Historical Roots of the Natick Chapter
Sigma Xi was founded in 1886 at Cornell University as an honor society
for scientists and engineers comparable to Phi Beta Kappa in the humanities. In
1947 a group of Sigma Xi members established the Research Society of America
(RESA) to encourage scientific research in government and industrial
laboratories in the same manner that Sigma Xi did in academia. In 1974 the two
societies merged into Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society of North America
and then a few years later the "of North America" portion was dropped to arrive
at the current name, "Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society."
On 26 March 1957 the RESA chapter of the Army Quartermaster Research and
Development Command at Natick Massachusetts was given its charter. In 1974 the
Natick chapter of RESA became a charter member of the merged national
organization of Sigma Xi.
The original mission of Sigma Xi was expanded at a national meeting in
1989 to: "... honor scientific accomplishments, to encourage and to enhance the
worldwide appreciation and support of original investigation in science and
technology, and to foster worldwide a creative and dynamic interaction among
science, technology, and society".
On 25 April 1997, the 40th anniversary of the Natick Chapter was
celebrated. The featured speaker was Dr. Elsworth Buskirk, one of the charter
members, whose distinguished career has included many Federal Advisory
Appointments as well as outstanding research accomplishments. Dr. Edward
Josephson, first president of Sigma Xi in 1957, was honored during the program.