The Greenbrier Valley chapter of the scientific research honor society Sigma Xi, which currently includes 16 students at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) as associate members, received the second-place award as a Chapter of Excellence for the year ending June 30, 2020, out of all chapters internationally.
The award is given based on exceptional chapter activity, innovative programming and community leadership. Nominees are chosen by regional and constituency directors of Sigma Xi based on chapter annual reports. Winners are selected by the organization’s Committee on Qualifications and Membership.
Brian Griffith, Ph.D., a vice president of the local chapter and a member of WVSOM’s biomedical sciences faculty, said the award is Sigma Xi’s most prestigious chapter award.
“It’s wonderful to receive this award and to have been nominated as one of the top chapters in the world,” Griffith said. “It’s a great honor for WVSOM and for the Greenbrier Valley chapter.”
Sigma Xi’s Greenbrier Valley chapter is headquartered at WVSOM and serves individuals and institutions in the southern and eastern regions of West Virginia and adjacent Virginia, including Lewisburg, Beckley, Charleston and Princeton, W.Va., as well as Covington, Va.
A total of 47 WVSOM students have been inducted into the Greenbrier Valley chapter as associate members in the past 10 years. The school has contributed to seven of Sigma Xi’s annual Southern West Virginia Regional Middle School Science Fairs, in addition to research seminar lunches and presentations by Sigma Xi distinguished lecturers. Most recently, the chapter hosted a November presentation by Dr. Agustin Fuentes, a lecturer and a writer for National Geographic, titled “The Creative Species: Imagination and Collaboration in Human Evolution.”
Larry Davis, Ph.D., a WVSOM professor emeritus, is president of the Greenbrier Valley chapter. He said the organization’s members enjoy working with WVSOM in pursuit of goals that benefit both institutions and the public at large.
“Sigma Xi is an advocate for quality scientific research, and seeks to increase everyone’s awareness of science,” Davis said. “Together, our chapter, along with WVSOM and its medical students, have presented an enormous number of scientific outreach activities for children and adults.”
WVSOM is one of only two osteopathic medical schools affiliated with Sigma Xi, whose mission is to enhance the health of the research enterprise, foster integrity in science and engineering, and promote the public’s understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition. The organization was established in 1886 and has chapters across the U.S. and in other countries.