BRUCE A. FOWLER

Present Position

Chapter Affiliation

Background Information

Statement

Major Scientific Issues

Specific Issue Comments

1. Engagement, retention and motivation of all Sigma Xi members
   It is my opinion that in order to motivate current members of Sigma Xi to engage and stay with the organization, it is essential to provide them with interesting and meritorious activities to which they can relate. Sigma Xi is doing a number of these things now with sponsored tours, lectures and scholarships. It is clear that with the declining support from governmental sources, there are both opportunities and challenges for Sigma Xi to address these important activities.  In my opinion, raising funds and wisely targeting these funds to achieve goals of Sigma Xi will require an experienced working (steering) group composed of members with grant writing success for implementation.
   
   
2. Advancement of Diversity and Inclusivity
   Advancement of Diversity and Inclusivity within the Scientific Community is an important goal for any society and there are a number of models currently available from a number of societies to address this need.  Scientists are a global community and must work together as the developers and custodians of the information needed to make good societal decisions to solve increasingly complex issues.  I would propose that Sigma Xi organize a task force or committee to evaluate currently ongoing efforts by other societies and countries and determine which approaches appear to be effective and develop a plan from there. The task force might also consider reaching out to the Fulbright Association, which is a global program, to look for members who are also scientists and might be interested in working on such a project.
   
   
3. Increasing Scientific Literacy in the General Public 
   This is an essential and critical issue in which the scientific community must engage. The issue of translating complex technical and conceptual scientific information into “plain English” is more important than ever. The consequences of not  doing or poorly doing this translational effort in an effective manner so that societal decision makers understand the value of such information can be catastrophic. The current Corona virus pandemic and lack of an early major involvement of the scientific community in crafting a rapid response is a clear example.


4. Other Issues
   The scientific community must not sit back and just do research but must engage as valued members of any community with a stake in world events beyond the laboratory.