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{{Short description|Honor society for science and engineering}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}} {{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox Fraternity
| name = Sigma Xi
| letters = {{lang|grc|ΣΞ}}
| motto = {{lang|grc|Σπουδῶν Ξυνῶνες}}<br>({{transliteration|grc|Spoudon Xynones}})<br>"Companions in Zealous Research"
| member badge = [[File:Sigma Xi badge.png|90px]]
| crest = SigmaXi.JPG
| image_size = 120px
| founded = {{start date and age|1886|11}}
| birthplace = [[Cornell University]]
| affiliation = HSC
| former_affiliation = ACHS
| status = Active
| type = Honor
| scope = International
| emphasis = Science and Engineering
| colors = {{color box|#59CBE8}} [[Electric blue (color)|Electric blue]] and {{color box|#FFFFFF}} [[White]] <!--The "Electric blue" used here is the standard value of that color, noted in some sources to be "close to Cyan".  However, there are several, later variants of Electric blue such as #54B0FF and #517EF5.  The Society's specific branding guide may offer further clarification.  The White shown here, is basic white.-->
| publication = ''[[American Scientist]]''
| members = 
| flower = 
| symbol = 
| chapters = 370 active, 170 inactive
| address = 3200 East NC Highway 54<br>Suite 300
| city = [[Research Triangle Park]]
| state = [[North Carolina]]
| ZIP code = 27709
| country = United States
| homepage = {{URL|http://www.sigmaxi.org}}
| lifetime = 60,000
}}

'''Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society''' ('''{{lang|grc|ΣΞ}}''') is an international [[non-profit]] [[honor society]] for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at [[Cornell University]] by a faculty member and graduate students in 1886 and is one of the oldest honor societies. Membership in Sigma Xi is by invitation only, where members nominate others on the basis of their research achievements or potential. The society was a founding member of the [[Association of College Honor Societies]] in 1925, but withdrew in 1933 and much later was a founder of to form the [[Honor Society Caucus]]. 

== History ==
Sigma Xi was founded in November 1886 at the Sibling College of Mechanical Engineering at [[Cornell University]] in [[Ithaca, New York]].<ref name=":1">Shepardson, Francis Wayland, ed. ''[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b3119647?urlappend=%3Bseq=401%3Bownerid=9007199274521349-439 Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, 12th edition]''. Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press/George Banta Publishing Company, 1930. pp. 369-371. ''via'' Hathi Trust.</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society Records, 1928-2003 |url=https://lib.ncsu.edu/findingaids/mc00246 |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=North Carolina State University Libraries |language=en}}</ref> Its founders were [[Henry Shaler Williams]], a Cornell faculty member, junior faculty Frank Van Vleck, and engineering graduate students John J. Berger, William A. Day, John Knickerbacker, William A. Mosscrop, William H. Riley, William N. Sanderson, Henry E. Smith, and Charles B. Wing.<ref name=":2">Baird, William Raimond, ed. ''[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951p00008124l?urlappend=%3Bseq=272%3Bownerid=13510798903199779-306 American College Fraternities, 4th edition].'' New York: James P. Downs, 1890. p. 182-182. via Hathi Trust.</ref><ref name="history5">{{cite journal |author=Michael M. Sokal |date=September 1986 |year= |title=Companions in Zealous Research, 1886&ndash;1986 |url=http://www.sigmaxi.org/about/organization/history.pdf |journal=[[American Scientist]] |volume=74 |issue=5 |page=486&ndash;508 |bibcode=1986AmSci..74..486S}}</ref> Their goal was to created a scientific society comparable to [[Phi Beta Kappa]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name="history5" /> The society's primary objective was to acknowledge significant scientific research and foster cooperation among scientists from various disciplines. Williams was its first president.<ref name="history5" />

In 1887, Sigma Xi became a national organization, establishing chapters at [[Stevens Institute of Technology]], [[Rutgers University|Rutgers College]], [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]], and [[Union College]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name="history5" /> It 1888, began inducting female members, including [[Anna Botsford Comstock]] and [[Susanna Phelps Gage]].<ref name="history5" /><ref name=":3" /> The society held its first convention in Ithaca in 1893, where its members drafted a new constitution.<ref name="history5" /> In 1899, it held its convention in conjunction with that of [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]].<ref name="history5" /> At the end of the 19th century, Sigma Xi consisted of over 1,000 members in eight chapters.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="history5" />
[[File:Portrait of the attendees of a Sigma Xi dinner, Yale University (12483540544).jpg|left|thumb|300x300px|Sigma Xi dinner at Yale University circa 1911]]
In the early 20th century, following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake]], Sigma Xi's [[Stanford University|Stanford]] and [[University of California, Berkeley|Berkeley]] chapters were involved in reconstruction and public health initiatives.<ref name=":0" />During [[World War I]], the [[National Research Council (United States)|National Research Council]] collaborated with Sigma Xi to organize research facilities.<ref name=":0" /> The society expanded significantly after the war, and by 1930, it had 20,000 members.<ref name=":1" /> 

Sigma Xi was one of six honor societies that co-founded the [[Association of College Honor Societies]] (ACHS) on {{dts|1925|12|30}}.<ref name="moore">{{cite web |author=Maurice L. Moore |title=Historical Information |url=https://achs.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/ACHS%20Historical%20Overview%20%20-%20As%20related%20by%20Maurice%20L.%20Moore%2C%20March%2015%2C%201983.pdf |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=February 7, 2025 |website=Association of College Honor Societies}}</ref> Its participation was short lived, with the decision to withdraw and operate again as an independent society made just over a decade later, effective in {{dts|1933}}.<ref name="moore" /> It resigned from ACHS because "it had decided to devote itself to research primarily, that it no longer considered itself a strictly college organization, and hence was somewhat outside of the field occupied by the Association, and that for these reasons it felt constrained to withdraw from the Association."<ref name="moore" />

Sigma Xi initiated the Distinguished Lectureships Program in the late 1930s, aimed at promoting its activities and research findings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Distinguished Lectureships |url=https://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/lectureships |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=Sigma Xi}}</ref> By 1950, the society's membership numbered 42,000.<ref name=":0" /> In 1947, it formed the Scientific Research Society of America (RESA) was created to support research in various settings.<ref name="history5" /> Member Thomas T. Holme became the society's executive secretary in 1953 through 1981, steering Sigma Xi through rapid growth and societal changes.<ref name=":3" /> In 1963, the society had 139 chapters and 175,000 members.<ref name=":5">Robson, John, ed. (1963). ''Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities'' (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 627-629.</ref>   

Sigma Xi and RESA combined on January 1, 1974, under the name Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.<ref name="history5" /> In 1989, Sigma Xi revised its mission statement, emphasizing the importance of science and its role in society. The society remains committed to recognizing scientific achievements and promoting global collaboration in science and technology.  

Sigma Xi participates in a loosely coordinated lobbying association of four of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor societies, called the [[Honor Society Caucus|Honor SocietyCaucus]], with [[Phi Beta Kappa]], [[Phi Kappa Phi]], Sigma Xi, and [[Omicron Delta Kappa]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Honor Society Caucus {{!}} Honor Society |url=https://www.phikappaphi.org/join/why-join/the-phi-kappa-phi-difference |access-date=2021-10-22 |website=Phi Kappa Phi}}</ref> Sigma Xi has nearly 60,000 members who were elected to membership based on their research achievements and potential.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.sigmaxi.org/about/history |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Sigma Xi}}</ref> The society's headquarters is in [[Research Triangle Park, North Carolina]].<ref name=":3" />

==Symbols==
The [[Greek letters]] '''{{lang|grc|ΣΞ}}''' form the acronym of the society's motto, {{lang|grc|Σπουδῶν Ξυνῶνες}} or {{transliteration|grc|Spoudon Xynones}}, which translates as "Companions in Zealous Research."<ref name=":3" /> According to Sigma Xi President Tee L. Guidotti,

<blockquote>"Sigma Xi, of course, is our basic name and has been since the organization was founded in 1886 as the scientific and engineering counterpart to Phi Beta Kappa. Like all "Greek letter" societies, whether professional or social, it is an acronym for the motto of the organization, {{lang|grc|Σπουδων Ξυνωνες}} (Spoudon Xynones), which translates as "companions in Zealous Research." For many years, we were referred to as "Society of the Sigma Xi." In the early twentieth century, some in the leadership wanted "Sigma Xi" to be dropped altogether in favor of some formulation such as "Scientific Research Society of America." In a strange quirk of history, both names survived because the organization split in the 1940s into an academic honor society (Sigma Xi) and an honor society for applied research and engineering (the Scientific Research Society of America, called RESA). RESA was a separate entity, wholly owned by Sigma Xi, and represented engineers and scientists at non-academic institutions, such as government and industrial research laboratories. In an even stranger development, Sigma Xi and RESA merged back together in 1974 and eventually began calling itself Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society."<ref name="name">Guidotti, Tee L. "[https://www.sigmaxi.org/news/keyed-in/post/keyed-in/2016/12/13/sigma-xi-the-scientific-research-honor-society Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society]" ''Keyed In Blog''. 13 December 2016.</ref></blockquote>The Sigma Xi badge is a watch chain pendant consisting of a monogram of the Greek letters '''{{lang|grc|ΣΞ}}'''.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" /> The society's colors are electric blue and white.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Honor Cord |url=https://www.hjgreek.com/product/showProduct/organizationCategoryID/2985/productID/65345 |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Herff Jones Greek}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> Its members may wear a blue and white [[Honor cords|honor cord]] at graduation.<ref name=":4" /> Its publication is ''[[American Scientist]]''.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2017-01-20 |title=About Us |url=https://www.americanscientist.org/content/about-us |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=American Scientist |language=en}}</ref>

== Membership ==
Membership in Sigma Xi is by invitation only, where members nominate others on the basis of their research achievements or potential.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Membership: Sigma XI: Purdue University |url=https://www.purdue.edu/research/sigmaxi/membership.html |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=Purdue University}}</ref> The society's membership consists of faculty and staff who have contributed to noteworthy research in a scientific field, undergraduate students who have excellence in the study of science, and graduate students who have demonstrated excellence in applies or pure science fields.<ref name=":1" />

== Activities ==
In addition to publishing ''[[American Scientist]]'' magazine, Sigma Xi provides grants annually to promising young researchers.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Grants in Aid of Research |url=https://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/grants-in-aid |website=Sigma Xi}}</ref> It also sponsors a variety of programs and lectures supporting [[ethics]] in [[research]], [[science]] and [[engineering]] [[education]], the public understanding of [[science]], international research cooperation and the overall health of the research enterprise.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Student Programs |url=https://www.sigmaxi.org/about/donate/donations/student-programs |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Sigma Xi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Programs |url=https://www.sigmaxi.org/programs |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Sigma Xi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Distinguished Lectureships |url=https://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/lectureships |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Sigma Xi}}</ref>

=== William Procter Prizes ===
[[File:William Procter Prize awarded to Rita Colwell by Sigma Xi (cropped).jpg|thumb|William Procter Prize awarded to [[Rita R. Colwell|Rita Colwell]] by Sigma Xi]]
The [[William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement]] is an award presented by Sigma Xi. This prestigious prize is given to a scientist who has made an outstanding contribution to scientific research and has demonstrated an ability to communicate the significance of this research to scientists in other disciplines.

The prize was established in 1950 in honor of [[William Procter (industrialist)|William Procter]], a distinguished business leader and philanthropist who had a strong commitment to scientific research and development.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Storz |first=Emily |date=2018-07-13 |title=Ann Skalka Wins 2018 William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement |url=https://www.foxchase.org/news/2018-07-13-Skalka-2018-Procter-Prize |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=Fox Chase Cancer Center |language=en}}</ref> Procter was an heir to the [[Procter & Gamble|Procter & Gamble Company]] and served as its president and chairman.

Recipients of the William Procter Prize are recognized for their achievements in both research and communication, reflecting the dual emphasis of Sigma Xi on promoting both scientific excellence and interdisciplinary communication.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 31, 2021 |title=Fischhoff awarded Sigma Xi William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement - Engineering and Public Policy |url=http://www.cmu.edu/epp/news/2021/fischhoff-awarded-sigma-xi-william-procter-prize-for-scientific-achievement.html |access-date=June 12, 2025 |website=Engineering and Public Policy {{!}} Carnegie Mellon University |language=en}}</ref> Along with the recognition, the awardee also delivers a lecture at the society's annual meeting or another appropriate occasion.

Over the years, the William Procter Prize has been awarded to many notable scientists from a wide range of disciplines, underscoring the prize's commitment to honoring and promoting interdisciplinary research.

==Chapters==
{{main|List of Sigma Xi chapters}}

As of May 4, 2023, it has chartered more than 550 chapters, with 350 active chapters in the United States and over 20 chapters in other countries.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" />

==Notable members==
{{main|List of Sigma Xi members}}
More than 200 winners of the [[Nobel Prize]] have been [[List of Sigma Xi members|Sigma Xi members]], including [[Francis Crick]], [[Jennifer Doudna]], [[Albert Einstein]], [[Enrico Fermi]], [[Richard Feynman]], [[John Goodenough]], [[Linus Pauling]], and [[James D. Watson|James Watson]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Courtney Fox |date=March 19, 2025 |title=Temple’s Dr. Levent Dumenci Earns Prestigious Spot in Sigma Xi Scientific Honor Society {{!}} College of Public Health |url=https://cph.temple.edu/news/2025/03/temples-dr-levent-dumenci-earns-prestigious-spot-sigma-xi-scientific-honor-society |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Temple University |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 1969 |title=Enrico Fermi, Nobel Laureate Physicist |url=https://history.fnal.gov/virtual/renaming_page8.html |access-date=June 12, 2025 |work=The Village Crier |pages=1 |volume=1 |issue=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Swingly |first=Katie |date=2014 |title=Sigma Xi Records An inventory of its records at the Syracuse University Archives |url=https://library.syracuse.edu/digital/guides_sua/html/sua_sigma_xi_prt.htm |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Syracuse University Libraries}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=October 8, 2020 |title=Sigma Xi Member Jennifer A. Doudna Receives Nobel Prize in Chemistry |url=https://www.sigmaxi.org/news/news-archive/2020/10/08/sigma-xi-member-jennifer-a.-doudna-receives-nobel-prize-in-chemistry |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Sigma Xi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=October 9, 2019 |title=Sigma Xi Member John B. Goodenough Receives Nobel Prize in Chemistry |url=https://www.sigmaxi.org/news/news-archive/2019/10/09/sigma-xi-member-john-b.-goodenough-receives-nobel-prize-in-chemistry |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Sigma Xi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 6, 2018 |title=Nobel Laureates Will Be Honored in Research Triangle Park |url=https://www.sigmaxi.org/news/news-archive/2018/04/06/nobel-laureates-will-be-honored-in-research-triangle-park |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Sigma Xi}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Honor cords]]
*[[Honor society]]
*[[Professional fraternities and sororities]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|https://www.sigmaxi.org/}}
*[https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/findingaids/mc00246 Guide to the Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society Records 1928-2003]

{{Association of College Honor Societies}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:International scientific organizations]]
[[Category:Scientific societies based in the United States]]
[[Category:1886 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Scientific organizations established in 1886]]
[[Category:Former members of Association of College Honor Societies]]
[[Category:Student organizations established in 1886]]
[[Category:Honor Society Caucus]]
[[Category:Engineering honor societies]]