February 25, 2022

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Jason Papagan
Manager of Communications
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society
jpapagan@sigmaxi.org

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC—Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society announces the establishment of the inaugural Linda H. Mantel Next Generation Women’s Leadership Award. The new award will celebrate Dr. Mantel’s legacy of service, generosity, and leadership within Sigma Xi and the research enterprise. Presented to a Sigma Xi member who identifies as a woman, the award will recognize outstanding service and leadership potential of an early career scholar/researcher. The biennial prize consists of a commemorative certificate, a $2,500 honorarium for use towards a leadership or professional development training opportunity, and a lifetime subscription to American Scientist magazine. Recipients will be publicly recognized and presented the award at the International Forum on Research Excellence (IFoRE). 

Eligible member nominees must be within ten years of receiving their doctorate, have a minimum of three years of active membership, and demonstrate service and/or leadership in Sigma Xi or the scientific community. Interested members can visit sigmaxi.org/awards to learn more and nominate candidates. Deadline to submit nominations is April 30, 2022.

About Linda H. Mantel

Linda H. Mantel  has been a Sigma Xi member since 1964. She spent 25 years at City College of the City University of New York, as a faculty member, chair of the Department of Biology, and assistant provost for Research and Graduate Studies. During this time she was a research associate in the Department of Invertebrates at the American Museum of Natural History. She has served as dean of the faculty and professor of biology at Reed College, as interim vice-president for Academic Administration at Willamette University, as assistant vice-president for Technology Services at the University of Portland, and as associate research professor at Portland State University. 

Following her official retirement in 2002, Mantel joined the board of the multi-institutional Columbia-Willamette Chapter of Sigma Xi, where she served as secretary from 2004-2008, and completed 10 years as president. The chapter has won three awards for Excellence and Programs in the last eight years. Mantel joined the Sigma Xi Board as a member of the Diversity Committee in 2003, and was active as a chapter delegate to both the Northwest Region and the Multi-institutional (MI) Constituency. In 2009, Mantel was elected director of the Northwest Region and served two terms, until 2015. 

Perhaps Mantel's most significant contribution as Northwest Region director was establishing the links between the AAAS Pacific Division (AAAS PD) and the Northwest and Southwest regions of Sigma Xi and becoming part of the AAAS PD's Annual Meeting in June. This linkage of Sigma Xi and AAAS PD provides value to both organizations, and in particular to students, who have the opportunity to present their work in two different Sigma Xi venues per year. In addition, she has worked with Sigma Xi staff to strengthen connections with the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and served as a judge for Sigma Xi's awards at the fair.

Mantel continues to exemplify leadership through the establishment of this award and her ongoing support of Sigma Xi.