top of page

About

IOTA SIGMA PI is a national honor society for women in chemistry. Its major objectives are:

  • to promote interest in chemistry among women students

  • to foster mutual advancement in academic, business, and social life

  • to stimulate personal accomplishment in chemical fields

IOTA SIGMA PI was founded in 1902 and was organized on a nation-wide basis in 1916.

  • Over 11,000 members have been initiated into this organization.

  • Forty-six local chapters have been established in various colleges, universities, and metropolitan areas.

IOTA SIGMA PI serves to promote the advancement of women in chemistry by granting recognition to women who have demonstrated superior scholastic achievement and high professional competence by election into IOTA SIGMA PI.

Five Nobel Laureates are members of Iota Sigma Pi:
Marie Curie, Gerti T. Cori, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, Carolyn Bertozzi, and Frances H. Arnold

Racial Justice Statement 2020

Recent violence against Black Americans has awakened an examination of racism and discrimination in all aspects of life. As “double minorities” in science, Black female chemists face significant hurdles in achieving their career goals.

Iota Sigma Pi was founded to support women who were not always accepted as equals in science. The members of our founding organization were “women chemistry students who were quite isolated because of their choice of courses.”* Since 1901, Iota Sigma Pi has helped women chemists overcome gender discrimination in the chemical sciences with mentoring and networking. We recognize that some women face additional burdens as members of a minority group, and we commit to strengthen our resolve to uplift and support our minority sisters. We pledge to fight all forms of racism, and we welcome everyone in the chemical sciences to join with us in our mission to remove obstacles for all minorities.  We will amplify the voices of minorities and promote their careers via the following:

  • Ensure minorities are being nominated for ISP and other national awards.

  • Promote their research via Iota Sigma Pi social media platforms.

  • Financially sponsor undergraduate attendance at national conferences.

  • Partner with minority-focused organizations and continue collaborations with other scientific societies working to eradicate discrimination and inequality in the chemical sciences.

 

We will continue in our commitment to support women chemists regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

IOTA SIGMA PI is the National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry. Its major objectives are to promote interest in chemistry among women students, to foster mutual advancement in academic, business, and social life; and to stimulate personal accomplishment in chemical fields. IOTA SIGMA PI serves to promote the advancement of women in chemistry by granting recognition to women who have demonstrated superior scholastic achievement and high professional competence by election into IOTA SIGMA PI, www.iotasigmapi.org.

 

*Rituals of Iota Sigma Pi, 2006 edition

bottom of page