Battelle Memorial Institute Executive William Wiley Voted President-Elect Of Scientific Honor Society Sigma Xi

President-Elect Of Scientific Honor Society Sigma Xi UNLEADED LEGACY: "These discoveries will affect the health of millions of people for decades to come," asserts Clkair Patterson, regarding the environmentally friendly products that have arisen from his work. William R. Wiley, corporate vice president of research and technology policy at Battelle Memorial Institute, Richland, Wash., was chosen to become the president of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, in 1996-97. Wiley was elected during the society's annual meeting in March. He will assume his position as president-elect for the 1995-96 term on July 1. Headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C., Sigma Xi was founded in 1886 as an honor society for scientists and engineers in the United States. Its goals are to foster interactions among individuals in science, technology, and society; honor scientific achievements; and encourage and support original scientific work. The society awards various research and educational grants, as well as prizes, through its different chapters. In addition, Sigma Xi coordinates a yearly lectureship program and sponsors a national forum on issues of science and society. Membership to the society is by invitation. Students and other individuals who show a potential for scientific research join as associate members. Full membership is conferred on those who continue to make noteworthy contributions through patents and publications. Currently serving as president and president-elect, respectively, are Kumar Patel, vice chancellor for research at the University of California, Los Angeles; and Frederick Robbins, dean, emeritus, at Case Western Reserve University Medical School. As president-elect, Wiley says his first task will be to "learn about and become acquainted with various aspects of the society." Currently Sigma Xi has a membership of about 94,000 scientists and engineers in more than 500 chapters throughout the U.S. at academic institutions, government laboratories, and industrial research centers. After his initial orientation, Wiley seeks to expand the society's role in supporting the next generation of potential members. "Science education at all levels--from K-12 through graduate school--is in a state of significant disrepair in this country," he declares. "And I think that the largest scientific organization has a duty to improve the situation--going to the point of reform in the way we teach science and mathematics." In addition to lending encouragement, he says, the society should provide the intellectual resources for improving science education. For instance, he suggests, "We can think about having [member] scientists participate in teacher workshops" to improve the quality of science education, and have "scientists themselves go into schools, so that younger students recognize that they are not some sort of Frankenstein, but real people who do interesting things." Another aim that Wiley has for his presidency is to have Sigma Xi actively "participate in revamping science and technology policy. We would provide resources at our various chapter centers for legislators to learn about pertinent issues and thus take an active part in the debates." Wiley, 63, received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Tougaloo College in Mississippi in 1954, a master's in microbiology from the University of Illinois in 1960, and a Ph.D. in bacteriology from Washington State University in 1965. Upon graduation, he joined the staff of the Battelle Memorial Institute, where he served in different capacities over the years, including director of research from 1979 to 1984, and as the director of Pacific Northwest Laboratory, which is operated by Battelle for the Department of Energy, from 1984 to 1994. A scientist whose work has focused on the structure and function of biological membranes, Wiley is also a member of the National Research Council's Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable. He was elected to Sigma Xi in 1959. --Neeraja Sankaran

Battelle Memorial Institute Executive William Wiley Voted President-Elect Of Scientific Honor Society Sigma Xi

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