Junior faculty member Frank van Vleck and a group of engineering students founded Sigma Xi (an honor society of research scientists and engineers) at Cornell University in 1886. It began publishing a quarterly bulletin (now the prestigious American Scientist) in 1913. As the society grew, it began taking part in scientific issues of national importance (for example, preparations for World War I). In 1947, a group of Sigma Xi members founded the Scientific Research Society of America (RESA) in order to encourage research in government and industrial laboratories. The group merged with Sigma Xi in 1974, at which time the organization's name was changed to Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society of North America. The current name, Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, was adopted a few years later. In conjunction with Sigma Xi's centennial, the group (aided by a National Science Foundation grant) created a New Agenda for Science in order to address issues that would be of importance to scientists in the coming years. Sigma Xi's constitution was modified accordingly in 1989. Today, Sigma Xi boasts over 60,000 members in more than 500 chapters around the world.