The following is a guest blog post from Dr. Allison C. Augustus-Wallace, the associate director of Sigma Xi's Research and Doctoral University Constituency Group.
Learning that I had been nominated for membership into Sigma Xi was and remains one of the most joyous moments of my twenty-five-plus year professional career. I remember sharing the news with my husband that evening and erupting into an emotion of exhilaration, similar to the emotion that I experienced when I successfully defended my dissertation. Since my Sigma Xi induction, the opportunities to serve our Society beyond membership alone have been numerous. As important for me, membership has meant and continues to mean active participation in ongoing opportunities to contribute to the growth and well-being of our organization, which includes receptivity for my ideas in various areas.
For example, relatively earlier in my membership, my professional experience, energy, and commitment to contribute actively to Sigma Xi and the Research and
Doctoral University Constituency Group were identified. As a result, when the need for replacement in leadership arose, I was appointed and therefore, afforded the opportunity to serve as an Associate Director for our Research and Doctoral University Constituency Group. As a result of my desire to continue this contribution to Sigma Xi, I decided to run for election to this role. Excitedly and humbly, I was elected to this position in November 2021, and will serve a three-year term which begins July 2022.
Additionally, I am engaged with local Sigma Xi members to re-constitute our local Sigma Xi Chapters in south Louisiana, and I serve as a member of the newly created planning committee for our new annual conference, the International Forum on Research Excellence (IFoRE). As a biochemist-molecular biologist and an Associate-Professor-Research/faculty-administrator who works to create greater educational access and equitable inclusivity for historically excluded and marginalized groups at my beloved institution, my roles with Sigma Xi have afforded me the opportunity to expand my contributions in this area outside of my institution. In turn, my roles with Sigma Xi, as well as my experience from active memberships with other professional organizations, benefits Sigma Xi, as well as my institution. Therefore, I encourage you strongly to
consider the pursuit of the various opportunities to serve Sigma Xi, to benefit our organization and its members, as well as to promote growth, both professionally and personally.
Won’t you nominate someone today for vacancies for the July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2026 term? Active, full members of Sigma Xi are eligible for office. An inactive member may become active at any time through payment of current dues. Please visit the 2022 Sigma Xi Elections page to learn more about open leadership positions and the duties and responsibilities for each.
You can view our Strategic Plan and Annual Report to learn more about what your Society is doing. The deadline to submit nominations for the President-elect position is March 30, 2022 and all other nominations by June 30, 2022. Nominations should be sent to elections@sigmaxi.org.
Sincerely,
Allison C. Augustus-Wallace, PhD, MS, MNS, DEIC
Associate Director
Research and Doctoral University Constituency Group