Audeen W. Fentiman

Present Position

Crowley Family Professor in Engineering Education at Purdue University as well as courtesy appointments in the School of Nuclear Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering

Chapter Affiliation

Purdue University

Background Information

CV
Biosketch

Statement

Scientific research done by the 100,000 Sigma Xi members and their colleagues impacts the quality of human life around the globe—not to mention the health of the planet itself. More effectively addressing the challenges human society faces requires two related changes: (1) more research and (2) more people (teachers, students, parents, voters, and leaders and policy makers at all levels) becoming aware of and recognizing the importance of the research. Sigma Xi is well positioned to be central to both of those endeavors through an active partnership between its national leaders and the 500 local chapters. I am committed to working with Sigma Xi chapters and members to take significant strides toward those changes. How do we accomplish that? First, we interest more students in science. Every Sigma Xi member has an opportunity to encourage young people to pursue a career in scientific research, and many are already doing that—through judging at science fairs, speaking at their local schools, STEM outreach and STEM education programs, mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, and nominating junior colleagues for Sigma Xi membership. 

How can we be more effective? Every generation of students is different—different shared backgrounds, different preferred communication methods, different commitment to change. We need to meet the students “where they are”. Our messages and the media through which we deliver them must be matched to the audience. Some of our members are well-attuned to the current generation of pre-college students. The national organization can not only encourage more Sigma Xi members to be active in recruiting researchers but also assure that best practices, including specific messages and media, are available to all members. How do we make more people aware of scientific research being done and its importance? Sigma Xi has programs to bring science to the public—Science Cafes, Nerd Nite, and a partnership with the Citizen Science Alliance, to name a few, and local chapters have their own communication programs.  

In addition, we can make the public aware of the work our own members are doing through short communications, in a variety of media, that describe the research in simple terms and explain why it is important. Sigma Xi has many stars whose work would be of great interest to the public. Almost every university has a communications office prepared to help publicize research, and the Sigma Xi national organization can provide examples that have been well received. Of equal importance is participation of Sigma Xi members on local, state, and national advisory or policy-making boards. Sigma Xi national and chapter leaders can work together to nominate willing Sigma Xi members for those boards where their voices can be heard. In short, Sigma Xi and its 100,000 members around the globe can be a powerful force in promoting scientific research and its use in addressing the many challenges facing society today. I would be honored to work with the members of Sigma Xi in pursuit of that goal.

An Interview with Dr. Fentiman

If elected president, what would be your goals, particularly concerning membership, fiscal growth, and policy for Sigma Xi’s future?

My goals for membership would be to recruit new members, retain those members, and re-engage with members who have left. Some specifics:

• Recruitment. It is an honor to become a member of Sigma Xi; few who are invited will decline. The key is to encourage current members to nominate new members, including those from groups typically underrepresented in science and engineering.

• Retention. To retain new members, we must make belonging to Sigma Xi more valuable to early-career researchers. Examples include making employers aware of the prestige of Sigma Xi so they will value employees who are members and emphasizing professional development opportunities within Sigma Xi.

• Re-engagement. Those who have left Sigma Xi and built successful careers will need a reason to come back. One way for Sigma Xi to re-engage them is to provide a set of well-coordinated programs that make it easy for researchers to contribute to society in a way that is meaningful to them.

Some fiscal growth, resulting from more dues, larger meetings, and more donations, will follow directly from growth in membership. In addition, I would seek funding through grants or contracts for development of programs that can both serve the sponsor and increase the value of Sigma Xi to its members.  

As for policy, it would be my goal to position Sigma Xi as an advocate for scientific research and as a widely recognized and respected source of researchers who can provide technical information to policy-making bodies in a form that is useful to them.

Tell us about your most relevant leadership experience.

My most relevant leadership experience is with the American Nuclear Society (ANS). I served on the Board of Directors for four years, chaired three different national committees—Planning (twice), Local Sections, and Public Policy—served on several other national committees including Finance, chaired a special technical committee that prepared a report for the policy makers on nuclear fuel management options, and testified before the U.S. Department of Energy’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future on behalf of ANS.  

The ANS Board of Directors plays a very active role in the financial affairs of the society, oversight of the standing committees and professional divisions, review and approval of proposed programs for members, and establishing policies for the organization.  
As chair of the Planning Committee, I led the effort to develop and implement the organization’s strategic plan, including defining and monitoring the contributions of each unit of the society. Chairing the Local Sections Committee gave me an opportunity to lead an effort to develop and implement programs to revitalize local sections. The Public Policy Committee prepared and planned distribution of informational statements, designed primarily for a non-technical audience, on topics related to nuclear science and technology.  

I have also held leadership positions in both Sigma Xi (Chair of the Ohio State University Chapter) and the American Society for Engineering Education (Chair of the Environmental Engineering Division and the Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Division). 

What is the most significant issue within Sigma Xi that you would exert time and effort to address? 

If I am fortunate enough to be selected as president-elect of Sigma Xi, I propose to spend my time working with the Sigma Xi membership, leaders, and staff to develop and implement a plan to increase the value of Sigma Xi to its members and society at large. The result of this effort will be growing Sigma Xi, raising its visibility and reputation, and positioning Sigma Xi to help re-establish the public’s respect for scientific research and their understanding of its importance. This must be a coordinated, multi-pronged effort. While Sigma Xi members and other stakeholders will contribute to the final plan, some components I propose are:

• Increase membership by recruiting new members from a wide range of disciplines, retaining current members, and re-engaging past members,

• Obtain external funding to develop a suite of programs that provide opportunities for Sigma Xi members who are interested to engage with students, teachers, or the public, using their expertise and passion for research to broaden understanding of the importance of scientific inquiry.

• Identify a group of Sigma Xi members interested in dealing with the media, policy makers, and employers and carry out a coordinated effort to make those audiences aware of the importance of research to society.

• Position Sigma Xi as the place to go for scientific expertise and clear, unbiased, and easy-to-understand presentations of scientific information. American Scientist  can be a valuable vehicle for this effort.

• Coordinate Sigma Xi’s efforts with other multidisciplinary scientific organizations such as AAAS.

What particular personal qualities do you possess that might help convince members to vote for you?

People who know me would probably answer that question by saying “She knows how to build a team that gets things done.”  That includes (1) articulating a vision for an organization, (2) working with members and external stakeholders to flesh out the vision and build consensus around it, (3) collaborating with members and stakeholders to develop a detailed plan to make the vision a reality while helping each participating group to define its role in the overall effort, and (4) successfully implementing the plan.

I have had a chance to hone that skill in a number of different settings in addition to the work with the American Nuclear Society mentioned earlier. One example is leading the team that redesigned the first year engineering program at Ohio State University, converting it to a student-centered, hands-on, team-oriented program that contributed to significantly increased retention of engineering students through graduation. Another is developing and implementing a plan for coordination of the regional campuses of Purdue University.

Some personal qualities that contribute to my ability to build teams that get things done are:

• Respecting others’ skills, knowledge, experience, and perspectives, and sincerely appreciating the contributions they make,

• Listening carefully (including asking for input from those who may be hesitant to speak up) and synthesizing what I hear to propose a plan of action that the group can agree on,

• Being highly motivated to complete any task I take on, persistent, gently persuasive, and extremely energetic, and

• Characterized by others as sensible, trustworthy, and calm.