Sigma Xi was founded in 1886 by a group of engineering students under the mentorship of Frank von Fleck of Cornell University.  It began as a society of scientists and engineers devoted to research.   Today, it is an international society with over 80,000 members and over 500 local chapters worldwide.  The National Headquarters are located in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park.  The society's scholarly journal, American Scientist, is published six times each year.