Five graduating Neuroscience concentrators have been elected to the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society as part of the “Senior 48”. The new inductees from Neurobiology are: Defne Altan, Waverley He, Anton Gillespie, Norma Hylton, and Melody Tong.
Originally founded in 1776 as a discussion forum, Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. According to its website, Phi Beta Kappa s alumni and members include 17 US Presidents, 40 Supreme Court Justices, and more than 140 Nobel Laureates. The Harvard chapter, founded in 1781, is the oldest continuously running chapter.
Today, Phi Beta Kappa promotes excellence in the liberal arts by inducting students who excel in all areas of study and seek out rigorous course to challenge themselves. Inductees are selected based on a combination of GPA, coursework,and faculty recommendations.
The 2018 final seniors celebrated their election to the honor society with a ceremony that included readings by Kevin Young (‘92) and a speech by paleontologist Kevin Shubin (‘87) of University of Chicago.
by Diana Crow
