This message was sent to ##Email## July 8, 2020             Home  |   About  |   Membership  |   Meetings  |   Programs  |   Communities Subscribe  |   Archive  |   Advertise   ID: ##userid##  IN THIS ISSUE From the Leadership Sigma Xi News Members and Chapters News Meetings and Events Sigma Xi Publications Science, Education, and Government News Science News Renew Membership/ Affiliate Status Make a Gift to Sigma Xi Gift Subscription to American Scientist  FROM THE LEADERSHIP Meet Your New President Sigma Xi Sonya Smith began her one-year term as Sigma Xi president on July 1. She shares her plan and her message to members, affiliates, and explorers.  READ MORE  SIGMA XI NEWS Students Are Invited to Apply for Research Grants Sigma Xi Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply by October 1 for research grants from the Grants in Aid of Research program. The application portal is open. Grants in this cycle will be awarded in January 2021. Grants are available to students worldwide who are working in most areas of the sciences and engineering. Thanks to the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind & Vision Impaired, special funds are available for students with vision impairments and for students conducting ophthalmology research in the United States, particularly in Texas.  READ MORE New Cohort of Distinguished Lecturers Available to Chapters Sigma Xi Welcome to the 2020–2021 cohort of Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturers, who are available as speakers for Sigma Xi chapters' events.  READ MORE Have You Renewed Your Dues? Sigma Xi Did your dues expire when Fiscal Year 2020 ended on June 30? Renew your membership, affiliate status, or explorer status now to continue benefits, such as your subscription to American Scientist. Thank you to everyone who already renewed.  RENEW NOW  MEMBERS AND CHAPTERS NEWS Members Begin Terms as Sigma Xi Leaders Sigma Xi Some members began new terms or continued their roles as elected Sigma Xi leaders with the start of Fiscal Year 2021 on July 1, 2020. Thank you to these members for volunteering their time, energy, and expertise to Sigma Xi's mission of enhancing the research enterprise, fostering integrity in research, and promoting the public understanding of science.  READ MORE Louisiana Tech University Chapter Recognizes Outstanding Students Louisiana Tech University The Louisiana Tech University Chapter recently recognized three students for exemplary achievements in academics and research.  READ MORE Columbia-Willamette Chapter Gathers for Virtual Meeting Sigma Xi The Columbia-Willamette Chapter in the Portland, Oregon, area held their end-of-fiscal-year business meeting on June 25. Members heard a report from president Annie Lindgren; remembered former chapter president Dick Pugh; saw new member initiations and introductions; gave awards to an outstanding science teacher and research supporter, and to faculty researchers and student Grants in Aid of Research recipients; and heard introductions to their new Board of Directors and approval of their officers.  READ MORE  MEETINGS AND EVENTS Submit Student Oral Presentation Abstracts by August 1 Sigma Xi The Sigma Xi Student Research Conference will be held virtually from November 6–7! Sigma Xi Manager of Programs Janelle Simmons posted a video on social media to explain the deadlines for students wishing to present their research during the conference: Oral presentation abstracts are due by August 1 and poster presentation abstracts will be accepted through October 1. The conference also features symposia on interdisciplinary research collaborations, networking opportunities with STEM students and professional researchers, a College and Graduate School Fair, and a STEM Art and Film Festival.  READ MORE Invitation: Exhibit at the Virtual College and Graduate School Fair Sigma Xi Sigma Xi will host a virtual College and Graduate School Fair on November 7 so students can explore higher education opportunities. The fair is part of the Annual Meeting and Student Research Conference. Representatives of university or graduate programs who would like to participate as exhibitors may register by September 28. Institutions with a Sigma Xi chapter receive a 50 percent discount on exhibit fees.  READ MORE  SIGMA XI PUBLICATIONS Making Sense of the Brain American Scientist In his new book, Matthew Cobb skillfully guides readers through the history of neuroscience, highlighting sometimes dazzling advances while acknowledging that our understanding of the brain is still primitive.  READ MORE How Art Can Heal American Scientist Nonverbal therapy helps people work through trauma and build resilience.  READ MORE  SCIENCE, EDUCATION, AND GOVERNMENT NEWS Webinar Panel to Address Return-to-Work Policies Amid Spiking Coronavirus Cases Duke SciPol.org On July 9 at 2:30 p.m. ET, a panel of experts convened by the Duke University Initiative for Science and Society will discuss the logistical hurdles in planning a safe return to work — a task becoming increasingly difficult as COVID-19 cases rise throughout the United States. RSVP to reserve your spot to attend.  READ MORE How Should We Conduct the November Elections Under COVID-19? Duke SciPol.org As recent primary elections have shown, the coronavirus disease pandemic has dramatically altered the process by which American citizens will cast their ballots this year. A new policy brief suggests how we can execute the November general election in a safe but equitable way.  READ MORE Compounding Crises: How Society Should Respond to a Hurricane While Minimizing Disease Spread Duke SciPol.org The COVID-19 crisis has had impacts similar to a natural disaster—so how will we respond if a hurricane or similar natural disaster strikes the U.S. this year? A new policy brief provides recommendations for how states and localities should prepare now to limit COVID-19's spread in the process of addressing the effects of a major storm.  READ MORE  SCIENCE NEWS Age-Related Impairments Reversed in Animal Model University of Bern via ScienceDaily Frailty and immune decline are two main features of old age. Researchers from the University of Bern and the University Hospital Bern now demonstrate in an animal model that these two age-related impairments can be halted and even partially reversed using a novel cell-based therapeutic approach.  READ MORE The Most Comprehensive X-Ray Map of the Sky Ever Made Science News A new map of the entire sky, as seen in X-rays, looks deeper into space than any other of its kind. The map, released June 19, is based on data from the first full scan of the sky made by the eROSITA X-ray telescope onboard the Russian-German SRG spacecraft, which launched in July 2019. The six-month, all-sky survey, which began in December and wrapped up in June, is only the first of eight total sky surveys that eROSITA will perform over the next few years. But this sweep alone cataloged some 1.1 million X-ray sources across the cosmos — just about doubling the number of known X-ray emitters in the universe.  READ MORE Sigma Xi Newsletter Connect with Sigma Xi Recent Issues | Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Advertise | Web Version  Colby Horton, Vice President of Publishing, 469-420-2601 | Download media kit Damon Sayles, Senior Content Editor, 469-420-2662 | Contribute news Sigma Xi 3200 East NC Highway 54, Suite 300 | Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 | 800-243-6534 | Contact Us  Learn how to add us to your safe sender list so our emails get to your inbox. 7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063