Date, Time, and Location
5:45 PM – 9:00 PM, November 3 (Monday), 2025
MIT Bldg 10-250
Overview
The 2025 Sigma Xi Gold Key Award Presentation honors Dr. Jennifer A. Lewis, a pioneering leader in materials science and bioengineering whose work bridges discovery and real-world impact. Hosted by the MIT Sigma Xi in collaboration with the national office, this event celebrates excellence in interdisciplinary research and the revitalization of Sigma Xi’s presence at MIT through an evening of lecture, dialogue, and community gathering.
Program
| 5:45–6:00 | Check-in |
| 6:00–6:10 | Opening Remark & Keynote Introduction Jamie Vernon (Sigma Xi) |
| 6:10–6:15 | Award Presentation Jamie Vernon (Sigma Xi) & Kathy Lu (UAB) |
| 6:15–6:45 | Keynote Talk Jennifer Lewis (Harvard SEAS) |
| 6:45–7:00 | Closing Remark Jamie Vernon (Sigma Xi) |
| 7:00–7:30 | Reception |
| 7:30–9:00 | Honoree & Leadership Dinner |
Award Lecture
Jennifer A. Lewis
Dr. Lewis is the Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. She is being honored with the Sigma Xi Gold Key Award for her extraordinary contributions to materials science, bioengineering, and additive manufacturing, which have not only advanced scientific knowledge but also transformed industrial practices, influenced policy, and broadened access to scientific research and education across communities.
“I do want to share this quote from Jackie Robinson: ‘A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.‘… At the end of the day, I think when you look back on what really matters is the people that you’ve engaged with, people that you’ve learned from, people that you’ve helped along the way, hopefully mentored and helped them realize their own dreams.”
“My guiding principles have always been team first… I’ve also always emphasized quality over quantity… and trying to do science with integrity… there are many times where you’re going to be choosing between something that’s self-serving and something that’s more broadly serving… if you do things with integrity, most of the time you’re going to be choosing to do more broadly serving things… and I think that ends up in the long run being the right path.”
“I want to start with my high school teacher, Mrs. Kaldor, who was my English teacher, by the way, not science or math, but she believed in me at a very young age and remained a friend for many decades.”
Local Organization and Hosting
Ray Lee (coordination)
Jiafu Zeng (operations)
Shubham Yadav (logistics support)
Michael Cima (institutional support)
Wendy Brown (institutional coordination)
Sponsor
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society (ΣΞ)
