February 2009
Sigma Xi Student Member Newsletter
Student Member eBlast is a monthly e-newsletter. We always welcome your contributions.
N.B.: Dates in parenthesis after Members' names denotes their year of induction into Sigma Xi.
IN THIS ISSUE
OBAMA PICKS JOHN HOLDREN AS HIS SCIENCE ADVISER
President BARACK OBAMA has selected Harvard University physicist JOHN HOLDREN (1966) to be his science adviser and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Holdren played a prominent role as part of the Sigma Xi-UN Scientific Expert Group that issued the 2007 report "Confronting Climate Change: Avoiding the Unmanageable and Managing the Unavoidable." For more about the report, visit: http://sigmaxi.org/about/news/UNSEGReport.shtml
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SIGMA XI GRANT APPLICATION DEADLINE IS MARCH 15
Grants of up to $1,000 are available to undergraduate and graduate students in all areas of the sciences and engineering. Designated funds from the National Academy of Sciences allow for grants of up to $5,000 for astronomy research and $2,500 for vision related research. For more information, visit: http://sigmaxi.org/about/news/giarOct.shtml
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DID SCIENCE FICTION HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOU?
According to renowned physicist STEPHEN HAWKING, "Science fiction is useful both for stimulating the imagination and for diffusing fear of the future." Using fiction in the teaching of complex scientific concepts was recently highlighted in an NPR review of the book "Icarus at the Edge of Time" http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyID=96095009 by Columbia University theoretical physicist BRIAN GREENE. Yet to some science fiction is a distraction from the real work. Sigma Xi, partnering with the National Science Teachers Association, the Future Farmers of America and the Pete Conrad Foundation, is exploring new ways to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. Our question to you is: Did science fiction have any influence on you? Please share with us your story and the titles and authors that had an impact on your interest in science, field of study and/or research. Please note that your response provides implicit permission for use in future publications to promote the research vocation. Thank you for sending your responses to: development@sigmaxi.org
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GRANT WRITING, CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING
Sigma Xi will be offering three unique seminars this coming year, and we want to make them available in your region if there is enough interest. Are you interested in three- to four-day seminar on research grant proposal writing from government and private sector sources, led by scientists with successful track records in obtaining funding? Another day seminar would focus on Professional Career Planning & Placement led by scientists and professional placement experts, with the goal of assisting you in developing a viable career plan. Working with FranklinCovey©, Sigma Xi has developed a two-day course in scientific leadership, team building and collaborative planning. Based on the response we receive from chapters and individual student members in each region, we hope to announce locations and dates for each course by the end of March 2009. Please express your interest to development@sigmaxi.org
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2009 SIGMA XI AWARDS HONOR LEADING SCIENTISTS
The 2009 Sigma Xi Awards recognize outstanding researchers, innovators and communicators in a variety of fields. The awards will be presented in November at the Society's Annual Meeting and Student Research Conference in Houston, Texas. Look for profiles of award winners in American Scientist. See more about this year's winners here: http://sigmaxi.org/about/news/2009awards.shtml
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JOIN SIGMA XI CONVERSATIONS ONLINE
Join JERRY BAKER (1990) for monthly Conversations with the Sigma Xi Executive Director. Topics will include Membership: Each One-Reach One and Professional Networking: What Can Sigma Xi Do to Facilitate Your Online Presence? The live interactive sessions are scheduled for three different times and each will last 45 minutes or perhaps longer. For more information: http://www.sigmaxi.org/member/membersonly/conversations.shtml
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YEAR OF WATER PANEL SUMMARY NOW ONLINE
Sigma Xi launched its Critical Issues in Science series in 2008 with a year-long focus on the global water crisis. A summary of a panel discussion on water issues at our 2008 Annual Meeting is now available online. Moderated by National Science Board Executive Director MICHAEL CROSBY, the panel featured Pacific Institute President PETER GLEICK, UNESCO's ANDRAS SZOLLOSI-NAGY, Ethos Water founder PETER THUM and Coca-Cola Co. executive THOMAS MATTIA. In 2009, our focus will be on energy. Read the water panel summary here: http://sigmaxi.org/about/news/2008AMSRCsat.shtml
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CELEBRATE THE YEAR OF SCIENCE 2009
"How are you celebrating?" That's the slogan for the Year of Science 2009, a year-long celebration of science and its role in society. Sigma Xi has joined a coalition of scientific organizations and academic institutions in a grassroots effort to engage the American public in science. For more information: http://sigmaxi.org/about/news/2008Science09.shtml
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INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION CAMP IN TROY, NEW YORK
March 6 is the application deadline for the first annual International Innovation Camp at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. The camp is designed for gifted undergraduate science and engineering students and their mentors from the US, China and India to work together during July 10-August 3, 2009. They are looking for students with experience in pursuing sophisticated technical research and development projects, either as part of a school project or as part of a well known science and engineering competition at the regional or national level. Students selected receive a fully paid scholarship to participate, less individual travel and passport/visa application expenses. For more information: http://www.ifest.info
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2009 INTERNATIONAL DENNIS GABOR AWARD
April 30 is the application deadline for the International Dennis Gabor Award sponsored by the NOVOFER Foundation for Technical and Intellectual Creation in Hungary. Researchers age 35 and under who have already made a significant contribution to scientific fields inspired by the achievements of DENNIS GABOR (e.g., optics, laser technology, medical imaging) are eligible to apply. The award includes a silver medal and 10,000 Euros. One applicant from Hungary and one from abroad will be chosen for the award. For guidelines, application materials and other information, visit: http://www.novofer.hu/alapitvany/tartalom/menu/66
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NCI HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS INTERNSHIPS
March 3 is the application deadline for the July 2009-January 2010 National Cancer Institute's Health Communications Internship Program, a 6 or 12-month program for graduate students or those who have recently completed a graduate degree interested in a career in science writing. The internships afford participants the opportunity to participate in vital health and science communications projects in one of many offices that make up the NCI. For additional information or to apply, visit: https://hcip.nci.nih.gov
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EVOLUTION'S IMPACT ON SCIENCE AND CULTURE
The University of North Carolina Wilmington will hold a multidisciplinary student conference on evolution March 19-21. This will be a unique opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and arts who are conducting research or creative endeavors related to evolution to present their research, investigate graduate study opportunities, network, enhance their resumes and enrich the body of knowledge surrounding evolution. In addition to student presentations, there will be keynote speakers, including DAVID BUSS, PETER CARRUTHERS, DAVID MINDELL (1985) and KEVIN PADIAN (1978). For more information, visit: http://library.uncw.edu/web/outreach/evolution/conference.html
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RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES
March 1 is the application deadline for the 2009 Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Biodiversity Conservation program June 2-July 30 at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. A multidisciplinary group of students and faculty will compare fossil, archeological and modern marine samples to study how the marine ecosystem has changed through time. Eligible participants include rising juniors and seniors in Archeology/American Indian Studies, Biology, Environmental Studies, Geology/Paleontology and Marine Sciences or related fields. Members of underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply! The program includes $450 a week stipend for eight weeks and all expenses paid. For further information and an online application, please visit: http://www.uncw.edu/earsci/reu/overview.htm
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RICHARD CASEMENT INTERNSHIP AT THE ECONOMIST
February 20 is the application deadline for the 2009 Richard Casement internship at The Economist in London. A would-be journalist will spend three months of the summer working on the newspaper, writing about science and technology. The aim is more to discover writing talent in a science student or scientist than a scientific aptitude in a budding journalist. Applicants should write a letter introducing themselves and an original article of about 600 words that they think would be suitable for publication in the science and technology section. They should be prepared to come for an interview in London or New York, at their own expense. A small stipend will be paid to the successful candidate. Applications should be sent to: casement2009@economist.com
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DROP BY THE SIGMA XI BOOTH AT THE AAAS MEETING
We encourage Sigma Xi members to stop by the Sigma Xi exhibit booth at the annual meeting February 12-15 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago. We'll give out Sigma Xi luggage tags to members as long as they last. Also, come meet American Scientist Editor David Schoonmaker who will be at the booth on Saturday, February 14, from 3-5 p.m.
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VOTE ONLINE FOR MOST INNOVATIVE HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS
The Conrad Foundation of San Francisco has announced 21 high school teams as finalists for the Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Awards, which challenge students to design commercially viable products using science and technology. Sigma Xi is among partnering organizations for the awards program. Vote online for the most innovative teams. For more information, visit: http://sigmaxi.org/about/news/2009Conrad.shtml
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SIGMA XI MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Biologist JOAN L. MORRISON (1997) has been promoted to full professor at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She is believed to be the first woman to become a full professor in any science department at Trinity College since it was founded in the 1820s. And she may also be the first Native American to become a full professor there.
Oxford University Press has just published a new book by FREDRICK GRINNELL (1978), "Everyday Practice of Science: Where Intuition and Passion Meet Objectivity and Logic." Grinnell is a professor of cell biology and founder of the Program in Ethics in Science and Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
JOSEPH M. DESIMONE (1986), a chemistry professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was named 2008 Tar Heel of the Year by the Raleigh News and Observer. DeSimone also teaches chemical engineering at N.C. State University. Among his other notable achievements, he was the youngest member ever named to the National Academy of Engineering and won the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize last summer.
DON CORRELL (2000) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been awarded the distinction of fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was honored for his "long-standing recognition and distinguished contributions to science education, including communications and materials targeted toward students, teachers and the general public." Correll is director of the Institute for Laser Science Applications.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education have named MAUD W. WALSH (1992) the 2008 Louisiana Professor of the Year. Walsh, an associate professor in the School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences at Louisiana State University, was selected from nearly 300 professors in the United States. She was nominated in recognition of her excellent contributions to undergraduate education.
W. R. (BILL) KLEMM (1963) at Texas A&M University has published a book on the psychology of taking personal responsibility called "Blame Game. How to Win It." He also has a new e-book on "Core Ideas in Neuroscience." Klemm is a member of the Sigma Xi Board of Directors, representing the Southwest Region.
ASAD M. MADNI (2007), retired president and chief operating officer of BEI Technologies Inc., and currently the executive managing director and chief technical officer of Crocker Capital, was the recipient of two IEEE 2008 Region 6 Southern Area Awards. He received the Outstanding Leadership and Professional Service Award for "outstanding service to the electrical engineering profession by being a remarkable role model as an IEEE Fellow successfully leading companies and inspiring students in his corporate and academic endeavors" and the Outstanding Engineer Award for "pioneering contributions to and visionary leadership in the development and commercialization of intelligent sensors and systems for aerospace, automotive and industrial applications." He was also elected an Eminent Engineer of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society.
SCOTT KELSO (1981) has been named a Pierre de Fermat Laureate, a prestigious French honor conferred by an international panel of scientists representing the Republic of France and the University of Toulouse. Kelso, who is Florida Atlantic University's Eminent Scholar in Science and founding director of the university's Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, is one of the pioneers in the field of coordination dynamics, which has led to many applications and developments in the neural, cognitive, behavioral and social sciences. de Fermat Laureates are awarded a "chair of excellence" that provides financial support to develop international collaborative research programs with French scholars.
ALBERT A. BARTLETT (1950) at the University of Colorado at Boulder has received The Population Institute's 2008 Global Media Award for Excellence in Population Reporting for his magazine article "Why Have Scientists Succumbed to Political Correctness," published in the Teachers Clearinghouse for Science and Society Education Newsletter (Spring 2008). In the article, Bartlett expresses concern over scientists' identifying overpopulation as a cause of problems in their writings, but ignoring it in their recommendations for solving environmental problems.
Sigma Xi Life Member THOMAS F. GEORGE (1970) has received an honorary doctorate in physics from the University of Szeged in Hungary in connection with his research on laser-induced materials processes. He is chancellor and professor of chemistry and physics at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
The American Society for Microbiology has honored three Sigma Xi members. The 2009 Graduate Teaching Award has been presented to ABIGAIL A. SALYERS (1969), a professor of microbiology at the University of Illinois. Salyers was recognized for distinguished teaching of microbiology and mentoring of students at the graduate and postgraduate levels. The 2009 Roche Diagnostics Alice C. Evans Award is being presented to MILLICENT GOLDSCHMIDT (1949), a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. This award recognizes contributions toward the full participation and advancement of women in microbiology. TERRY A. KRULWICH (1968) was awarded the 2009 William A. Hinton Research and Training Award. Krulwich is a professor of pharmacology and biological chemistry and director of the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She was recognized for outstanding contributions toward fostering the research training of underrepresented minorities in microbiology.
DOUGLAS A. ROSS (1995) has been named chair of the department of surgery and clinical vice president of the surgical service line at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
MARSHA ANN DOWELL (2003) has been named senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of South Carolina Upstate.
For more news items about Sigma Xi members, visit: http://sigmaxi.org/about/news/mitn.shtml
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SIGMA XI AFFINITY PROGRAMS
Your Society offers a number of affinity programs that include stimulating opportunities for travel and reduced rates on auto insurance and car rentals, among other benefits. For more information, visit: http://www.sigmaxi.org/member/membersonly/index.shtml
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AUTOMATIC ANNUAL DUES RENEWAL
Many Sigma Xi members are opting for the convenience of automatic membership renewal. You can now have your annual dues paid automatically every year via credit card or bank draft. An e-mail notification of the dues deduction will be sent to you after your credit card or bank account has been charged. For more information, visit: http://www.sigmaxi.org/member/dues/autopay.shtml
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WHAT'S YOUR NEWS?
Let us hear from you! We always welcome your contributions to our eBlasts. development@sigmaxi.org
Interim Editor: Charles Blackburn
cblackburn@sigmaxi.org
919-547-5212, or 800-243-6534, ext. 212
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
PO Box 13975
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
www.sigmaxi.org
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