Vol. 1, Issue 2
December 2007
Sigma Xi Member Newsletter
Welcome to the second Member Newsletter. This communiqué depends on your news and views. So e-mail us now, at kgreenaway@sigmaxi.org. We always welcome your contributions.
IN THIS ISSUE
SPREAD THE WORD TO JOIN SIGMA XI'S AFFILIATE CIRCLE
Stuck for a meaningful Christmas or thank-you present for someone you work with who may not be eligible for Sigma Xi membership, but still has an interest in science? Or is there someone you know or work with who has a passion for or makes an important contribution to science or engineering? Look no further! Sigma Xi invites all who are interested in science and engineering to join Sigma Xi's Affiliate Circle.
The Sigma Xi Affiliate Circle allows the Society to recognize those who make important contributions to scientific research, both inside and outside the laboratory. Sigma Xi welcomes all those who support its mission - including teachers and librarians, who educate and encourage future researchers; technicians, who assist in research breakthroughs; practicing clinicians, who translate research results into improved health; today's students, who will be tomorrow's scientists and engineers; and science enthusiasts, whose support helps guide public policy in the advancement of research.
Visit www.sigmaxi.org/affiliate for more information, or e-mail affiliateinfo@sigmaxi.org.
ANNUAL FUND REMINDER
You may remember receiving a letter from Sigma Xi president Jim Porter a month or so ago, asking for your support for this year's annual fund. Please give what you can to encourage and support the next generation of researchers. And don't forget to check with your employer to see if they have a matching gift program, which makes your dollar go even further.
Please return the giving envelope we sent you, or you can give securely online. Thank you. And many, many thanks to the wonderful donors who have given this year! You are truly making a difference.
MEMBERS' NEWS
Diola Bagayoko (1990), Ph.D., professor of physics at Southern University at Baton Rouge, as being the founder and director of the Timbuktu Academy, received the 2007 Benjamin Banneker Legacy Award for the Academy's work and excellent results in grade school education (K-8th grade). The award ceremony took place on November 7, 2007, in the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C. William (Bill) Cosby presented the award to Bagayoko. The photo shows, from left to right, the Master of Ceremonies Mr. Kojo Nnamdi, Dr. Diola Bagayoko, Dr. Bill Cosby, and Dr. Bonita Saunders, a Research Mathematician at NIST. The Benjamin Banneker Legacy Awards are made by the Benjamin Banneker Institute for Science and Technology, in Washington D.C. More information is available on the K-16 systemic mentoring and research participation programs of the Timbuktu Academy at www.phys.subr.edu/timbuktu.htm.
Paul H. Carr (1957), retired physicist from UMass Lowell, has recently published Beauty in Science and Spirit. The new book is based partly on three years of courses he gave about philosophy and science at UMass Lowell. But his goal is to point out that the scientific pursuit can produce beauty as well as the artistic pursuit does. He's also interested in helping bridge the modern antagonism between religion and science. Carr says the creationism debate triggered his work. "I hope to grab onto the people who doubt Darwin," he said. "I hope to convince some of them."
Robert (Bob) G. Corbett (1960) was awarded the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) Martin Van Couvering Memorial Award at the AIPG Annual Meeting in Traverse City, Michigan, on October 9. Corbett's career has involved: training students as a university professor of geology, applying geology as a consultant, geological research and administrative responsibilities.
Jose L. Cordeiro (1983), a Life Member, writes: "Best regards from Tokyo, where I am writing to give some news about me. I am currently in Japan, doing work as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Developing Economies (www.ide.go.jp), which is part of JETRO reporting to the METI (the previous MITI). I am focusing on comparative development of East Asia and Latin America, with emphasis on telecommunications and science and technology. I will be very happy to meet other members of Sigma Xi currently in the greater Tokyo area." Further information on Cordeiro can be found at www.cordeiro.org, and he can be contacted at jose_cordeiro@hotmail.com.
Walter R. Courtenay, Jr. (1964), of the U.S. Geological Survey in Gainesville, Florida, received the William E. Ricker Resource Conservation Award from the American Fisheries Society (AFS) at the 137th AFS Annual Meeting in San Francisco on September 2, 2007. The Ricker Award is presented to an individual or organization for outstanding accomplishment or activity in resource conservation that is significant at a national or international level. Courtenay has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years, conducting research, educating students and raising public awareness of the environmental threats posed by invasive species. His studies and his publications encompass exotic fish populations throughout their ranges—introduced and indigenous. AFS President Jennifer Nielsen noted, "Walter Courtenay merits this award for two very basic reasons. He has spent a lifetime devoted to fish conservation and education. And, he is sharing that lifetime of experience, insight and wisdom with new generations of conservationists."
Cynthia L. Dinwiddie (2004), Ph.D., a senior research engineer in the geosciences and engineering division at Southwest Research Institute, has been selected to receive the 2007 Rossiter W. Raymond Memorial Award from the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) and the 2007 Alfred Noble Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). These awards are in recognition for her paper The Small-Drillhole Minipermeameter Probe for In-Situ Permeability Measurement, published in December 2005 in Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, a Society of Petroleum Engineers' (SPE) journal. The work documented in this paper led to an understanding of the effect of the measurement instrument on the natural system; size and shape of and weighting within its averaging volume; and general guidelines for its use. Dinwiddie and colleagues at Clemson University have a statutory invention registration for the device.
Joey Granger (1981), Billy S. Guyton Distinguished Professor, professor of physiology and biophysics and professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, will receive the American Physiological Society's fifth Bodil M. Schmidt-Nielsen Distinguished Mentor and Scientist Award at the society's 2008 Experimental Biology meeting April 5-9 in San Diego, California. Granger, associate director of the Center for Excellence in Cardiovascular Renal Research at UMC, is only the second physiologist with ties to the Medical Center to receive the distinction.
Devlin M. Gualtieri (1975), Ph.D., staff scientist with Honeywell Aerospace Advanced Technology, marked his thirtieth employment anniversary with Honeywell in October, 2007. Gualtieri was inducted into Sigma Xi by the University of Pittsburgh Chapter in 1975.
After 29 years of federal service, R. Laureen Gunter (1985) is retiring from her position as meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Air Resources Laboratory Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division (NOAA/ARL/ATDD) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Gunter spent several years with the Aerosol Research Section at NOAA's Boulder offices before bringing her scientific knowledge and expertise to Oak Ridge. Her research has included studies of the optical properties of aerosols and measurements of trace gases on the NOAA Twin Otter aircraft. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Wyoming. After retirement, Gunter plans to spend time painting and visiting her grandchildren in Holland.
Carl S. Helrich (1965), a professor in physics at Goshen College, Indiana, writes that "I have always personally valued my membership in Sigma Xi. I was initially, as a senior at Case Institute of Technology, very surprised when I received an invitation to associate membership. I am, after a wandering career, at a small Mennonite liberal arts college (Goshen College) where we are actually very hard-nosed scientists and take undergraduate research very seriously. With my students I am looking at the relationship between sterol microstructures on biological membranes and antibiotic ion channels. The work was originally designed to investigate the fusion of vesicles with presynaptic membranes. But as good scientists we followed what was interesting in the work and found ourselves where we are. A few of us in the biophysics community believe that these microstructures are truly structured and that the sterols form in lattices known as superlattices. We are among those, based on what we have seen in both our experiments and in Monte Carlo modeling. I could muse on this, or my experiences that brought me here, from a Ph.D. in plasma theory. I suspect my work in the dialog between religion and science is actually more significant. I originated the Goshen Conference on Religion and Science, which has some national and international recognition. (We are NOT creationists, in case that ever crossed your mind.)"
Cheryl B. Leggon (2006), associate professor in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech, has been named a 2007 AAAS Fellow. "I deeply appreciate this recognition of my work," she said. "My orientation to research has always been policy and practice in terms of making a difference in individual lives as well as transforming institutions. This is not only important nationally, but globally, as who is not 'at the table' is as significant as who is."
Farid Mitri (2007) has received the Edward C. Kendall Award in May 2007 from the Mayo Clinic Alumni Association for meritorious research done at the Mayo Clinic. In the photo, taken at the Kendall Award ceremony, are (l-r) James F. Greenleaf, director of the ultrasound Lab; Mitri; Mostafa Fatemi, co-director and mentor; and Michael G. Sarr, chair of the Balfour and Kendall Awards selection committee.
Rear Admiral Conrad J. Rorie (1970), USN (Ret), Ph.D., was recently presented a distinguished alumni award from the Naval Postgraduate School, based on his significant accomplishments, recognition in a field of study or practice, or impact on the educational programs of NPS.
K. Clinton (Clint) Slatton (1999), an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the electrical and computer engineering (ECE) department and the civil and coastal engineering (CCE) department at the University of Florida, was named a 2006 winner of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The PECASE program recognizes outstanding scientists and engineers who, early in their careers, show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of knowledge. This Presidential award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. Slatton was one of only 58 awardees covering a broad spectrum of physical and social sciences. Slatton's PECASE was awarded by the Department of Defense, US Army Research Office (ARO). The title of his proposal was Prediction of Diffractive and Non-Diffractive Propagation in Forested Terrain by Combining Probabilistic and Physical Modeling.
Michael T. (Terry) Taylor (1997) writes that "I have been active in a Streptomyces research project in Dr. Julian Davies' lab at the University of British Columbia department of microbiology and immunology. The goal of this research is the discovery of new antibiotics and other metabolites in previously undiscovered strains of soil bacteria, mainly in the genus Streptomyces, which produces most of our currently known antibiotics. My background is in botany and ecology, and I have been involved in the field collection of soil, moss, and lichen samples which may contain potential new active strains. One of my collections was a sample of the lichen Cladonia uncialis, which resulted in the discovery of a Streptomyces strain that produced a previously undiscovered enediyne antibiotic, subsequently named uncialamycin. Having previously studied macro-ecology and botany, and done surveys of plants for environmental and conservation surveys, I was very much surprised at the complexity of soil ecosystems, and how little is known about the micro-organisms living there, and their inter-relations. Deciding which habitats to sample has presented a challenge."
GOT ADVICE FOR YOUR FELLOW MEMBERS?
Debasish Maiti (2007), Ph.D., writes that "I am looking for a research associate position where I can work on leukemia and signaling or cancer and signaling or oncogene and signaling. I am in middle of my H1B work visa [so another three to four years left] and want to get some therapeutic related science work in the U.S. Thus I would like to apply for permanent residency, the Green Card. Before applying for a position as an assistant professor, I want to publish some papers in my field. For that reason I want to stay in the same lab until I have a final decision about my permanent residency. Thus I am looking for a permanent research associate position in an institution, which will also be willing to sponsor me for my Green Card." If you have any advice for Debasish, please e-mail her at debumaiti@rediffmail.com.
CAREER UPHEAVAL - WHAT CAN WE LEARN?
D. Curtis (Curt) Deno (1975), a scientist with St. Jude Medical in St. Paul, Minnesota e-mailed with an excellent suggestion. "I would encourage a mix of the informative career vignettes, with short but polite versions of career upheaval stories." Deno believes he would "feel better connected with the body of scientists in this way."
Many of us could learn not from, say, others' misfortunes, but from lessons learned from a career upheaval. If you have a "short but polite" version of your own you could share as a learning experience, please e-mail Kristen at kgreenaway@sigmaxi.org, and we'll publish your stories in upcoming newsletters.
COMMENTARY
Taking the Time to Volunteer
by Charles E. Rodes (1972), Ph.D.
I wanted to describe my experience in volunteering last month for a local (Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina) Sigma Xi-sponsored assistance program to help improve the level of elementary education science programs in our county. The pilot program was part of a local grant from Wake Education Partnership to the school to expand the science horizons for 4th and 5th grade students, and at the same time enhance their science journaling skills. Working with Alice Lutz and the staff at Green Year-round Elementary School, I agreed to present a 45-minute technical program based on my work in aerosols, but presented in PowerPoint, at their grade level, and in a manner to hold their interest.
Since they had recently studied soils, I focused on how soil dust from arid locations can be transported under some conditions for extremely long distances. The students were quite interested in resuspension by storms, and enthralled by embedding video clips of dust devils and storms (some from sources they have easy access to, such as YouTube) and in awe of time lapse satellite photos showing dust clouds being moved across oceans to other continents by the jet streams.
A real plus was having an American Scientist reprint available from 2002 by Griffin et al. "The Global Transport of Dust", Vol. 90, that readily provided much of the background material at a level perfect for the school science teachers. It occurred to me that much of the material in American Scientist is thought provoking and perfect resource material for secondary education science projects - but I'm not so sure it is readily available to them.
I found the entire process quite rewarding, and would strongly recommend to other Sigma Xi members to volunteer by sharing facets of their own work that might challenge students to think more broadly. I will say that the hardest part was putting the material at their level and appealing to their senses. It's a whole lot easier to present science to peers - but it's well worth the effort when you get a lot of hands raised and get some amazingly insightful questions.
Charles E. Rodes (1972), Ph.D., is the director for RTI International's aerosol technology and environmental exposure program, based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
WHAT'S YOUR NEWS? WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU?
We always welcome your contributions to the monthly newsletters!
Editor: Kristen Greenaway
kgreenaway@sigmaxi.org
919-547-5210, or 800-243-6534, ext. 210
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
PO Box 13975
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
www.sigmaxi.org
Back to top | Privacy Policy | Copyright ©2013. All Rights Reserved.
