The Charlotte Chapter
SIGMA XI
SIGMA XI 2
The Charlotte Area Chapter Newsletter
Volume 9 Issue 2 May 2003
Science Forum: Communicating Science to a Non-Technical Audience
A reception and science forum on communicating science to a non-technical audience was held on March 31, 2003 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Discovery Place Wachovia Science Theater. This forum, sponsored by Sigma Xi, the American Chemical Society, and the Charlotte Area Science Network, featured award winning scientist and author, Dr. Cathy Cobb, and a panel of scientists and communicators from the Charlotte area. Jim Hoffman, Director of Marketing and Public Relation for Discovery Place served as the MC for the event and commentary was provided by a the following panelists:
· Lee Kindberg, CMS School Board member, Sigma Xi member and chemist
· Jim Hovick, UNC Charlotte Chemistry Professor, and Sigma Xi member
· John Wendel, Meteorologist for NBC6
· Dan McDonald, American Chemical Society and Sigma Xi member
Copies of Dr. Cobb’s books Creations of Fire: The Lively History of Chemistry from Alchemy to the Atomic Age (Plenum, 1995) and Magick, Mayhem, and Mavericks: The Spirited History of Physical Chemistry, (Prometheus Books) can be obtained at your favorite local bookstore.
Future forums are being planned, and your input on your level of interest in the following topics and times would be valuable for planning purposes. Please provide your feedback on the following questions to Jack Sommer, , chair of the Charlotte Area Science Network’s task group focused on Educating the Public.
· What days of the week are best for a forum?
· What time of day is best?
· What topics are of interest?
· Nuclear Energy?
· Biotechnology?
· Human Genome Project?
· Environment/Energy?
· Public Health/Bioterrorism?
· Nanotechnology?
· Other?
Sigma Xi Membership Meeting
Immediately following the science forum on March 31st a chapter membership meeting was held at Discovery Place in the Wachovia Science Theater. The agenda included an update on recent and upcoming chapter initiatives, details of the science celebration event including NEW Prize and award opportunities, plans for a southeast regional research conference, membership and officer recruitment, and presentation of certificates to new members John Antonucci and Ashley Dunham. Welcome John and Ashley!
Regional Science Fair
Eleven students, five from Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, who competed in the Regional Science Fair held in Charlotte on April 5th were selected to compete in the state competition at Meredith College in Raleigh. In addition, two of those students also went on to participate in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Cleveland.
The fair was the first for the area in over five years and it’s the first time North Carolina will send a representative to the ISEF, the world's largest pre-college science competition. At the ISEF, approximately 1,200 students from all 50 states and 40 foreign countries, will compete for over $3 million in scholarships, tuition grants, scientific equipment and scientific trips.
Teresa Williams, outreach specialist for NASA’s NC Space Grant consortium at UNC Charlotte, led the regional competition. In addition to strong commitment from UNC Charlotte, establishing the regional science fair was also supported by the Charlotte Area Science Network (CASN), including several Sigma Xi members. With CASN member Discovery Place as its hub of public appreciation of science, CASN is hosting public forums on science topics and is actively involved with promoting science initiatives, such as science fairs, in schools in the Charlotte area.
Members of the network including Sigma Xi Chapter President Hilary Davidson and Steve Huggins secured corporate sponsors (the Duke Energy Foundation and Goodrich Corporation) for the event, providing funding for the regional winners to compete at the state and international levels. Sigma Xi members instrumental in helping recruit and serve as judges were Chapter Treasurer Linda Simpson, Assistant Chair of UNC Charlotte’s Biology Department and Sigma Xi Chapter member, Lee Kindberg, CMS Board of Education representative. Other CASN members instrumental in helping with the science fair include: Mary Sherburne, science advocate; David Royster, Director of UNC Charlotte’s Center for Math, Science & Technology Education; and Ted Sherburne, President Emeritus of Science Service, which administers the ISEF.
Sigma Xi Celebration of Undergraduate Research
Pat Sculley, Executive Director of Sigma Xi
On April 24, 2003, the Charlotte Chapter of Sigma Xi in partnership with the Charlotte Area Science Network hosted the annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research, the Outstanding Science Educator Awards, and the new PERI Prize for the public understanding of science (details provided in this newsletter.) Linda Simpson, Chapter Treasurer, coordinated this signature chapter event in style like she has for a decade!
The award ceremonies and reception, sponsored by Goodrich Corporation, were held at Discovery Place’s Wachovia Science Theater from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Among the featured speakers at this event were John Mackay, President of Discovery Place; Steve Huggins, Senior VP at Goodrich Corporation; Linda Simpson, Chapter Treasurer and Assistant Chair of the UNC Charlotte Biology Department; Jack Sommer, President of PERI and Sigma Xi Southeast Regional Director; and Pat Sculley, Executive Director of Sigma Xi.
This year, nineteen undergraduate researchers along with their research mentors from science, mathematics, and engineering departments in the Charlotte Area Educational Consortium were honored at this event.
The 2003 Award recipients are:
From Davidson College honorees included Emily Oldham (mentor Dr. Mike Dorcas) and Kristine Grayson (mentor Dr. Malcolm Campbell) for biology; Soren Johnson (mentor Dr. Julio Ramirez) for neuroscience; Adam Abele (mentors Dr. Wolfgang Christian and Dr. Mario Belloni) for physics; Paul Abbott Bryant (mentor Dr. Mark Smith) and Kindiya Deema Geghman, (mentor Dr. Kristi Multhaup) for psychology.
From Johnson C. Smith University honorees included Kristen Wright (mentor Dr. B.K. Chopra) for Biology; Sandra Lloyd and David Lang (mentor Dr. Joseph Fail) for natural sciences.
From Queens University honorees included Rebekah Howell (mentors Dr. Reed Perkins and Dr. Andy Tucker) for environmental science.
From UNC Charlotte honorees includes Kelly Donahoe (mentor Dr. Stan Schneider) for biology; Joshua Mull (mentor Dr. Craig Ogle) for chemistry; Brian Zapata (mentor Dr. David Young) for civil engineering; Nathaniel Sipe (mentor Dr. Walter Martin) for earth science; Andrew Sumerel (mentor Dr. Michael Corwin) for physics; Lyndsie Horn (mentor Dr. Jane Gaultney) for Psychology.
From Winthrop University honorees included Jennifer O'Neal (mentor Dr. Christian Grattan) and Jerry Dixon (mentor Dr. Cliff Calloway) for chemistry; Sarah Yount (mentors Dr. James Johnston and Dr. Laura Glasscock) for biology.
Outstanding Science Educator Awards
Linda Simpson, Treasurer and Secretary of the Charlotte Chapter of Sigma Xi
The Charlotte Chapter of Sigma Xi is pleased to announce the 2nd annual Outstanding Science Educator Award Winners. These awards, established in 2002, honor elementary, junior high school, and senior high school science educators in this region who share their energy and enthusiasm for science through creative and innovative methods that inspire students to get involved in science and discovery both in and out of the classroom.
This year, eight area K-12 science teachers were chosen for their contributions to raising the quality of science instruction in area schools.
The winners of the 2003 Outstanding Science Educator Awards are:
High School Teachers: Linda Yoder, physics teacher, East Lincoln High School, Denver; Pam Patterson, chemistry teacher, Scotland High School, Rockingham; Larry DeMontegre, Concord High School, Concord; and Cindy Moss, biology teacher, Independence High School, Charlotte.
Middle school teachers: Cathy Reynolds, China Grove Middle School, China Grove; and Jeff Warner, Charles C. Erwin Middle School, Salisbury.
Elementary school teachers: Angie Larner, Math and Science Facilitator, Morehead Academy, Charlotte; and Gray Donohoe, Science Facilitator, Collinswood Elementary, Charlotte.
PERI Prize for Public Understanding of Science –
Jack Sommer, PERI President and Southeast Regional Director of Sigma Xi and 2003 PERI Prize winner Scott Hippensteel
Also included in the April 24th Science Celebration event was the presentation of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) Prize for the encouragement and enhancement of public understanding of science and technology. PERI, headed by President Jack Sommer, is a private, non-partisan, tax-exempt educational foundation whose objective is to support the growth of a free and open society based on the protection of individual rights and the recognition of individual responsibility.
Finalists for the prize included Sigma Xi members:
Dr. Paul W. Foos, UNC Charlotte Department of Psychology; Dr. Paula Goolkasian, UNC Charlotte Department of Psychology; Dr. Scott P. Hippensteel, UNC Charlotte Department of Geography & Earth Sciences; and Dr. Todd R. Steck, UNC Charlotte Department of Biology
The winner of the PERI Prize was UNC Charlotte Assistant Professor Scott Hippensteel of the university’s Department of Geography and Earth Sciences. He was awarded a $500 prize for a 1999 article published in the journal PALEO on a study of the evolution of Folly Island, SC. Participants were asked to submit previous published articles with a 400-500 word summary elucidating the nature of the research and its implication for society. A panel of judges unrelated to the Sigma Xi Chapter and experienced in media work selected the winner based on how well the summary was prepared for an interested, non-specialist general audience.
Congratulations to UNC Charlotte for its outstanding scholars!
Charlotte Area Science Network
The officers of the Charlotte Chapter of Sigma Xi have played an integral role in building the newly established Charlotte Area Science Network (CASN). Check out the last page of the current issue of American Scientist!
The mission of this network is to foster community, education and industry partnerships to promote science for life in the Charlotte area. Together with other CASN members including participants from Discovery Place, American Chemical Society, UNC Charlotte, Duke Energy, Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools and School Board, American Industrial Hygiene Association, Science Service, Goodrich Corporation, Carolinas Medical Center and the Arts & Science Council, the following goals have been established:
1. Market science as fun and integral to life
2. Elevate the science knowledge level of the general public, the media, and specific influentials
3. Develop Science Champions
4. Build Science Networks
5. Support the schools
6. Position Discovery Place as the hub for public appreciation of science in Charlotte
7. Leverage science events, competitions, and resources
To focus on achieving the goals, the following three task groups have been established. As members of the Charlotte Chapter of Sigma Xi, you are invited to become involved in any or all of them by contacting Hilary Davidson at .
1. Support the schools (science and technology related support for primary & secondary schools in the Charlotte area)
2. Build science networks (identify and involve businesses and other organizations with an interest in supporting science and technology education initiatives in the Charlotte area)
3. Educate the public (to elevate science knowledge levels in the Charlotte area.)
Upcoming events supported by the Charlotte Chapter of Sigma Xi and the Charlotte Area Science Network include:
· Planning for 2004 regional science fair
· Planning for a regional research conference to be held in January 2004.
Recent events supported by the Charlotte Chapter of Sigma Xi and the Charlotte Area Science Network Members include:
· 4/24/03 Sigma Xi Celebration of Undergraduate Research, Outstanding Science Educator Awards, and PERI Prize for public understanding of science.
· 4/5/03 Regional Science Fair, Barnhardt Student Activities Center at UNC Charlotte.
· 3/31/03 Charlotte Chapter of Sigma Xi membership meeting and new member recognition.
· 3/31/03 Charlotte Area Science Network Science Forum: Communicating Science to a Non-technical Audience featuring award winning scientist and author, Dr. Cathy Cobb.
· 3/1/03 Science Olympiad at J.C. Smith University
· 2/23-25/03 North Carolinas Juniors Symposium in Humanities and Science, sponsored by the UNC Charlotte Center for Math Science & Technology Education, the Charlotte Chapter of Sigma Xi, the Charlotte Area Science Network, and others
There is opportunity for other organizations and individuals to participate in the Charlotte Area Science Network. Many Sigma Xi members are employed by, or active in other organizations that could also bring value to this network. If you would be interested in becoming involved in any of the task groups, activities, or in learning more about the Charlotte Area Science Network, please contact Hilary Davidson at .
Charlotte Chapter List Serve
A listserve, or member e-mail distribution list, has been established for the Charlotte Chapter! If you have comments on this newsletter, have news for other chapter members, or wish to have dialogue among chapter members, you can send a note to the following address: .
Sigma Xi Southeast Regional Director News
Chapter presidents from across the South East Region attended the annual Assembly of Delegates in Galveston. Three one-hour meetings of the region yielded three Task Forces to develop activities of chapters in the region. One task force is organizing the responses from the region with respect to the Sigma Xi Strategic Plan [see Sigma Xi website at www.sigmaxi.org]. A second task force is gathering ideas for a proposal to the region concerning collaborative alliances with overseas chapters of the Society. A third task force has endorsed a Regional Research Conference aimed at joining faculty and students in multidisciplinary presentations of ideas around a common theme.
Already, the Charlotte Chapter, in conjunction with the Charlotte Area Science Network and other Sigma Xi chapters is planning to host the first Regional Research Conference in Charlotte January 30-31, 2004. The theme of the conference is “Speed: Science and Celerity.” The topics of the conference will range across a broad spectrum of scientific and engineering fields. A call for session chairs and paper submissions will be sent out in May. This conference will be a test run for Sigma Xi to discover the viability of such conferences to rotate throughout the major geographical divisions of the Society. Those interested in this project, please contact Jack Sommer, Southeast Regional Director of Sigma Xi.
The Southeast region stretches from the northern border of North Carolina across to the Mississippi River and south to the Texas border. Jack began his term of office in July 2002 and will serve through June 2005. He invites any chapter members to email him with ideas and questions at .