October 29, 2021

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society is pleased to announce that Honorary Membership in the Society will be awarded to Andrew Revkin and Juliet Eilperin in recognition of their work covering the impact of climate change and federal environmental policies. The presentation of honorary membership will be made at the Society's virtual Annual Meeting and Student Research Conference on Saturday, November 6, at 5:00 p.m. ET. 

Andrew Revkin is one of America’s most honored, experienced, and innovative journalists focused on environmental and human sustainability. In 2019, he became the founding director of the Initiative on Communication and Sustainability at Columbia University's Earth Institute. In that role, he builds programs, tools, and collaborations aimed at bridging gaps between science and society to cut climate risk and spread social and ecological resilience. Revkin has written on global environmental change and risk for more than 35 years, mostly for the New York Times, reporting from the North Pole to the White House, the Amazon rain forest to the Vatican.  

A Pulitzer Prize winner, Juliet Eilperin is the deputy climate and environment editor for the Washington Post. For four years, she served as senior national affairs correspondent, covering federal environmental policy and the agencies that oversee it. Eilperin has worked for The Post since 1998, where she served in different roles: as The Post’s White House bureau chief, national environmental reporter, and House of Representatives correspondent. Juliet is the author of two books, “Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks” and “Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives.”

“Andrew’s and Juliet’s work has been critical to raising awareness about the growing threat of climate change and overall care for the planet," said Jamie Vernon, Executive Director and CEO of Sigma Xi. "We are grateful to have this opportunity to highlight their contributions to this field of journalism and science.” 

Since 1983, the Sigma Xi Board of Directors has awarded lifetime Honorary Membership to distinguished individuals who have served science or the Society in exceptional ways but have not otherwise been previously eligible for membership. Past recipients include Miles O’Brien (2015), Claudia Dreifus (2006), Ira Flatow (2005), and Al Gore (1994).