University of Arkansas Sigma Xi Chapter Receives National Program Award

Photo Submitted

The University of Arkansas chapter of Sigma Xi has been honored by the national office of Sigma Xi for a Sigma Xi Chapter Program Award. The Sigma Xi Society is an international society supporting interdisciplinary scientific research, science ethics, and informed science leadership in our communities and neighborhoods.

The U of A chapter was one of seven chapters recognized out of 523 chapters. The honor was based on the U of A chapter’s Science Café Series for distinguished performance during the year ending June 30. The Chapter Program Award prize is given to chapters that have organized or hosted a single, outstanding program, especially one which is unique or has touched the lives of many. In particular, the Program Award recognizes initiatives which address the four major issues at the foundation of the Society’s mission: honor in science and engineering, science education, science policy, and the public understanding of science.

Science cafés have been gaining popularity in many larger cities worldwide. The primary motivators for the growth of science cafés has been a collaboration between Sigma Xi and NOVA ScienceNOW, mirroring a similar system in the United Kingdom, Café Scientifique. Science cafés generally take place in casual settings, are open to everyone, and feature an engaging conversation with one or more scientists about a particular topic. Science cafés welcome the public and people who may or may not typically get involved with scientific discussions. The goal is to remove the jargon and technical aspects and discuss the topic in an open forum.

The U of A instituted its Science Café efforts in 2011 as a cooperative effort between the chapter (Douglas Rhoads, president), the College of Education and Health Profession’s STEM Center for Math and Science Education (Lynne Hehr, director) and the U of A component of the Arkansas Biosciences Institute (Roger Koeppe, coordinator).

The goal was to create a casual meeting where the public could meet with science experts to answer questions from the attendees and promote public awareness. The UA Science Café has been meeting in the backroom of The Powerhouse restaurant with average attendance of 70-80 people.

Topics for the UA Science Café have included:

• “Quakes and Shakes! Earthquakes in Arkansas,”
• “Wild, Weird and Wicked Weather,”
• “What You 'Water' Know: Water Quality in Northwest Arkansas,”
• “Food Safety and Food Security: The Fight To Protect Our Food Supply,”
• “The American Diet.” The science café for “The American Diet” was featured in a recent issue of Research Frontiers (http://researchfrontiers.uark.edu/17124.php).

Panelists have also been featured on Ozarks at Large on KUAF in advance of the meeting. A typical meeting begins with the invited panelists giving very brief presentations to familiarize the attendees with their area of expertise relative to the topic. The meeting is then opened for questions and comments from the audience.