August 25, 2017

One by one, graduate, undergraduate, and high school students are called up to be recognized before their peers and judges. These students—who investigate a variety of topics, from chemistry to physics, from environmental science to engineering—are selected as top presenters in their disciplines at the Student Research Conference.

All presenters at the conference earn nominations to associate membership in Sigma Xi, the world’s largest multidisciplinary research honor society. Winners’ nominations come with a monetary award, a medal, and a year of waived membership dues to Sigma Xi. You can see the pride in their faces as they reach this milestone in their young careers. When the students accept the nomination, they join a community of researchers elected for their potential or achievement in research.      

This year’s hopefuls will have their chance at the 17th Annual Student Research Conference on November 11 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The conference is a gathering of students from across the world. Students meet and present their work to professionals, who provide feedback as judges. Later, professionals share their knowledge and expertise at the networking session. Students also attend career-preparatory sessions to advance their science communication skills.    

Aaron Huertas, founder and principal of Science Communication Media, will lead a workshop titled “Organizing an Effective Visit with a Policymaker,” which will cover best practices for interacting with elected officials. Participants will learn to think about how their research fits into a policymaker’s point of view. A panel discussion titled “Communicating Research in a Rapidly Shifting Landscape” will describe best practices for researchers who are interested in communicating their findings to policymakers and the public. 

In the keynote address, Greg Fishel, a Sigma Xi member and chief meteorologist for WRAL-TV and WRAL-FM, will discuss “Climate Change, My Journey from Ideology to Science,” which will be a reminder to go through life thinking as a scientist. 

“For many years, I did not address the issue of climate change as a scientist but rather as an ideologue,” Fishel said. “I want to help ensure that others don’t make the same mistake I did.”

The Student Research Conference will be preceded by the Symposium on Atmospheric Chemistry, Climate, and Health on November 10 in Raleigh. 

Register for the Student Research Conference at https://www.sigmaxi.org/fallsymposium-src.

First photo: Aaron Huertas
Second photo: Greg Fishel