Oakland University students presented their research on April 3 during the annual Sigma Xi Lecture and Student Research Poster Celebration.
April 29, 2025
The Oakland University chapter of Sigma Xi — the national scientific research honor society — celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with a special presentation that highlighted recent and past accomplishments during the annual Sigma Xi Lecture and Student Research Poster Celebration on Thursday, April 3.
“We are part of a long legacy,” said Dr. Sarah Hosch, Sigma Xi OU chapter president and director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
Founded in 1974, OU’s Sigma Xi chapter is nationally ranked for excellence in recognition of chapter activities and active members. Its mission is to enhance the health of the research enterprise, foster integrity in science and engineering, and promote public understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition.
“We were the youngest university to earn chapter status, at the 75th meeting of the national honor society,” Hosch said. “We had been holding meetings and lectures as the Sigma Xi club since 1967! By bringing together researchers and scientists at all stages — those just exploring their curiosities to retired scientists — the OU culture of excellence in research bridges scientific discovery with community impact.
“Our role in Sigma Xi reflects a fundamental truth: research is not confined to laboratory walls, but is a powerful tool for understanding and addressing real-world challenges,” Hosch added.
The Sigma Xi Lecture featured Dr. Ivette Perfecto, the Bunyan Bryant Collegiate Professor of Environmental Justice at the University of Michigan, as the keynote speaker. Perfecto’s research examines arthropod-mediated ecosystem services in agricultural and agroforestry systems with an emphasis on understanding ecological interactions that result in autonomous pest control and reduction of pesticide use.
“Her work in agroecology demonstrates how scientific inquiry can simultaneously advance academic knowledge and works towards solutions to critical global issues like food sovereignty, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable agriculture,” Hosch said. “Her talk sparked many conversations on how small-scale farming can benefit both biodiversity and increase food supply.”
In addition, the April 3 presentation also featured remarks from Senior Advisor to the Provost Kevin Corcoran, and several Sigma Xi presidents, including Dr. Shailesh Lal, professor of biological sciences; Dr. Fabia Battistuzzi, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and Dr. Frank Giblin, distinguished professor emeritus of biomedical sciences, were also in attendance.
“My name is on the original charter from 1975, so I’ve been here since before the first iteration of Sigma Xi at Oakland University,” Giblin said. “OU has always offered such fantastic opportunities for students to get involved in research. Very few universities have these opportunities for undergraduates to carry out really high-level research. It’s great for the young people.
“I’m 83, and I never conducted any eye research until I was 30 years old,” Giblin added. “These kids are 18 or 19, and they’ve got publications in top journals. It just looks so good on their resumes when applying to medical school or graduate school, to be able to talk about all the different techniques they’ve learned and show their publications. It’s a great credit to Oakland University, and a great credit to our president, Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, who really supports this program and undergraduate research.”
Battistuzzi, who served as president from 2018 until 2021, said she was thrilled to be able to attend the 50th anniversary celebration of OU’s Sigma Xi chapter.
“I think it’s wonderful to see the chapter’s growth over the past 50 years,” she said. “It started as a relatively small endeavor and now we can see how many students are here and presenting their research, and how many faculty are here to support them, as well as those at the administration level. I think it’s impressive that the chapter has had support from all levels of the university for so long. I don’t know how common that is, but I don’t think it’s that common. It’s a great achievement and it’s been wonderful to see the latest developments of the chapter over the past couple of years.”
Lal, who served as president from 2008 until 2018, agreed.
“It’s great to be here for the 50th anniversary,” he said. “During my presidency, we were ranked the highest chapter in terms of enrollment; we were ranked third in the nation. We won back that status this year and are again ranked number three in the nation out of more than 500 chapters.
“I was also a Sigma Xi member when I was a student,” Lal added. “The amount of support we’ve received from our administration has been phenomenal. With their support, we have sent 10 to 15 student delegates to conferences each year for the past 15 or 20 years. Everyone has come together to make this a real success.”
With support from the OU Chapter of Sigma Xi, the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, the Research Office, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Chemistry, and the Center for Biomedical Research, Oakland University recently sent eight students and helped sponsor two students from Rochester High School Sigma Xi Explorers to attend and present at this year's Sigma Xi International Forum on Research Excellence.
“This experience allowed the high school students to have a first-hand look at what it means to be a part of a research project, and gave our students the opportunity to build their mentoring skills,” Hosch said.
Several of the students earned honors and awards, including:
• Donovan Hannish, who earned the top poster award in Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Undergraduate Division.
• Alyssa Paul, who earned the top poster award in Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Graduate Division.
• Paige O’Neill, a student at Rochester High School, earned the president-elect award (the president-elect of Sigma Xi handpicked his favorite poster presentations and awarded them membership into Sigma Xi).
• Heather Durfee, a doctoral student in the Eye Research Institute, received a Sigma Xi Grant in Aid of Research award for Fall 2024.
“Our chapter was also awarded the prestigious Chapter of Excellence Award for 2024 for exceptional chapter activity, innovative programming, and true community leadership,” Hosch said. “This is given to only three chapters out of more than 500 annually.”
Looking ahead, Hosch said the OU Chapter of Sigma Xi plans to continue its role as a mentoring chapter for the Rochester High School Explorers Sigma Xi chapter, which is led by Kara Sears.
“This partnership benefits both the high school students and OU Sigma Xi members,” Hosch said. “We are helping to increase awareness of the STEM fields through faculty mentoring the RHS Explorers students, and providing tours of our research labs and opportunities to engage with OU science faculty and students. In addition, the RHS Explorers are invited to our chapter lectures and activities, including the student research poster celebration.”
“Our chapter is thrilled to continue this partnership as it will strengthen the science community in a new way, engaging students early with the benefits of research and providing our chapter with new mentoring opportunities,” she added.
For more information about OU Chapter of Sigma Xi, visit www.oakland.edu/biology/sigmaxi.