Allen Sanborn
Barry University
For distinguished accomplishments and unwavering service to Sigma Xi, excellence in research, dedication to mentoring future generations, and outstanding contributions to advancing science and scientific literacy.
Quote
"I was elected as an associate member of Sigma Xi during the first year of my doctoral program. I had the opportunity to be part of a research expedition to South America the following year and applied for a Grant in Aid of Research to help fund the expedition. I was fortunate enough to be awarded a GIAR which completed the funding needed to support me as a part of the expedition. The GIAR not only permitted me to stay for an extended period performing research, but more importantly, gave me a sense of confidence that my research was important and interesting to more than those of us in our lab. There were very few individuals studying comparative physiology at the time and we often felt that our work was not seen to be as important as the medically oriented studies performed in most of the departmental laboratories. Having Sigma Xi consider the project to be worthy of financial support was something that made a significant and lasting impact on a young researcher. I was able to collect data that would be the basis of several chapters of my dissertation and ultimately these data would be incorporated into multiple papers. I cannot overstate how important the GIAR award was to me as a beginning researcher.
I was promoted to full member status after graduation and began my faculty position at Barry University. Since Barry University did not have a chapter on campus at the time, there were a number of faculty who affiliated with a nearby chapter. We attended meetings and nominated students and faculty for membership in an effort to maintain our activity in the society. After several years, I was asked by our Dean, another staunch supporter of Sigma Xi, to petition for the establishment of a Barry University Chapter so that we could serve the local community more efficiently. I gladly took on the responsibility because of the impact the society had on me and my development as a scientist. I was hoping to be able to influence our students in a similar manner while simultaneously increasing faculty participation in the society.
The petition for a new chapter was approved, a new chapter installed, and we have inducted almost 200 members into the Barry University chapter. Students have been recognized for their research potential and faculty have been recognized for their research accomplishments. I have remained active in our chapter since before its inception as a way to repay Sigma Xi for what they did for me as a graduate student. I was grateful for the support Sigma Xi showed for my research and I hope that I have been able to help students in a similar manner. I felt that giving recognition to these future researchers is an important way I could help encourage them to continue in a research career."
Biography
Allen F. Sanborn is Professor Emeritus of Biology at Barry University having just retired after 31 years of service to the university. He has had additional appointments at the Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco and the University of Arizona during his tenure at Barry University and has been a Research Associate with the Florida State Collection of Arthropods for more than 20 years.
Sanborn received bachelor's and master's degrees in biology, as well as a PhD in physiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research began as studies of the influence of temperature on the acoustic abilities of cicadas. His research has since expanded to include investigations of thermoregulation, thermal adaptation, bioacoustics, biodiversity, biogeography, ecology, ethology, and taxonomy and systematics with an occasional publication on educational methods. The primary focus recently has shifted to taxonomy with Sanborn describing more than 270 cicada taxa. Cicadas were the primary animal system used in the research program, but he has published on the thermal biology of ratites and guanacos as well. Research activities led to the publication of five books, 10 monographs, 15 book chapters, 150 peer-reviewed papers and seven websites with co-authors from more than 20 countries represented. His research twice earned him the Sr. Jeanne O’Laughlin Scholar Award from the Barry University.
He mentored 45 undergraduate students and two high school students in various research projects with 20 of these students co-authoring a peer-reviewed paper. At least five Ph.D.’s, 16 medical doctorates, and 12 master’s degrees have been earned by these students. He helped mentor honors program students at Barry and graduate students in Argentina, Algeria, and Colombia. He was also active encouraging students as a science fair judge for 11 years at the South Florida Regional Science Fair and at the Barry University STEM Symposium where the local Sigma Xi chapter presents an award for the best presentation.
Sanborn provided service as a subject editor for Zootaxa, ZooKeys, and Megataxa. He has been on the editorial boards of two journals and has reviewed papers for 75 journals. He was a frequent media contact primarily for questions dealing with cicadas and insect sounds.
He was a dedicated teacher twice earning the Award for Excellence in Teaching as a graduate teaching assistant and he was selected to four different editions of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers by his students at Barry University. He taught 24 different courses, was active in curriculum development at the department and university levels and worked with the Dade County Public Schools in the implementation of their NSF Grant to develop math and science standards. He was selected twice as the Outstanding Faculty Member at Barry University for teaching, research and campus leadership.
He was a member of ten other societies during his professional career. While volunteering for a few committee assignments in these organizations over the years, he dedicated most of his time and energy to serving Sigma Xi in order to make a difference in the lives of young scientists as the society did for him.
He was elected as an associate member of Sigma Xi in 1985 at the University of Illinois during his first year of his doctoral program and was promoted to full member status in 1990. He petitioned for the establishment of the Barry University Chapter in 1998, acted as the Chair of the Installation Committee and served as the first chapter president. He continued as Chair of the Membership and Qualifications Committee since the chapter began (23 years) and has served as an Executive Committee member for three years.
He is grateful for the honor of becoming a Sigma Xi Fellow. He sincerely thanks the committee for awarding the honor, Gregory Florant, Stephanie Bingham, Polly Phillips and the members of the Barry University chapter for their nomination.