“I’m thrilled that Dr. Macrakis has received this well-deserved honor," said School of History and Sociology Chair Eric Schatzberg. "She has a knack for picking research topics that are both intellectually challenging and exciting to the general public.”

Macrakis, a historian whose scholarship covers topics such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and spying and espionage in the 20th century, was one of 13 members of Sigma Xi to have received the honor. She designated her chosen lecture topics as:

• "Passing the Global Espionage Torch: How Britain Helped the US Expand its Eavesdropping Capabilities"
• "Our Machine in Havana: How We Really Found Missiles on Cuba"
• "Invisible Ink Revealed"

Read more about the distinction and Macrakis' work here.