Last month, Fairfield’s University’s chapter 830 of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society, was honored with a Chapter Excellence Award at the Society's annual Assembly of Delegates. This recognition is bestowed on chapters for exceptional chapter activity, innovative programming, and true community leadership.

Kraig Steffen, PhD, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, represented the Fairfield University chapter at the November meeting, and recently served as president of the Fairfield chapter. This is the second time Fairfield’s Sigma Xi chapter has been recognized for excellence, the first time being in 2003.

“Our local Sigma Xi Chapter is an integral part of the rich faculty-student research environment at Fairfield,” said Dr. Steffen. “We help organize the annual Innovative Research Symposium, bring guest speakers to campus, and organize the weekly lunch seminars for student and faculty researchers over the summer. I was honored to receive this award on behalf of our local Sigma Xi Chapter.”

Dr. Steffen offered special recognition to his colleagues and Sigma Xi nominating members, Laura McSweeney, PhD, Bob Cordery, PhD, and Margaret McClure, PhD, and Sigma Xi executive leadership, Amanda Harper-Leatherman, PhD, Rob Nazarian, PhD, and Jessica Karanian, PhD, for their instrumental efforts in earning this acknowledgement.

Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society, is the world’s largest multidisciplinary honor society for scientists and engineers. Its mission is to enhance the health of the research enterprise, foster integrity in science and engineering, and promote the public understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition. Sigma Xi chapters can be found at colleges and universities, government laboratories, and industry research centers around the world. More than 200 Nobel Prize winners have been members.

Learn more at sigmaxi.org.