3 The RAPS Sheet December 2020 RAPSter Scott Burns named Sigma Xi fellow RAPS MEMBER AND LONGTIME Portland State professor Scott Burns was named last August to the inaugural cohort of Sigma Xi Fellows. The cohort of 20 fellows was recognized during the society’s annual meeting in November. “I was humbled by this,” Burns said in an email. “Two other (Sigma Xi) members nominated me without me knowing it!” Sigma Xi was founded in 1886 at Cornell University to honor excellence in scientific investigation and encourage “a sense of companionship and cooperation among researchers in all fields of science and engineering.” The society has nearly 25,000 members in more than 500 chapters throughout the world. More than 200 Sigma Xi members have been recipients of the Nobel Prize. Sigma Xi cited Burns “for distinguished contributions to geology, soil science, terroir and wines, Sigma Xi, community organizations, teaching, mentoring, lifelong learning, and colleagues worldwide.” Burns said he has been on the board of the local Sigma Xi chapter for 30 years. “We have a very dynamic chapter,” he said. “It started out being just PSU, but it has expanded to the whole Portland area and has representatives on the board from OHSU and the University of Portland.” Called the Columbia-Willamette Chapter of Sigma Xi, it encourages students to apply for grants-in-aid for research, offers science fairs for undergraduate and graduate students, and sponsors an outstanding researcher award program to give positive feedback to faculty at both PSU and other schools.“We are a real team and I love being a part of it!” Burns said. An emeritus professor of geology, Burns has taught at Portland State for the past 30 years of his 50-year career. He was recognized with the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Portland State Alumni Association in 2001 and the George Hoffmann Award in 2007. He is the author of more than 100 publications and has had over 25 research grants. Among his books is Cataclysms on the Columbia: The Great Missoula Floods (2009). Burns is the recipient of the Distinguished Practice Award in engineering geology from the Geological Society of America in 2012 and was recognized as the Outstanding Scientist for Oregon in 2014. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. JANUARY Thursday, January 21 Political science professor Christopher Shortell discusses the outcome of the 2020 national presidential election. FEBRUARY Thursday, February 18 Tom Potiowsky, retired economics professor and former economist for the state of Oregon, brings RAPSters up to date on the state’s economy. MARCH Thursday, March 18 Christine Meadows, PSU Opera Program director, and Chuck Dillard, assistant professor of music and theater, give a virtual presentation showing the results of a project begun in fall 2020: two productions of Gian Carlo Menotti’s one-act opera, The Old Maid and the Thief. One production features an all-male cast, the other all-female. APRIL Friday, April 23 The President’s Annual Luncheon for Retired Staff and Faculty, hosted by PSU president Steve Percy, is scheduled to be held in the PSU Ballroom. This meeting will be converted to a Zoom event if the pandemic prevents an in-person gathering. MAY Thursday, May 20 Maryhelen Kincaid, project leader, gives a presentation on “The Vanport Placemarking Project: Remembering and Honoring Vanport’s Significant Cultural History.” The May meeting traditionally ends with an ice cream social, but this may be deferred in 2021. Upcoming RAPS events
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