Oxford University Press has just published a new book by Fredrick Grinnell (SX 1978), Everyday Practice of Science: Where Intuition and Passion Meet Objectivity and Logic. Grinnell is a professor of cell biology and founder of the Program in Ethics in Science and Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Sigma Xi Members in the News for December 2008

Joseph M. DeSimone (SX 1986), a chemistry professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was named 2008 Tar Heel of the Year by the Raleigh News and Observer. DeSimone also teaches chemical engineering at N.C. State University. Among his other notable achievements, he was the youngest member ever named to the National Academy of Engineering and won the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize last summer.

Don Correll (SX 2000) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been awarded the distinction of fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was honored for his "long-standing recognition and distinguished contributions to science education, including communications and materials targeted toward students, teachers and the general public." Correll is director of the Institute for Laser Science Applications.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education have named Maud W. Walsh (SX 1992) the 2008 Louisiana Professor of the Year. Walsh, an associate professor in the School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences at Louisiana State University, was selected from nearly 300 professors in the United States. She was nominated in recognition of her excellent contributions to undergraduate education.

W. R. (Bill) Klemm (SX 1963) at Texas A&M University has published a book on the psychology of taking personal responsibility called Blame Game. How to Win It. He also has a new e-book on Core Ideas in Neuroscience. Klemm is a member of the Sigma Xi Board of Directors, representing the Southwest Region.

Asad M. Madni (SX 2007), retired president and chief operating officer of BEI Technologies Inc., and currently the executive managing director and chief technical officer of Crocker Capital, was the recipient of two IEEE 2008 Region 6 Southern Area Awards. He received the Outstanding Leadership and Professional Service Award for "outstanding service to the electrical engineering profession by being a remarkable role model as an IEEE Fellow successfully leading companies and inspiring students in his corporate and academic endeavors" and the Outstanding Engineer Award for "pioneering contributions to and visionary leadership in the development and commercialization of intelligent sensors and systems for aerospace, automotive and industrial applications." He was also elected an Eminent Engineer of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society.

Scott Kelso (SX 1981) has been named a Pierre de Fermat Laureate, a prestigious French honor conferred by an international panel of scientists representing the Republic of France and the University of Toulouse. Kelso, who is Florida Atlantic University’s Eminent Scholar in Science and founding director of the university’s Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, is one of the pioneers in the field of coordination dynamics, which has led to many applications and developments in the neural, cognitive, behavioral and social sciences. de Fermat Laureates are awarded a "chair of excellence" that provides financial support to develop international collaborative research programs with French scholars.

Albert A. Bartlett (SX 1950) at the University of Colorado at Boulder has received The Population Institute's 2008 Global Media Award for Excellence in Population Reporting for his magaine article "Why Have Scientists Succumbed to Political Correctness," published in the Teachers Clearinghouse for Science and Society Education Newsletter (Spring 2008). In the article, Bartlett expresses concern over scientists' identifying overpopulation as a cause of problems in their writings, but ignoring it in their recommendations for solving environmental problems.

Sigma Xi Life Member Thomas F. George (SX 1970) has received an honorary doctorate in physics from the University of Szeged in Hungary in connection with his research on laser-induced materials processes. He is chancellor and professor of chemistry and physics at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The American Society for Microbiology has honored three Sigma Xi members. The 2009 Graduate Teaching Award has been presented to Abigail A. Salyers (SX 1969), a professor of microbiology at the University of Illinois. Salyers was recognized for distinguished teaching of microbiology and mentoring of students at the graduate and postgraduate levels. The 2009 Roche Diagnostics Alice C. Evans Award is being presented to Millicent Goldschmidt (SX 1949), a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. This award recognizes contributions toward the full participation and advancement of women in microbiology. Terry A. Krulwich (SX 1968) was awarded the 2009 William A. Hinton Research and Training Award. Krulwich is a professor of pharmacology and biological chemistry and director of the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She was recognized for outstanding contributions toward fostering the research training of underrepresented minorities in microbiology.

Douglas A. Ross (SX 1995) has been named chairperson of the department of surgery and clinical vice president of the surgical service line at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Marsha Ann Dowell (SX 2003) has been named senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of South Carolina Upstate.

Sigma Xi Members in the News for November 2008

Dean Ho (SX 2004) in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University has been named editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation.

R. Samuel Baty (SX 1971) has written a World War II historical thriller titled Footsteps to Forever that has just been published by iuniverse. Footsteps is a story filled with suspense, romance and danger. In 1941, two American lieutenants, a young man and woman, are sent by President Roosevelt to Norway to rescue a renowned atomic physicist from behind German lines. An engineer by profession, Baty is a retired U. S. Air Force officer and a retired chief scientist. He lives in Albuquerque with his wife, Linda.

Three Sigma Xi members received 2008 Medical Alumni Awards from the University of Kentucky. Paul Mandelstam (SX 1956) received the Honorary Alumnus Award in recognition of his 34 years of service on the UK College of Medicine faculty. Allan Tasman (SX 1992) received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in recognition of his work in improving psychiatric care internationally. Phillip Tibbs (SX 1984) also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in recognition of his research on metastatic cancer of the brain and spine. Tibbs is professor and chair of UK's Department of Neurosurgery and also professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Dennis Folds (SX 1985) was recently named chief scientist of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). In his new position as chief scientist, Folds will meet with current and prospective customers and oversee GTRI's independent research and development program, which fosters exploration and accelerates entry into new research areas. Folds has more than 25 years of experience in research and development related to human factors engineering.

Sigma Xi Members in the News for October 2008

Marine ecologist Sonia Ortega (SX 1985), program director in the Division of Graduate Education at the National Science Foundation, received a Distinguished Professional Mentor Award from the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) at its recent meeting.

Two Sigma Xi members from Japan were among those to receive 2008 Nobel Prizes. Makoto Kobayashi (SX 1965) shared the prize in physics "for the discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature." And Osamu Shimomura (SX 1963) shared the chemistry prize "for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP," which is being used to illuminate various biological pathways, from neural circuits to cancer.

Immanuel J. Wilk (SX 1948) of Menlo Park, California, has been appointed senior scientist by the Neohydro Technologies Corporation, where he will be in charge of the company's research and development in all waste-water treatment applications.

James E. Hollenbeck (SX 1996), associate professor and coordinator of secondary science education at Indiana University and Southeast ISTEM-IUS project director, is currently serving a Fulbright Fellowship to Bulgaria at the Sofia University St. Kliment Orhidski in the faculty of chemistry and British and American studies. He is teaching science, technology and society and science in literature and also conducting research on the integration of constructivist teaching methodology in secondary science classrooms in Bulgaria.

Robert M. Hazen (SX 1970) at George Mason University will receive the 2009 Distinguished Public Service Medal from the Mineralogical Society of America in recognition of his achievements as a scientist and his dedication to science and public service.

Dipanjan Pan (SX 2008), research instructor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, recently received a four-year, $308,000 Scientist Development Grant from American Heart Association to study detection and quantification of ruptured plaque with fibrin-specific contrast agents and CT based molecular imaging technique.

Karin S. Pfennig (1997), a biologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has received a $1.5 million New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health. An assistant professor of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, Pfennig will use the award to fund experimental research in understanding how individuals’ health status and external environment influence their behavior.

Yong Shi (SX 2002) in the Schaefer School of Engineering & Science at Stevens Institute of Technology has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation for a project titled “MEMS Umbrella-Shaped Actuator with Active Structure for Medical Applications.”

Sigma Xi Members in the News for September 2008

Four Sigma Xi members were among those to receive 2008 awards from the Entomological Society of America. Tiffany M. Heng-Moss (SX 1996) won the Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching. Consuelo M. De Moraes (SX 1996) won the Early Career Innovation Award. David R. Coyle (SX 2003) won the Student Activity Award. And Preston Brown (SX 2007) won the Student Certification Award.

Four Sigma Xi members were among the 25 MacArthur fellows announced September 23 by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation:

Andrea Ghez (SX 2000) is a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California at Los Angeles. Her work has opened important windows of galactic observation by overcoming previous limitations of ground-based instruments.

John Ochsendorf (SX 1998) is an associate professor of architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a structural engineer and architectural historian who works to preserve historic structures and to reinterpret ancient technologies for contemporary use.

Adam Riess (SX 1992) is a professor of physics and astronomy at the Johns Hopkins University. His observations are taking us to the edge of the universe, telling the story of both its beginning and its end.

Marin Soljacic (SX 1997) is an assistant professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His work on several aspects of electromagnetic waves holds implications for understanding fundamental principles of optical physics and for developing devices like switches for optical computers and wireless power transmitters.

The MacArthur Fellows Program awards unrestricted fellowships to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.

Grace Ann Spatafora (SX 1982) in the Department of Biology at Middlebury College has been elected to the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering.

Stephen Henderson Scheck (SX 1979), dean of liberal arts and sciences at Western Oregon University, will receive an alumni achievement award from the Fort Hays State University Alumni Association for his outstanding, unselfish contributions in service to the community both through his career and through philanthropy.

Robert Boily (SX 2005) has been invested as a Knight of the Order of the Pleiade by the Parliamentary Assembly of French-Speaking Nations, an international institution representing more than 40 countries and regions. The official presentation ceremony was held July 5, 2008 at the Frontenac Castle, in Quebec City, in the presence of dignitaries from Canada, the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia. The honor was given for distinguished contributions to the development of a scientific culture in the society. Later this fall, Boily will receive Sigma Xi's 2008 John P. McGovern Science and Society Award at the Society's annual meeting.

Marten denBoer (SX 1982) has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cal Poly Pomona (formally California State Polytechnic University Pomona).

Peter Salovey (SX 1985) has been named provost of Yale University effective October 1.

Sigma Xi Members in the News for August 2008

William A. Tramontano (SX 1979) has been named Brooklyn College’s new provost and vice-president for academic affairs.

William "Bud" Baeslack (SX 1999) has been appointed provost at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He currently serves as dean of engineering at Ohio State University.

Allen Sessoms (SX 1968) has been named president of the University of the District of Columbia. He currently serves as the president of Delaware State University.

Jan Yarrison-Rice (SX 1991), professor of physics, has been named Miami University's Sigma Xi Researcher of the Year for 2008. Her research focuses on the physics of nanostructures, investigating the fabrication and optical characterization of nanostructures and devices.

Michael P. Toglia (SX 1977) will retire August 31 after 30 years on the faculty of SUNY Cortland. He is considered to be at the forefront of research in the fields of human cognition and information processing. Toglia will earn the designation of professor emeritus of psychology. He plans to move to Jacksonville, Florida, where he will chair the Psychology Department at the University of North Florida.

Jeffrey Scott Vitter (SX 1983) has been named provost and executive vice president for academics at Texas A&M University.

Sigma Xi Members in the News for July 2008

Robotic pioneer Yoky Matsuoka (SX 2001) at the University of Washington in Seattle was the subject of a recent NOVA episode on public television. She is a leading researcher in neurobotics, an emerging field that combines neuroscience with building robots. Her lab is working to develop advanced artificial hands and other body parts that will one day use signals directly from the brain to enhance the motor skills of those who have suffered amputation, spinal cord damage and other traumatic injuries.

In the July/August issue of the Columbia Journalism Review, veteran science reporter Cristine Russell (SX 1987) lays out a strategy for deciphering the exceedingly complex subject of global climate change, in terms of what is happening, what will happen and what to do about it. Her feature is accompanied by a Web-only sidebar with links to "all the climate sites journalists need to know."

Christopher John Rourk (SX 1992) has been elected president of the Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth. It's mission is to strengthen U.S.-Japan relations and encourage international understanding in the region.

Wanqiu Hou (SX 2007) in the Deptartment of Microbiology-Immunology at Northwestern University has been recognized by the Cambridge Who's Who Executive, Professional and Entrepreneurial Registry for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in all aspects of scientific research.

Stephen H. Cobb (SX 1988) has been named dean of the College of Science, Engineering & Technology at Murray State University.

Members in the News for April-June 2008

Members in the News for January-March 2008

Members in the News for October-December 2007

Members in the News for August/September 2007

Members in the News for June/July 2007

Members in the News for May 2007

Send items for Sigma Xi Members in the News to Charles Blackburn at cblackburn@sigmaxi.org

Find Out More About Becoming A Sigma Xi Member

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3106 East NC Highway 54
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Phone: 800-243-6534 or 919-549-4691
Fax: 919-549-0090

 
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