July 01, 2020

July 1 marks the start of Fiscal Year 2021 at Sigma Xi. Watch the video above to hear from Sigma Xi President Sonya Smith, who begins her one-year term today. Dr. Smith shares her plan for her time in office and her message to the Society's members, affiliates, and explorers.  

Transcript

Hi, my name is Sonya Smith. I'm the Fiscal Year 2021 president of Sigma Xi and I am from the historic chapter at Howard University in Washington, DC.

During my tenure as Sigma Xi president, I plan to increase our membership, especially among emerging researchers and those typically underrepresented in STEM and in scientific research. I plan to increase our research sponsorship through more grants and also to increase the Society's partnerships among the professional society organizations.

It's also not only important to be diverse but also to be inclusive and so one of the things that is the hallmark of Sigma Xi is that we achieve both. Come to the Society with that in mind and help us be the hallmark of inclusion in scientific research.

The real importance of Sigma Xi, as a young faculty member, is it allowed me to meet faculty both senior and junior from across the campus. It helped me foster interdisciplinary collaborations through the chapter and make connections, and so I felt like I had a home community.

And it's important to stay connected so you can progress your membership to full member, take office, be active in the caucuses, and really contribute to the Society to help us be that voice for scientific research that is so needed right now.

More about Dr. Smith