Alpha Chi Sigma

Alpha Chi Sigma
ΑΧΣ
Founded December 11, 1902 (1902-12-11) (109 years ago)
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Type Professional
Scope National
Colors

     Prussian blue

     Chrome yellow
Publication Hexagon
Chapters Collegiate: 48 active; 3 pending
Professional: 9 chapters; 8 groups
Headquarters Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Homepage www.alphachisigma.org

Alpha Chi Sigma (ΑΧΣ) is a professional fraternity specializing in the field of chemistry. It has both collegiate and professional chapters throughout the United States consisting of both men and women and numbering more than 63,400 members. The fraternity aims to bring together students and professionals pursuing a wide variety of chemistry-related careers.

Contents

History

Founding

The Alpha Chi Sigma fraternity was organized at the University of Wisconsin–Madison by a group of undergraduates who were fellow students in chemistry at that time. Later documents set the date of founding as December 11, 1902. The original founders were:

Coat Of Arms

The seven symbols that stretch the length of the coat of arms are the "seven metals of the Ancients": gold, silver, iron, mercury, tin, copper, and lead. These symbols correspond to planets, gods, and days of the week [1].

Metal Gold Silver Iron Mercury Tin Copper Lead
God/Celestial Body Sol/Sun Luna/Moon Mars Mercury Jupiter Venus Saturn
Day of the Week Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

The coat of arms outline is a Hexagon, which is considered sacred, the wyvern represents ignorance.[1] The rest of the symbols on the coat of arms are revealed only to those that go through the initiation ritual. This ritual secrecy is common practice among fraternities and sororities in the United States.

Purpose

The Three Objects of Alpha Chi Sigma:

  1. To bind its members with a tie of true and lasting friendship.
  2. To strive for the advancement of chemistry both as a science and as a profession.
  3. To aid its members by every honorable means in the attainment of their ambitions as chemists throughout their mortal lives.

Membership

Membership to the Alpha Chi Sigma professional chemistry fraternity is open to collegiate and professional men and women with a strong interest in chemistry. Membership is for life. Those who are interested in becoming a member should contact their local (or nearest) chapter for further information about pledgeship and membership.

Famous Members

Nobel Prize in Chemistry

"for his contributions to our knowledge of molecular structure through his investigations on dipole moments and on the diffraction of X-rays and electrons in gases."

"for [his] discoveries in the chemistry of the transuranium elements."

"for his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the elucidation of the structure of complex substances."

"for his work on biochemically important sulphur compounds, especially for the first synthesis of a polypeptide hormone."

"for his method to use carbon-14 for age determination in archaeology, geology, geophysics, and other branches of science."

"for the discovery of the reciprocal relations bearing his name, which are fundamental for the thermodynamics of irreversible processes."

"for his fundamental achievements, both theoretical and experimental, in the physical chemistry of the macromolecules."

"for his studies on the structure of boranes illuminating problems of chemical bonding."

"for [his] development of the use of boron-containing compounds into important reagents in organic synthesis."

"for his development of methodology for chemical synthesis on a solid matrix."

"for developing new ways to synthesize complex molecules ordinarily found in nature."

"for his contributions to the theory of electron transfer reactions in chemical systems."

"for the discovery and development of conductive polymers"

"for palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis"

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

"for his discovery of the chemical nature of vitamin K."

"for [his] discovery that genes act by regulating definite chemical events."

"for [his] interpretation of the genetic code and its functions in protein synthesis."

"for [his] discoveries of Important Principles for Drug Treatment."

"for their discoveries concerning magnetic resonance imaging"

Nobel Prize in Physics

"for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for the detection of cosmic neutrinos."

Nobel Prize in Peace

"for warning of the dangers of radioactive fallout in nuclear weapons testing and war."

Priestley Medal

Other Notable Brothers

Collegiate Chapters

Main article: List of Alpha Chi Sigma chapters

Professional Chapters & Groups

  • Research Triangle Park Professional Chapter
  • San Antonio Professional Group
  • Southern Indiana Professional Group
  • Southwest Virginia Professional Group
  • St. Louis Professional Chapter
  • Sun Cities Professional Group
  • Twin Cities Professional Group
  • Washington, DC Professional Chapter

External links

References

  1. ^ Alpha Chi Sigma Induction Ceremony Manual, Part 9 Page 5
Professional Fraternity Association
Alpha Zeta • Alpha Kappa Psi • Alpha Rho Chi • Alpha Tau Delta • Alpha Phi Omega • Alpha Chi Sigma • Alpha Omega • Alpha Omega Epsilon • Beta Iota Omicron • Gamma Iota Sigma • Delta Epsilon Iota • Delta Theta Phi • Delta Omicron • Delta Sigma Pi • Zeta Phi Eta • Theta Tau • Kappa Delta Epsilon • Kappa Epsilon • Kappa Kappa Psi • Kappa Psi • Lambda Kappa Sigma • Mu Phi Epsilon • Pi Sigma Epsilon • Rho Pi Phi • Sigma Alpha • Sigma Alpha Iota • Sigma Phi Delta • Tau Beta Sigma • Phi Alpha Delta • Phi Beta • Phi Delta Epsilon • Phi Delta Phi • Phi Delta Chi • Phi Rho Sigma • Phi Sigma Pi • Phi Chi Theta • Omega Tau Sigma
North-American Interfraternity Conference
Independent professional fraternities