Recent News December 2008

Report By Dr. Whithead on the Annual Meeting

 I am just back from the Sigma Xi annual meet and Student Research meeting in Washington. We had beautiful weather but the Organization ensured that unlike previous years, we

1)    never got out of Hotel except for Evening Meals!

2)    had no Social nor Artistic nor Scientific Activity

3)    were presented with a Ghastly old style Forum on Water: boring big important “cannot keep to time” speakers, ghastly useless chair and pathetic breakout sessions where the speakers talked us into the ground, and facilitators who reported only the speakers remarks!

1)    Found that Sigma Xi is nearly bankrupt because somewhere our Board and Delegate voted to keep the Society Funds and The Centre Cost SEPARATE but this was somehow ignored!

2)    The NE Region and the Canadian/ international Constituency got Delegates to redesign the Annual Meeting and

a)     make the Annual Meeting  have an International Research Conference function: Delegates are to bring their Research Posters, Graduate Students and Undergraduate Students who have won some recognition already at their Universities or Jobs will be invited to compete for Student Awards

b)    have an Intellectual Social Programme, as we used to in Houston, Albuquerque, and Chicago etc.

c)     to publish in full the financial details of the Society and The Centre and how they were joined

d)    Give the Post Docs and Young Investigators relief from the Fee increase by letting them pay Emeritus Fees for ten years

However I fear the Board is packed with “we do not rock the boat” types, except for David Lever who spoke up in our favour. However our new President Howard Ceri did not support our actions, and voted against our motions

My trip back was terrible: 45 min. to get through immigration, twenty

minutes through Customs and thirty min. to get a Taxi!! after a four hour wait in

Washington. We need a better Maupin Travel help to avoid such waste of time

after the last Assembly.

 

View from Room. Oonly view of Washington during the whole weekend.