Bradley J. Swanson

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Central Michigan

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The world is experiencing a perilous moment in history, where the value of scientific evidence is discounted in the face of anecdotes and lies. While a healthy skepticism is a virtue in science, skepticism can turn virulent when it is motivated by politics rather than theories and data. The speed with which the public lost trust in science is highlighted by the change in tone of two reports from Pew. In November of 2023 Pew published “Americans’ Trust in Scientists, Positive View of Science Continue to Decline”. In contrast, in February of 2024, the National Science Board indicated that trust in science remains high, but engagement by the general public is low. Sigma Xi is positioned to take a more active role in working to stem this distrust in science and scientists as evidenced by addressing the in a previous issue of American Scientist. One of my goals, if elected will be to help Sigma Xi expands its outreach and education efforts to the general public regarding how science works and the power of the scientific methods.
A second goal will be to increase the membership and diversity of Sigma Xi. The lifeblood of any fee-based membership institution is recruitment and retention. If elected, I would like to develop an incentive plan to encourage members to nominate new members. Sigma Xi members already believe in the institution, so we should not have difficulty in getting them to nominate new members. An incentive for nomination would be recognition awards for helping build membership and diversity. Additionally, to encourage diversity, I would encourage waiving fees for first time members from underrepresented groups. I have supported this at a personal level by covering the initiation cost of all students I nominate.

Bradley J. Swanson

Chapter Affiliation

Background Information

Statement

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