National Director Anthony M. Iacopino (left) and Princeton Chapter President David Parris (right) with Award
The Princeton Chapter of Sigma Xi received a Chapter Program Award at the Annual meeting of Sigma Xi in Montreal, Quebec this past weekend. The Chapter was cited for its support of CONNECT-ED, a joint Rider and Princeton University program connecting scientist and engineers with K-12 teachers in Mercer County and the surrounding area. Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, has over 500 chapters located in government, industry, and university centers throughout the world. The Princeton Chapter was one of seven chapters to receive a Chapter Program Award at this meeting. David Parris, President of the Chapter and Curator of Natural History at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton, accepted the award for the Chapter.
"I am delighted that the Princeton Chapter of Sigma Xi has been honored for its contributions to our efforts, in partnership with Rider University, to strengthen the ties between New Jersey's scientists and teachers,” said Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman. “These ties will enrich the educational experience of many school-age children, enhancing their ability to master the challenges of college-level science."
CONNECT-ED (Consortium for New Explorations of Coherent Teacher Education) is led by a leadership team with representation of the consortium partners (area districts and schools, Princeton & Rider Universities and Bristol-Myers Squibb) and facilitated by Anne Catena, Princeton University, and Kathy Browne, Rider University. It addresses the critical points of transition and connection between elementary, middle, and high school students, scientists/engineers, and K-12 science teachers in the community. At the first CONNECT-ED Summer Institute, held last July at Princeton University, six CONNECT-ED teams from East Windsor, Hillsborough, Hopewell Valley, Lawrence, Trenton, and West Windsor-Plainsboro New Jersey School Districts led 28 New Jersey teachers in a week of science curriculum development activities. Six area scientists supported these teams. “Our chapter is honored to win this award”, said Dr. R. Casanova Alig, former President of the Chapter. “It recognizes the dedication of area scientists to community science education.” Long-term Chapter officers Dr. Robert Kaita, Plasma Physics Laboratory, and Dr. William Washburn, Bristol-Myers Squibb, concurred.
Some of the Princeton Sigma Xi Chapter’s support for CONNECT-ED came from the Chapter’s Science Advisor (SciAd) Program. SciAd was established and led by Dr. Rush Holt, former Assistant Director for External Affairs at the Plasma Physics Laboratory and now U. S. Representative for the 12th New Jersey Congressional District, and by Prof. Dan Rubenstein, Chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University. This Program, funded in part by the Dodge Foundation, introduced many area scientists to K-12 New Jersey teachers. SciAd was widely acclaimed for its pioneering work in connecting area scientists and teachers.
