This is the OU Sigma Xi contingent who attended and presented at the Sigma Xi Annual Meeting and student research conference in San Francisco in October 2018. The group included 13 OU students (undergraduates and graduates) and two faculty members. Back row (left to right) Roshan Timilsina, Tyler Parsons, Daniel Czarnowski, Peter Gaied, Dominic Mier, Justin Kulchycki, Dr. Luis Villa-Diaz Front row (left to right) Julia Crozier, Julia Poirier, Dr. Shailesh Lal, Zeena Qiryaqoz, Farrah Sitto, Megan Moore, Ann Fuelle, Laurel Levine.
sigma xi, biology, student organization
January 16, 2019
Oakland University’s Sigma Xi chapter has been recognized by The Scientific Research Honor Society as one of its leading chapters for the initiation of new members. OU is part of the Research and Doctoral Universities Constituency category within the organization’s more than 500 national and international chapters.
“This recognition is a testament to OU’s efforts to expand its network of students and faculty dedicated to research excellence and provide a space for discussion, innovation and sharing of ideas,” said Fabia U. Battistuzzi, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and president of OU’s Sigma Xi chapter.
Battistuzzi added that she is proud of the growth and successes of OU’s chapter and for the university’s leadership in providing a supporting environment.
OU's Sigma Xi chapter has been very active since it was established more than 40 years ago. The chapter supports student research and organizes regular scientific seminars, including an annual banquet at Meadow Brook Hall with leading scientists in various fields of biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
The original OU Sigma Xi Charter, dated March 19, 1975, is proudly displayed in the ERI in Dodge Hall. Two of the 39 founding members, Frank Giblin, Ph.D., distinguished professor of biomedical sciences and ERI director, and Mike Sevilla, Ph.D., distinguished professor in the Department of Chemistry, are still active research faculty and supporters of Sigma Xi.
As the world’s oldest and largest scientific research honor society, Sigma Xi is steeped in prestige. More than 200 Nobel prize winners are listed as Sigma Xi members.
The OU Chapter of Sigma Xi is supported by donations from the following offices: OU President, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of Research Administration, Center for Biomedical Research, the Eye Research Institute and the Department of Biological Sciences. With the money raised the chapter sends OU students to attend the Annual International Sigma Xi Student Research Conference.
In addition, in the most recent update to the Carnegie Classification of Higher Education, Oakland University moved up to the second-highest tier of research universities. This tier features colleges and universities with “high research activity,” a designation that puts OU in the top five percent of the 4,424 colleges and universities on the Carnegie Classification list.
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| Oakland University’s Sigma Xi chapter has been recognized by The Scientific Research Honor Society as one of its leading chapters for the initiation of new members. |