JENNIFER PATTERSON

Present Position

Chapter Affiliation

Background Information

Statement

Current events have highlighted the importance of scientific research as well as education at all levels, the necessity for a scientifically literate general public, and the need to promote and encourage diversity and inclusion. Sigma Xi, as an honor society broadly addressing scientific research, is well positioned to address these issues. The Society’s strategic plan for 2020-2025, which focuses on advancing STEM education, promoting scientific leadership, cultivating a diverse and inclusive community, and demonstrating administrative excellence along with fiscal responsiveness, already provides a framework. To help to realize this vision, I would be honored to serve as Director for the Canadian/International Constituency of Sigma Xi, just as I was honored to be nominated for membership in 1998 as an undergraduate student at Princeton University and to receive a Grant in Aid of Research while a graduate student at the University of Washington. 

During the last 13 years, while living in Europe, I have maintained an active involvement in the Society by serving on the Committee on Nominations and as a remote judge for several of the student symposia as well as by attending chapter meetings in Switzerland. Earlier this year, I was disappointed to hear that the Swiss chapter, one of very few outside North America, was dissolving, in part because of the difficulty of complying with the bylaws of the Society. 

If elected, I would be particularly interested to develop new approaches to engage members and strengthen local connections, especially for those who live outside the USA. Finally, as education and mentorship of students are passions of mine, I would also like to help Sigma Xi to explore creative ways to support students in learning how to conduct and communicate about research, especially in the short term when many universities and laboratories are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.