The San Diego Chapter of Sigma Xi
The Scientific Research Society
The San Diego Chapter of Sigma Xi
The Scientific Research Society
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Sigma Xi of San Diego |
Vol. 1, No. 2, Spring 2000 |
If we're to have any raison for our annual Initiation Banquet on May 10th, we'll have to have some people to initiate. This depends entirely on you, our current members, who are invited to come up with the names of worthy candidates. Here are the details.
Anyone who has published research findings in the scientific or engineering literature is eligible for Full Membership in Sigma Xi.. Students and others who have not published but show promise as researchers are eligible for Associate Membership. Nomination forms are available from the Chapter officers or may be down-loaded from:
http://sigmaxi.org/membership/nompromo-info.htm
Remember, each nomination requires a "seconder" as well as a nominator, although frequently the seconder is a member of the local Membership Committee.
Nomination forms will be due to Vice President Robert Metzger by April 20th at the very latest.
What are the benefits of membership?
The annual dues for Full and Associate Members are $50, plus a $7.50
initiation fee. Student Members pay $20 and Emer-itus Members pay
$25. This entitles one to (in addition to the honor) a year's
subscription to American Scientist, plus our Chapter's newsletter and
all Chapter announcements. (While the membership year begins July
1st, AS can start coming as soon as the new membership is processed
in Washing-ton.) Naturally, members are invited to take part in all
Chapter activities.
Surely you know someone who deserves
the honor of joining us . . . we can hardly wait to find out who it
is!
The San Diego Zoo has a great collection of animals, but it also maintains a fine plant collection. Sigma Xi members and their families are invited to a special tour of the Zoo's botanical garden, to begin at 10:00am on Saturday, April 29th.
Sigma Xi officers will meet participants at the Zoo entrance not later than 10a.m., and if there is a large group we will provide a bus to take us to various parts of the park. We look forward to seeing you then!
Admission to the zoo for the Sigma Xi group will be free! Please E-Mail Bob Metzger with your name and number of people attending: rmetzger@sciences.sdsu.edu
The Chapter is honored to announce that Dr. Charles David Keeling, a geochemist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and pioneer in the study of the CO2 cycle and global warming trends, will be the featured speaker at our annual Initiation Banquet.
The Banquet will be held on Wednesday, May 10, 2000 in Forum B in the University Center at the University of San Diego. Things will get underway at 6:30 with a hosted bar (beer and wine) and the opportunity to view research presentations by students from local schools. Dinner will be served at 7:15, followed by the presentation of Science Fair awards, the initiation of new members, and then Dr. Keeling's ad-dress. We expect that the affair will conclude around 9:00 or 9:30.
Parking permits can be pick-ed up at the East Entrance kiosk (off Linda Vista Road). and signs will indicate the park-ing lots open to guests at the cere-mony.
We will need firm num-bers for the catering service, which means that we must have definite commitments from those planning to attend, so please return the "RSVP" form on page 5 of this issue, with your check, by May 1st at the latest.
I had the honor to represent the San Diego Chapter in Minneapolis at the Society's annual meeting in November, along with Dr. Jim Baur of our Chapter, who serves as chair of the Society's International Committee. Briefly, here are the highlights of the 100th annual meeting.
It was obvious to me that Sigma Xi is seeking to become more active as a representative of the scientific community. The opening address was by Congressman Rush D. Holt (D-NJ), a member of Sigma Xi and former Assistant Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. In accepting the 1999 John P. McGovern Award, Holt discussed current Con-gressional policies that he believes are ill-advised, particularly the dissolution of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). He hopes to reinstate the OTA and also to reinstate the re-search tax credit for industry on a permanent basis. He men-tioned many Members' lack of science education and suggested that this may lie behind the regulations that would force the opening of confidential research files on the grounds that federal research grants are an entitlement program. He invites your comments; he can be reached through the House of Representatives website.
A number of poster sessions were presented by Chapters to describe their activities for the year; these materials can also be found at their websites. More interesting were members' posters describing their research, and also those by under-graduates on research results ob-tained with their men-tors. I would suggest that our Chapter hold a series of poster competitions for student in our area and send the winning poster(s) to next year's annual meeting.
At a meeting of the International Committee, I found major approval of our Chapter's attempts to help scientists in Ensenada form a new chapter there, and met several scientists who will be willing to assist us. Several members of this com-mittee were quite interested in setting up mentor-ing sections for new chapters located outside the U.S. and Canada.
Our Chapter belongs to the Southwestern Region of the Society, which met several times in Minneapolis. Each region has an elected Director who sits on the Society's Board of Directors. The Southwest Region voted to create the position of Associate Director, and a nominating committee will offer candidates to be voted on at the next Regional Assembly. New representational units called "Consti-tuency Groups" were also established, and because of our diverse membership our Chap-ter becomes a member of the "Area Groups, Industries, State and Federal Laboratories Constituency Group."
The Society's President-Elect is John H. Gibbons of the National Aca-demy of Engineering, and at this meeting Dr. Marye Anne Fox, a chemist and now Chancellor of North Carolina State U., was elec-ted to preside during 2002.
At next year's annual meeting, to be held November 9-10 in Albuquerque, the major focus will be integrity and ethics in science. Sigma Xi has published several books in this area, but Executive Director Peter D. Blair believes that two have become outdated, particularly because of the development of the Internet. He envisions Sigma Xi serving science by continuing work on the ethics of re-search and ethical concerns for the effects of science on others. He pro-poses, too, that Sigma Xi might serve as a clearinghouse for materials in this area and might establish a Sigma Xi ethics mediation service.
For a fuller report of my impressions of the meeting, and a list of ten aspects of ethics in science that will form the basis for next year's meet-ing, please consult our Chapter's website by going to:
and then clicking "local chapters" to find our San Diego Section.
Already I am writing you a "farewell" message--so soon, it seems, after I prepared a Welcome address for last fall's Lab Notes. Time truly flies when you're having fun. While my- presi-dency does not end until we turn out the lights on the Spring Initiation Banquet on May 10th (see the details elsewhere in this issue), that date seems to be fast approaching.. The various offices of the Chapter are open to any and all who wish to run. We encourage you to consider such an assignment and to submit your name. Traditionally, the Vice President of any Sigma Xi Chapter is the President-Elect.
While others may wish to be considered for that post&endash;and you are most welcome to volunteer&endash;I urge you to vote for our marvelously able Dr. Bob Metzger, currently our Vice President. He has, as have all of my compatriot officers, done a superb job and will serve you well as President next year. All officers can succeed themselves, and I must thank Dr. Terry Frey for his long-standing and excellent work as Chapter Treas-urer&endash;we all hope he will continue to serve. Terry is also the majordomo of an increasingly attractive and useful website for the Chapter. Have you visited it yet?
Go to: http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/sigmaxi/SigmaXiSD.html
Our Secretary, Dr. Joanne Bell, is new to San Diego this year and we hope she will consider running again for that position.
My main interest this year has been to assist our col-leagues in Ensenada, Baja California, to become the second Sigma Xi chapter in all of Mexico. With the wonderful aid of long-time Sigma Xi member and friend of so many of the Ensenada scientists, Canon George Hemingway (who has been an unofficial mem-ber of our Executive Committee in his capacity as Chair of our Committee on Trans-Border Relations), they are on their way and we hope that the new chapter will soon come to be. Keep reading Lab Notes for updates on this important issue.
We have seen advances on other fronts as well. I thank especial-ly Drs. Bob Schlesinger and Norm Storer for their efforts to create this newsletter&endash;a much-need-ed and finely craf-ted addition to our arsenal. I look forward to successive issues, which I believe we all appreciate very much.
I must admit to you one disappointment, however. This is that we have for years, and continue in this less-desired tradition, found it difficult to develop mem-ber enthusiasm for our local Chap-ter events. While we always have a small turnout for various happenings (a few of us visited the California Wolf Preserve last fall, and a small group of us heard Con-gressman Bob Filner talk on science pol-icy&endash;and more events are to come), there are nearly 600 members in our Chapter, one of the Society's largest and most prestigeous. We have begun to query members on what they would like to see as the major thrust of this Chapter and will let you know about these findings soon.
It may well be that other forms of engagement, rather than mem-ber events, are where our future lies. Over the last few years, Chap-ter officers have discussed ideas such as an "experts list" for the news media to contact in order to help them improve their cov-erage of important developments in science and engineering This and other ideas on how this Chapter might commit its energy are open to your suggestions as well as to the strong creative energy of the Executive Committee. I leave this post knowing that this group of particularly pres-cient scientists and community activists will go far in solving this vexing challenge.
Again, thank you for having me as your Chapter President, and accept my fervent suggestion that you involve yourself in Chapter activities. Sigma Xi can and should be one of the major forces of scientific strength in communities wherever chap-ters exist&endash;and this is particularly so for Amer-ica's Finest Science City.
Sincerely, Don McGraw
My active connection with San Diego/Sigma Xi goes back to 1973 when I served as vice president of what was then the San Diego Club. Dr. Ellen Kuhns was President and Angelo Carlucci was Secretary-Trea-surer. In order to apply for authorized club status then, Sigma Xi members had to organize as clubs and prove themselves able to hold at least four successful meetings per year for some time before they could seek authorized club status. As an authorized club, we could elect associate members only. After a few years as a club, we applied for and received Section status in 1976, one year after my second term as president of the Club. I look forward now to serving as president of the San Diego Chapter of Sigma Xi.
Some things about this Chapter, particularly its diverse membership, have remained the same. The original Sigma Xi Club was formed joint-ly by the Navy Laboratories on Point -Loma and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography; San Diego State University became involved shortly thereafter. (I am look-ing for some volunteers from the Club's early days to write up a history of the Club from its founding until 1973.) Today we have an even more diverse membership, representing three major universities, biotech, commu-nications, electronic, and software industries, and scientific and engineering research institutes.
Member loyalty has been strong and our numbers have in-creased significantly, although we could grow even more through better recruiting and reaching out to Sigma Xi members who come to San Diego from elsewhere. On the downside, it has always been extremely difficult to attract substantial num-bers to our programs. Indeed, the lack of participation in Sigma Xi events during the early 70's led some to ask the 1973 officers to liquidate the old club and establish new clubs at the universities. To avoid disenfranchising the non-aca-demic mem-bership, however, we pushed instead for the Chapter status that we enjoy today.
You, the San Diego and Imperial County members of Sigma Xi, by remaining in good standing in the Society, have made our Chapter grow and thus proven that decision to be correct. But are you missing the opportunity to develop potentially useful profes-sional contacts and possible cooperative research project by not meeting your peers&endash;especially those in different fields&endash;at our Chapter functions? Along this line, we need to try some new ideas for programs that will attract more membership interest. For example, some members have little time to spend with their families, and I hope to schedule some week-end events that both members and their families can enjoy.
In my report on the Annual Meeting, elsewhere in this issue, I have described what I perceive is the new direction of the Society. I have also seen the San Diego Chapter develop a new personality, one that can help it become a force in international scientific relations. With-out slighting the contributions of previous presidents, I want to commend past-president Jim Baur, current President Don McGraw, and Executive Committee member Canon George Hemingway for their sustained efforts to bring the benefits of Sigma Xi to our neigh-bors in Baja California. I recall that Jim Baur, during his presi-dency, proposed that the San Diego Chapter work with Mexican scientists and recruited Canon Hemingway for this purpose. At the end of his term, Jim's experience in working with Mexican and Russian scientists was recognized by the Society and he was appointed to the Society's Inter-national Committee, which he now chairs.
Meanwhile, Don McGraw&endash;--one of the finest and most effective leaders of a scientific organization that I have ever dealt with&endash;--enthusiastical-ly encouraged the estab-lishment of a new Sigma Xi chapter in Ensenada and pledged our help to our colleagues in Ensenada to that end. I am pleased to report that it appears that the Ensenada Chapter will be established before Don leaves office. I hope very much that the Society will recognize his dedication and his talent, as they did Jim Baur's, and appoint him to a national committee.
Our location and our leadership and expertise in interna-tional situations makes us a logical candidate to bring Sigma Xi to the attention of the international community. I too have had considerable international experience, so you may expect a vigorous San Diego Chapter involvement in international affairs.
The San Diego Chapter has great potential to do a great deal of good for scientists and for the general public. Let me suggest that you help out now by nominating at least one of your non-Sigma Xi colleagues who has done meritorious work in scientific or engineering research for membership or associate membership in Sigma Xi in time for our May Initiation Banquet. The form needed can be obtained at the Sigma Xi website: http://www.sigmaxi.org, or you can contact me. Send completed forms to me at the Department of Chemistry, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-1030. I look forward to hearing from you.
Robert Metzger
We said it in our first issue: If this newsletter is to appear regularly, it's got to pay its own way. But since the Executive Committee still doubts that there are enough philanthropists in our membership to provide support, you are (again) spared a mawk-ish plea for charity.
This leaves only advertising as a realistic source of revenue. Those of you in industry might drop a word (or a copy of the box below) to your P.R. people that our newsletter reaches about 500 top scientists and engineers in the San Diego area who may well be interested in your product, service, or even in com-ing to work for you.
More information is available from Co-Editor Bob Schlesin-ger at (619) 469-4532 or E-mail: robert.schlesinger@sdsu.edu.
President
Dr. Donald J. McGraw Office: 260-4553
Associate Provost FAX: 260-2210
University of San Diego mcgraw@is.acusd.edu
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110-2492
Vice President
Dr. Robert P. Metzger Office: 594-6801
Dept. of Chemistry FAX: 594-4634
San Diego State Univesity rmetzger@sciences.sdsu.edu
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-1030
Treasurer
Dr. Terrence Frey Office: 594-6756
Dept. of Biology FAX: 594-5676
5500 Campanile Drive tfrey@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
San Diego, CA 92182-4614
Secretary
Dr. Joanne M. Bell Office: 619-552-3400
Quintiles CNS Therapeutics FAX: 619-799-3167
10201 Wateridge Circle jmbell@qsnd.quintiles.com
San Diego, CA 92121
Past President
Dr. Steven A. Brody Office: 265-1800
6719 Alvarado Rd., Suite 108 FAX: 265-4055
San Diego, CA 92120 sbrody@cts.com
Co-Editors
Dr. Robert J. Schlesinger Home: (619) 469-4532
9291 Wister Drive robert.schlesinger@sdsu.com
San Diego, CA 91941-4137
Dr. Norman W. Storer Home: (619) 491-0342
1417 Van Buren Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103-2339 nwstorer@peoplepc.com
Committee on Admissions
Steven A. Brody, Chair
Office: 265-4052 sbrody@cts.com
Arthur Getis
Office: 594-6639 agetis@sciences.sdsu.edu
Robert P. Metzger
Office: 594-6801 rmetzger@sciences.sdsu.edu
Richard H. Rosenblatt
Office: 274-8591 rrosenblatt@ucsd.edu
Ann Sturz
Office: (619) 260-4795 asturz@acusd.edu
Committee on Grants-in-Aid
Terrence G. Frey, Chair
Office: 594-6756 tfrey@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
Jeremy H. A. Fields
Office: 260-4076 fields@pwa.acusd.edu
Michael T. Shaw
Office: (760) 789-1303 mtshaw@ix.netcom.com
Donald R. Short
Office: 578-6159 dshort@sciences.sdsu.edu
Committee for Industrial Relations
James F. Bauer, Chair
Office: 578-3511 70550.1510@compuserve.com
SciSolns@MSN.com
Committee for University Affairs
Matthew C. Bell, Chair
Office: 594-3089 Mbell112@mail.sdsu.edu
Staff
Susan E. Adams, Coordinator
Office: 594-4418 sadams@sciences.sdsu.edu
Every member of the San Diego Chapter of Sigma Xi is requested to send his or her current e-mail address to Vice President Robert Metzger at rmetzger@sciences.sdsu.edu. Just say, "For Sigma Xi records." We want our office records up to date, and to be able to reach you when necessary. Thanks!
The San Diego Chapter of Sigma Xi, the scientific research honor society, has introduced a semi-annual newsletter, Lab Notes, and is pleased to announce that advertising space will be available to local companies and organi-zations whose services, products, and/or job opportunities should be of interest to its 500+ top-quality scientists and engineers. Rates are as follows:
4.4" x 4.75" (20.9 s.i.): $150
4.5" x 1.5" (6.74 s.i.): 50
2.0" x 3.0" (6.0 s.i.): 50
Inclusion of name and address in a special Sponsors list is available for $20.
To learn more, please call or E-mail Dr. Robert Schlesinger at (619) 469-4532 or at
robert.schlesinger@sdsu.edu
The deadline for the Fall 2000 issue will be October 1st, 2000.