biological sciences associate professor at the Idaho State University has won the 2008 Jerome Bigelow Award, from the Idaho State University chapter of Sigma Xi. The award is given for outstanding service to scientific research is presented to a scientist or engineer who embodies Sigma Xi's mission in science and engineering education, research ethics, public understanding of science, international research cooperation and the health of the research enterprise.
H. Holden Thorp (2004), an acclaimed chemistry professor and dean at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will be the next UNC chancellor. Thorp, chair of the department of chemistry and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will replace James Moeser on June 30. A 1986 Carolina chemistry graduate, Thorp, 43, has rapidly progressed through a series of key leadership positions since joining the UNC faculty 15 years ago. A native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, he is a Kenan Professor and an award-winning teacher and researcher. He served as chair of the nationally recognized chemistry department and director of the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Thorp is a distinguished scientist who invented technology for electronic DNA chips that is the basis of 19 issued or pending U.S. patents. One of his technologies is being used to provide a less expensive blood test to determine if prospective parents carry the gene for cystic fibrosis. He has also founded or helped start several biotechnology companies. Thorp is a former chair of Sigma Xi's Public Understanding of Science Committee.
Morton L. Wallach (1958), president of PEL Associates, was awarded a U.S. patent (US 7,345,596 B2) "Smart Polymeric Multilayer Sensors" on technology to detect submarines with specially designed smart micro sensor systems. The patented concept employs submarine turbulence activation of sensors which undergo a buoyancy change of state and rise to the surface. Sensor optical signal is received by aircraft, surface craft, or underwater vehicle which communicates the findings. Alternate triggers and signal response are presented. The concept developed was considered valuable to the government, and work was funded under DARPA SBIR Phase I & then Phase II contracts to develop the technology further. PEL Associates has several patents pending including: anti-fouling of ship hulls, swimmer detection (port security), deicing aircraft, and IED detection. PEL is located at the Marine Sciences Technical Center at the University of Connecticut in Groton, Connecticut.
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COMMENTARY
Science Education for our Children
by Linda S. Wilson (1984), Ph.D.
I am SURE that a teacher showing an interest in science and communicating it to children at an early age can have a major impact. It is likewise important that they have an expertise in science. So many of our young teachers today consider science to be "hard" or not important or out of their realm of expertise even though they have had science courses in college to help them teach science. Math and science, just like any other subject, should be taught by teachers who have an interest and an expertise in the subject, even at the elementary school level. At the middle and high school level an expertise and enthusiasm for the subject is likewise essential. Perhaps we should recruit individuals who have retired or who want to change careers to teach science and math in the elementary school. Too much emphasis is placed on "education" courses in college teacher training programs.
A short course on classroom management and a short teaching internship for the new recruits would do the trick. Our governor (Phil Bredesen, Tennessee) is doing something like this to recruit high school teachers.
Probably the most important aspect of education is society's respect for and dedication to the importance of education in our lives. Until the public demands and supports high quality education, lots of homework and high quality teachers, we are doomed to mediocrity. Witness the way that Japan was able to bring her society into the first world in one generation - it was due to the emphasis on education, stressing that each individual must be educated (not just attend school).
Education is the most important thing we can do for our children and our future.
Linda S. Wilson, Ph.D., is professor emerita in the department of chemistry at Middle Tennessee State University. She lives in Lascassas, Tennessee.
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COMMENTARY
Amazing Iran
by Robert A. Schwartz (1986), M.D., M.P.H.
Iran was amazing. I flew on a night flight to Paris, then after 7-8 hours on another Air France one to Tehran. Our host was there to greet us, to smooth the formalities of the two American professors on the flight. We were fingerprinted and finally released after arriving at empty new Ayatollah Khomeini Airport. On the roadside a few miles away was the tomb and mosque of Ayatollah Khomeini, which I successfully encouraged our group to visit. While in the mosque our host was asked our nationality, to which he responded that we were from Venezuela.
We finally arrived at the former Hilton Hotel in the northern suburbs at 0330. I requested a 0630 wake up call as my lecture was set for 0830. After the national anthem and a recitation from the Holy Koran, I was the second speaker, after a colleague from Berlin. Basically, we were stranded for four days at that hotel, far from downtown Tehran, but enjoyed the lectures, which were all in English. Dignitaries included colleagues from Germany, Korea, the U.K., Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, Switzerland, Yemen and Thailand. This eighth annual gathering was held in the capital city of what for centuries was the foremost nation in the world, at its zenith encompassing southeastern Europe and Egypt and stretching into India, a 6000-year-old civilization of incredible splendor. Its history is exemplified by Persepolis, the best preserved of Persia's ruined cities and an ebullient legacy of the majestic Achaemenid Empire, which ruled Persia between 559 and 330 BCE.
Tehran is a congested city with terrible traffic and pollution, but Isfahan and Persepolis were spectacular. "Isfahan is half the world" is an old saying reflecting its magnificence, with some of the most beautiful and inspiring architecture in the Islamic world. I lectured at its medical school, an effort much appreciated by its faculty and residents.
After two days we flew to Shiraz, 500km south of Isfahan, to see Shiraz and the historic ruins of the old Persian capital of Persepolis (right), begun in 521 BCE by Darius the Great but burned to the ground by Alexander the Great in 323 BCE. We also visited Pasargadae, Cyrus the Great's capital, and the awesome Nakshi Rustam tombs of Darius the Great, Xerxes, Artaxerxes and Darius II.
Supreme Leader (left) came to town our last day in Shiraz, lecturing at the same time I did so at the medical school in Shiraz. It was a festive day, with Revolutionary Guard troops everywhere, some joyfully requesting photos with us.
I flew back to Paris to enjoy the weekend with friends, reflecting upon my good fortune to see Iran at a time when Americans are officially unwelcome.
Robert A. Schwartz (1986), M.D., M.P.H., is a former University of California Berkeley political science major who went to medical school in New York City. He is now finishing his 25th year as professor and head of dermatology at New Jersey Medical School. Schwartz is also president of the Sigma Xi New Jersey Medical School Chapter.
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SIGMA XI LAUNCHES SHORT SCIENCE FILM COMPETITION
In conjunction with a year-long focus on the issue of water, Sigma Xi is sponsoring a competition for three-minute student films on aspects of this precious and dwindling natural resource. The entry deadline is September 1, 2008.
Prizes of $1,000, $800 and $500 will be awarded for the top three films. The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students, either individually or in teams. There is no entry fee, but individual entrants or at least one member of each team must be members of Sigma Xi.
Winning films will be screened at the 2008 Sigma Xi Annual Meeting and Student Research Conference next November 20-23 in Washington, D.C., during a forum on the topic of water.
Please help spread the word. Additional information, and a PDF promotional poster, can be found at: http://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/issues/film.shtml.
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SIGMA XI'S WATER BLOG - A CALL FOR PAPERS
Don't forget Sigma Xi's blog devoted to water issues. If you have a background in water research in any respect, please share your expertise by writing a white paper (1,000 words) that we can post on the Web site and may disseminate to other audiences.
A list of suggested topics for white papers is below. We also welcome your suggestions.
- Water conservation: what's needed and what's possible
- Saving water to save energy: reducing energy needs through water conservation
- Water and global poverty: what's the connection?
- Water and neglected tropical diseases: lowering the global disease burden
- Adding water to the biofuels equation
- Global warming effects on coastal water supplies
- Water supply safety: a target for terrorism?
- Pharmaceuticals in water: should we worry?
- Water for the future: upcoming career opportunities in water research and industry
- Technological advances in water purification
- Bottled water: costs and benefits
- The toll on ecosystems
- Desalinization
- Threats to coastal countries
- Health issues and the oceans
- Surface water issues.
And while you're on the water blog site, do listen to our second podcast with Michael Celia, professor and department chair at Princeton University's department of civil and environmental engineering, about key issues and research in groundwater hydrology.
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SOCIAL NETWORKING VIA FACEBOOK AND LINKEDIN
Sigma Xi now has its own Facebook and LinkedIn sites. The aim of the Facebook group is to inform, educate and even entertain our fellow Sigma Xi members and science enthusiasts. The group is open, so non-members can participate. This provides a broader exposure for Sigma Xi, and helps connect all of us who are interested in science. If you join, please invite your friends and colleagues who are interested in science to join the group. LinkedIn is a professional networking site that enables Sigma Xi members to build their online network of colleagues, coworkers and others sharing professional interests. Both online network groups can be accessed at: http://www.sigmaxi.org/member/benefits/networking.shtml.
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EDITOR LEAVING
I regret to write that I will be leaving Sigma Xi on June 5, and taking a new position at Duke University's Nasher Museum of Art. It has been a real pleasure working with you all, and I do hope you continue to support the Member eNewsletter. Sigma Xi intends to find my replacement just as soon as possible!
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WHAT'S YOUR NEWS? WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU?
We always welcome your contributions to the monthly newsletters!
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