Bing Xue, a PhD student in the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Department of Chemistry, was awarded a Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research to support her research on biodegradable hydrogel microparticles for cancer therapy. Bing Xue conducts research in the lab of Dr. Eugenia Kharlampieva.

Sigma Xi is the international honor society of science and engineering. One of the oldest and largest scientific organizations in the world, Sigma Xi has a distinguished history of service to science and society for more than 125 five years. More than 200 Nobel Prize winners have been members. The Grant-in-Aid of Research program is highly competitive, with only 15% of applicants receive any level of funding.