This message was sent to ##Email## August 19, 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 Join Us in Finding Solutions Through Research Sigma Xi Research is foundational to creating the new knowledge required to address problems in our society. Sigma Xi president Sonya Smith invites you to the Annual Meeting and Student Research Conference to share the work each of us is doing to achieve solutions.  READ MORE  SIGMA XI NEWS Meet the Election Candidates Sigma Xi Active members are encouraged to vote in the Sigma Xi elections to determine who will become president-elect, directors, associate directors, and members of the Committee on Nominations. These members will receive an email from elections@vote-now.com on the first day of the elections, November 9, that contains a ballot and instructions on how to vote online.  READ MORE Using How We See, Hear, and Move for Research Sigma Xi Can using what we know about how our minds process visuals, sounds, and movement attract more people's attention to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) topics? What are we learning about the human brain that could advance your research? The keynote speakers at the virtual Sigma Xi Annual Meeting and Student Research Conference from November 5–8, 2020, will explore these questions and more.  READ MORE Who Do You Think Will Win the 2020 Nobel Prizes? Sigma Xi You are invited to participate in October Madness 2020! This is our annual contest where members, affiliates, explorers, and the public can submit nominations and vote for who they think will win the 2020 science-related Nobel Prizes. Submit your nominations by September 2.  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 Would You Like to Join the Science and Human Rights Coalition? Sigma Xi Member Jeffrey Toney, provost and vice president for Research and Faculty at Kean University, is Sigma Xi's representative on the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science and Human Rights Coalition. Lately, he is a judge for the coalition's annual student essay competition. He welcomes more Sigma Xi members to join him in participating in the coalition. If you're interested, email executiveoffice@sigmaxi.org.  READ MORE .  SPONSORED VIDEO Data Science Program Offers More Promoted by Saint Mary's College Interested in pursuing a graduate degree in data science? Saint Mary’s program offers project management and research methods alongside traditional mathematics and computer science courses like linear algebra and database systems to deepen your understanding. See why this program will make you a distinguished graduate and future data scientist. Electrical Engineering Doctoral Student Receives University Research Award Sigma Xi Boyang Wang has been selected as this year's student recipient of the Sigma Xi/Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Award for Excellence in University Research in recognition of significant promise in research and scholarship through distinguished accomplishments at IIT. Wang has been working on several projects focusing on such topics as ultrasonic signal processing, embedded system development, system-on-chip signal processing, data compression, and artificial intelligence for ultrasonic signal classification. The award is sponsored by the IIT Office of the Provost, the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs, and the IIT chapter of Sigma Xi.  READ MORE  MEETINGS AND EVENTS STEM Policy Series: Science as a Nonpartisan Resource Sigma Xi The third webinar in a series to prepare Sigma Xi members to advocate for evidence-based public policies at the state level will be held on August 27 from 3:30–4:30 p.m. ET. The session will feature Melanie Roberts, director of state and regional affairs at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Drew Story, the water cycle science lead for the U.S. Global Change Research Program.  READ MORE Keynote Preview: Every Brain Needs Music Sigma Xi Neuroscientist Larry Sherman will be a keynote speaker at the virtual Annual Meeting and Student Research Conference this November to describe what neuroscience tell us about what music does to the human brain.  READ MORE  SIGMA XI PUBLICATIONS The Rise of Parkinson's Disease American Scientist Many cases of this increasingly common neurodegenerative disease are preventable, and we may now know how.  READ MORE Decoding Light from Distant Worlds American Scientist Thousands of exoplanets are known, but the compositions of their atmospheres remain at the edge of our knowledge.  READ MORE  SCIENCE, EDUCATION, AND GOVERNMENT NEWS Panel to Discuss Ethics of Wearable Tech for COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Duke Initiative for Science & Society Wearable consumer technologies are becoming ubiquitous and can deliver a rich stream of data that could be used to help doctors treat COVID-19. But what ethical boundaries should be placed on those data? RSVP to join Duke Science & Society for a panel discussion exploring this issue, taking place on August 20 at 4:00 p.m. ET.  READ MORE Considering the Science and Ethics of Human Challenge Trials for COVID-19 Duke Initiative for Science & Society A panel of experts convened by Duke Science & Society will dig into the thorny ethical issues surrounding human challenge trials—deliberately infecting a volunteer with COVID-19 to see how they respond to a treatment or vaccine. RSVP to attend the webinar, taking place on August 24 at 4:00 p.m. ET.  READ MORE Experts to Examine Racial Bias in Healthcare and its Impacts on COVID-19 Outcomes Duke Initiative for Science & Society Systemic and individual racial bias exists throughout the U.S. healthcare system, raising concerns about how that bias could affect the quality of care or treatment for Black individuals with COVID-19. RSVP to join Duke Science & Society for a panel discussion looking at this issue and its potential solutions, taking place on August 27 at 4:00 p.m. ET.  READ MORE  SCIENCE NEWS Researchers Discover the Microbiome's Role in Attacking Cancerous Tumors University of Calgary via ScienceDaily Researchers have discovered which gut bacteria help our immune system battle cancerous tumors and how they do it. The discovery may provide a new understanding of why immunotherapy, a treatment for cancer that helps amplify immune response, works in some cases, but not others. The findings show combining immunotherapy with specific microbial therapy helps the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells in three forms of cancer.  READ MORE In a First, Astronomers Spotted a Space Rock Turning Into a Comet Science News Like the mythical half-human, half-horse creatures, centaurs in the solar system are hybrids between asteroids and comets. Now, astronomers have caught one morphing from one type of space rock to the other, potentially giving scientists an unprecedented chance to watch a comet form in real time in the decades to come.  READ MORE Sigma Xi Newsletter Connect with Sigma Xi Recent Issues | Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Advertise | Web Version  Dennis Hall, Director of Publishing, 469-420-2656 | 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