Professor Nam Ki Hyun of the College of Liberal Arts at Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) has been elected as a Full Member of “Sigma Xi (The Scientific Research Honor Society),” a U.S.-based scientific research honor society.
 
Sigma Xi is an honor society in the fields of science and engineering founded in 1886 at Cornell University in the United States; it is an academic organization that elects members based on their original research achievements and academic contributions. Unlike the membership processes of typical academic organizations, Sigma Xi operates a system in which members are elected through a nomination and qualification review process based on researchers’ original research achievements and academic qualifications. In particular, Full Members are elected from among researchers who have demonstrated original research achievements.
 
Sigma Xi boasts a 140-year history and academic tradition, and its roster of past members includes more than 230 Nobel laureates. Notable past members include Albert Einstein, who established the theory of relativity; Richard Feynman, who contributed to research in quantum electrodynamics; Enrico Fermi, who contributed to the advancement of nuclear physics; James Watson and Francis Crick, who elucidated the double-helix structure of DNA; and Jennifer Doudna, who contributed to the development of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology.
 
Sigma Xi not only serves as an honorary society that elects outstanding researchers but also carries out various activities to advance science and technology and contribute to society. Since 1922, it has operated the “Grants in Aid of Research” program to support the cultivation of the next generation of science and technology talent. It also contributes to the dissemination of scientific knowledge and the enhancement of public trust in science through the publication of the popular science magazine *American Scientist*, the operation of science outreach programs, the promotion of research ethics, and the facilitation of interdisciplinary exchange.
 
Professor Nam Ki Hyun’s election as a full member of Sigma Xi was based on the society’s selection criteria, which recognize researchers who have demonstrated original research achievements. This recognition is significant in that it signifies that his accumulated research achievements and academic activities have been acknowledged by the international scientific research community.