Thank you for following along with the fourth year of Sigma Xi's Nobel Prize prediction contest, October Madness! This is the third year that a nominee on our brackets won a prize. It was James P. Allison who, along with Tasuku Honjo, won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Both Allison and Honjo were on the October Madness bracket in 2017 and Allison was on this year's bracket. Allison and Honjo were selected for the prize for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.
And, while he wasn't on our brackets, we were happy to see that Sigma Xi member Arthur Ashkin was selected to receive the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Gerard Mourou and Donna Strickland for their groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics. Congratulations to all of the 2018 Nobel Prize laureates.
Drawing Winner
Nominations for the October Madness brackets were submitted before the Nobel Prizes were announced. Those who nominated someone who went on to win a 2018 Nobel Prize were entered into a drawing. Sigma Xi members had the chance to win a free year of membership dues while non-members could win a year of dues for the Sigma Xi Affiliate Circle.
The winner of this year's drawing is Sigma Xi member Jianxuan Zou, who nominated James P. Allison for our brackets. Congratulations on winning a year of membership dues, Jianxuan! Watch for an email from me with more details.
What's Next
Check back here on Keyed In next summer for the 2019 edition of October Madness! You can also follow along on Sigma Xi's social media with #OctoberMadness.
A Look Back at the 2018 Edition of October Madness
Announcement of Champions
Finals Round
Final 4 Round
Elite 8 Round
Call for Nominations
Heather Thorstensen is the manager of communications for Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society.