DANBURY — Western Connecticut State University will host the Northeast Regional Research Conference for Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society, from 9 am-4 pm on Saturday, April 18, in the Student Center on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White Street in Danbury.

This one-day event is a celebration of interdisciplinary research and learning opportunities, hosted by the WCSU Chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society for interdisciplinary research in the sciences and engineering. The conference will provide an opportunity for students and professionals in the northeastern United States to engage in conversation about study and research opportunities, and to network with distinguished keynote speakers and other Sigma Xi researchers from across the Northeast. A special session for exemplary high school student research will be included.

The day’s theme is “The Interdisciplinary Nature of Research,” and it will be addressed by three distinguished keynote speakers.

The first is Dr Dustin Rubenstein, a Sigma Xi distinguished lecturer and Thomas Hunt Morgan professor of Conservation Biology at Columbia University. Rubenstein will discuss “Cooperation in a Changing World.”

The second is Dr Matthew Tracy, 2025 Rudy Ruggles Interdisciplinary Research Award recipient and associate professor of chemistry at University of Pittsburgh Johnstown. Tracy will speak about “Preparation and Biological Evaluation of Amide-Containing Quorum Sensing.”

The final keynote speaker is Dr Katerina Trepekli, environmental scientist and advisor to the minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection in Greece. Trepekli is also a WCSU Visiting Scholar and 2025 Fullbright candidate. She will discuss “Applying Deep Learning and Remote Sensing Observations in Building Community Resilience.”

Also, during the event, the Sigma Xi Service Award will be presented to Dr Pamela K. Kerrigan, assistant dean, a professor at University of Mount Saint Vincent and an American Chemical Society Fellow.

Daniel I. Rubenstein, president of Sigma Xi, Class of 1877 professor of zoology emeritus; senior scholar, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University, will deliver welcome remarks.

The public is invited. The advance registration cost is $35 plus fees for Sigma Xi members and students, and $40 plus fees for non-members. The fee is $50 at the door. Register to attend at wcsutickets.regfox.com/sigma-xi-conference-2026. A light breakfast and boxed lunch are included.

For more information, contact Dr Theodora Pinou at pinout@wcsu.edu or Communications and Marketing at pr@wcsu.edu.