Chapters of Excellence 1997-1998 Awards
Certificates of Excellence are awarded to chapters for overall outstanding activities during the past fiscal year. The activities highlighted below are among a wide range in which these chapters participated.
Centers for Disease Control for their lecture/seminar series and an innovative "Women in Science" program that featured speakers from the U.S., Australia, Vietnam, Kenya, Brazil, India and Russia. The chapter also presented several awards, including its Sigma Xi-Walter R. Dowdle Award for Achievement.
Clemson University for promoting research at all educational levels, through presentations at local schools, undergraduate and graduate symposiums and awards to students and teachers. The chapter is also involved in an innovative high school research grants program that made awards to 33 students.
Ford Motor Company for their innovative Saturday morning high school program that included a talk and a number of demonstrations for about 200 local students and their teachers, and for a strong public lecture series on topics of broad interest, from the space station Mir to the evolution of technology.
Howard University for an array of activities, including a four-day symposium on "The Genetics of Disease," participation in the Congressional Visits Day, awards to faculty and students, an intensive summer workshop for middle school teachers, minority mentoring and outreach presentations in local schools.
Mississippi State University for outstanding participation by chapter members as expert sources for the local and statewide news media, a monthly Sigma Xi Speaker Series and co-sponsorship of a special panel discussion on "Reforming Undergraduate Science Education," among other activities.
South Dakota State University for a strong, balanced program that included organizing a regional science and engineering fair for about 300 elementary and high school students. Chapter members also worked with teachers and students as mentors and sponsored graduate research paper awards.
Southern Illinois at Carbondale for inaugurating an annual research poster conference that has grown in seven years into a campus-wide Research Day. The chapter also honored student and faculty researchers and sponsored or co-sponsored a diverse public lecture series featuring seven distinguished speakers.
Texas A&M University for support of high school science fairs, promotion of science and a symposium on "Developing Student-Based Research Programs" that included panels discussions and plenary talks. The chapter also presented awards to outstanding researchers and teachers.
Tifton for an impressive weekly seminar series in which more than 40 speakers made presentations on individual research projects, educational issues and other topics. Among other chapter activities, 36 members served as judges for the Abraham Baldwin College District Science Fair.
Vermont University for their efforts in combining Sigma Xi chapters at the University of Vermont, Norwich University, St. Michael's College and Middlebury College into a strong statewide program. The chapter also sponsored research seminars, student competitions and other activities.