EMMA S. PERRY

Membership-at-Large

Background Information

CV
Biography

Statement

Early in my graduate career I won two chapter grants from Sigma Xi each of which moved my research forwards at a time when I really needed the encouragement. Shortly after I earned my doctorate and started my career at Unity College, I received a phone call out of the blue inviting me to read grants for the Sigma Xi’s Grant’s in Aid of Research program. I found the experience so rewarding I immediately joined Sigma Xi and have been reading grants ever since. I have even served of Chair for the GIAR program for six years and remained as reader since. I have found great reward in fostering the scientific enterprise both within and without Sigma Xi and hope to continue to do so for many years.

My efforts in the Membership at Large Constituency will continue to focus on representing the constituency as a whole, working on ways to communicate and foster the scientific enterprise. I have spent the last few years as Director learning the ropes, and frankly just trying to navigate through the pandemic both professionally and with the society.

I will continue to represent us all to the best of my ability. I have just stepped down as the Chair of the Committee on Qualifications and Membership for Sigma Xi, am a past Chair of the Grants in Aid of Research Committee and am a long time member of GIAR. Throughout, I have been a Member at Large. If elected.

Biographical Information: I was born and educated through my undergraduate degree in Zoology in Britain. Then emigrated to the US for my PhD in 1990. I have lived in this country first as a graduate student in Florida, then as a Professor in Maine for more than twenty-five years. At a small institution such as mine I was of necessity involved in governance at many levels throughout my time there. I led our faculty for five years as moderator, I designed and created successful undergraduate majors including Marine Biology, and gained our first provisional approval from the state with the creation of their first teaching certification (Life Sciences). I also built their coral wetlab from scratch to a successful facility. While I started out as a physiologist, I retrained as a systematist and tardigradologist. Studying tardigrades allows me to work with undergraduate students on fundamental research. I use tardigrades to teach them how to think, how to question like a scientist and then how to address the questions they pose. 

When the pandemic hit, our campus was closed and all faculty were laid off. I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to take on the management and leadership of the Electron Microscope Facility at the University of Maine. Here I have taken on the maintenance and (re)building of electron microscopes (SEM and TEM), confocal and light microscopes. I now work with students to develop optimal EM protocols and train them to work with our machines. I collaborate with faculty and students from several disciplines including material sciences, biomedical engineering and of course biology. Although this has been an unanticipated change in my career, I feel it helps me in my job as Director as we are such a multidisciplinary society.  I look forwards to serving you for a second term if you so choose.