This semester, five honors students were inducted into the Sigma Xi branch at Whitworth. Sigma Xi is a well-respected National Research Honors Society that supports quantitative research aimed at positively advancing society, according to Dr. Aaron Putzke. 

The five students added this semester include Eleanor Jeffers, Casey Moddrell, Kendall Sandhop, Corrine Vasiloff, and Ethan Worth.

While this organization has traditionally focused on STEM fields, Whitworth has made a goal to include other disciplines with quantitative research. This allows Whitworth’s chapter to be more inclusive with students that are both in STEM and outside of STEM. 

One such student who goes outside the bounds of students normally in Sigma Zi is Casey Moddrell, a junior who is double-majoring in political science and chemistry. Casey heard about Sigma Zi when Dr. Emerson and Dr. Putzke emailed him regarding potentially joining the program. “I enjoy quantifying political phenomena and sought to merge my two areas of study,” Casey commented. “Sigma Zi provides the opportunity for me to do so.” 

The goal of Sigma Xi’s presence on campus is to “enhance the experience of our students by not only supporting their research efforts at Whitworth, but also offering them travel support to present their research at major conferences,” said Dr. Putzke. 

There will also be access to small grants so that students can be supported in the research projects they complete at Whitworth. There are also funds that can be used to invite speakers to campus in efforts to highlight innovative research and promote diversity and inclusivity in the research realm. 

Casey is excited to utilize these resources in the future. He is currently designing a research project that centers around developing a theory regarding propensity to learn STEM- based concepts as it relates to one’s political ideology. He plans to complete this research in the spring. 

“Sigma Zi provides me with the means of doing so [conducting this research], and a supportive backing of individuals who are either conducting research or who have conducted research in the past,” Casey said. 

Dr. Putzke hopes that this Sigma Xi can create a “community of student scholars who see themselves participating in further society by solving major problems in an interdisciplinary manner. This aligns perfectly with the main pillars of the Honors program at Whitworth.” 

Casey enjoys being part of the Honors Program and Sigma Xi because they provide a platform to interact with various individuals who have similar goals and aspirations, yet come from a variety of disciplines. 

For now, being part of Sigma Xi occurs on an invitation-basis to select Honors students. However, Dr. Putzke believes that the program will extend outside of the Honors program down the road. “The only requirement is that students have some connection and experience in performing a research project that has a quantitative angle to it,” Dr. Putzke said. “Other than that, we want to celebrate the work that our students are involved in from many disciplinary angles both on campus and in the larger community.” 

This program has only been on campus for the past two years, and currently has ten student members. The plan is to invite five students per year “so we have a core of enthusiastic students that will build a culture that highlights and supports research on campus,” said Dr. Putzke. 

Ten faculty members are also part of Sigma Xi, as part of the national charter.