On May 17, the Fairfield University chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society, welcomed the largest cohort in the society’s 23-year history at the University. Twenty-seven students from the Class of 2023 and four faculty members were inducted at a ceremony and reception at Alumni House on campus.

“This speaks to the caliber of the research that our faculty members are conducting with students, and the interest among our students for graduate-level research opportunities,” said Robert Nazarian, PhD, assistant professor of physics and outgoing Sigma Xi president, who gave remarks at the ceremony. “Many of this year’s inductees have co-authored papers, presented at national conferences, and participated in large scientific collaborations with faculty.”

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.

At Fairfield, Sigma Xi has a number of activities throughout the year, such as hosting a distinguished visiting lecturer in the fall, a Fairfield faculty lecture, the Sigma Xi portion of the Innovative Research Symposium, and an induction ceremony. 

Undergraduate Jillian Bauknecht ’23, a psychology major with a concentration in behavioral neuroscience with minors in sociology and public administration, said that conducting research as an undergrad has allowed her to further her academic career not only through independent discovery, but by being able to collaborate and to share ideas and findings with others.

“It was significant to be inducted into Sigma Xi this year because research has been a big part of my undergraduate experience at Fairfield,” Bauknecht said. The East Haven, Conn., native who aspires to earn a PhD in forensic psychology, will soon begin her post as a clinical research assistant in a clinical neuroscience lab at the Institute of Living in Hartford, Conn.

Sarah O'Neill ’23, a biochemistry major with a minor in mathematics, said she joined Dr. Smith-Carpenter's biochemistry and biomaterials lab during the spring semester of her first year and “immediately fell in love with the research process.”

“I was fortunate enough to contribute to a paper early on in my research experience, and I have spent the last two years developing my own project that explores the catalytic applications of a self-assembling nucleopeptide system,” O'Neill shared. “I was honored to be inducted into Sigma Xi because it recognized my growth as a researcher and my potential as I continue a career in scientific research.”

Originally from Holliston, Mass., O’Neill will be pursuing her PhD in pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania this fall. 

2023 Sigma Xi Inductees

Seniors: Carissa Agostino, Leif Alino, Jillian Bauknecht, Olivia Beaudoin, Natalia Bertolotti, Alexandra Carlotto, Michael Corbett, Julia Courtney, Katherine Eighmy, Grace Gallagher, Katherine Junkins, Andrew Maresca, Tatiana Mesrobian, Jenny Meyer, Sarah Murphy, Kenneisha Norford, Sarah O’Neill, Brenna Petrelli, Elizabeth Ricci, Margaret Rodgers, Margaret Rzucidlo, Katherine Samonek, Philip Scali, and James Vizzard.

Faculty: Danushka Bandara, PhD, Assistant Professor of Computer Science & Software Engineering, School of Engineering; Zhanar Berikkyzy, PhD, Associate Professor of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences; Joseph DeLuca, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences; and Karl Schmidt, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences.