A Letter From the President
Being president for the Beta Lambda chapter this year has been a great experience. The year started off great with one of the largest number of new members in our chapter's history. I think it all started off with our booth at the opportunity fair. The booth gave freshmen and sophomores a glimpse of what Sigma Zeta is all about and allowed them to see what they needed to do to get accepted for membership. I also sent out letters to all of the professors in the fields that are part of Sigma Zeta, asking them to present just a little bit of information about our chapter to get the word out. All of the publicity added up to a great year of new members. Our first meeting allowed all of the new members to meet each other and go through the induction ceremony. A short devotional was also given by Suzanne Ng. Our first activity was in the fall in conjunction with Earthkeepers, another active club at Messiah. We went into inner-city Harrisburg and cleaned up the area around a Boys and Girls Club. The contact that we organized the project with from Campus Compact then took us all out to lunch to conclude a great day of community service. Spring semester started out with a productive trip to the national conference at Malone College in Canton, Ohio. 9 members were able to attend with one member, myself, presenting a research paper. The final day of the conference was very productive with our chapter, Beta Lambda, winning the Founders Cup for the first time in our existence at Messiah College. The Founders Cup is given to the chapter represented at the National Conference that submits an application and is chosen to be the most active during the year. Our next activity was very interesting because it involved a trip to a state-of-the-art farm in southern Pennsylvania. Mason Dixon farms is one of the only farms in the area to utilize manure fermentation to produce methane. The methane is then used to generate electric power which in turn runs all of the machinery on the farm. The farm also boasts a cow train which was designed by the owners son that automatically positions and prepares the cows for milking. The next day, Sigma Zeta teamed up with the Biology club to go to Shenks Ferry wildflower preserve for a great day of identifying flowers and birds. By the end of the semester, we hope to have a meeting to conclude the semester and allow the new officers to introduce themselves and get used to their new leadership roles. I hope that they will be able to learn from the accomplishments of this year and continue to improve and add new activities. President Beta Lambda Chapter, Nathan Dubach
A Letter From the Next President
Sigma Zeta is a growing organization and an outstanding means by which students across the country can become actively involved in original scientific research. The Beta Lambda chapter is still young-- though it continues to grow and mature in its identity and service to the community as well as to its members. Each year the chapter has set new goals. Under the leadership of Nathan Dubach, the organization reached new heights in national membership participation, community work, and local group activities. As a result of the group's achievements and spirit, the Beta Lambda chapter holds the 1997 Founders Cup pictured on this page. As I now prepare to carry the torch through the 1997-1998 academic year, it is time to develop new aspirations, to work toward new levels of achievement, and seek original ways in which to encourage participation and service. Now, holding the Founders Cup for outstanding service, the chapter must continue that legacy of rapid growth and activity not to earn future recognition but to build upon our legacy as exceptional students of the sciences at Messiah College. Sincerely, Christopher Reed
