St. Joseph’s College Department of Biology earned honorable mention from the National Biological Honor Society Beta Beta Beta (or TriBeta) for the Lloyd M. Bertholf Award.
Established in 2003, the St. Joseph’s College chapter of TriBeta, Theta Iota, was recognized this semester for their outstanding achievements in the 2018-19 academic year.
“Members of TriBeta are expected to be gifted academically, but dissemination of scientific information and service to the field are truly what separate our students,” said Francis Antonawich, Ph.D., professor and chair of biology at St. Joseph’s.
The Lloyd M. Bertholf Award was established in 1961 by Bertholf himself, who served as the third president of TriBeta and president of Illinois Wesleyan University. The award’s purpose is to celebrate both locally and nationally the chapters that best meet the following four criteria:
- Members actively conduct and publish research.
- Participation in district and national conventions and other scientific meetings.
- Chapter programming and events.
- Orderly record keeping and communication with the national TriBeta office.
“Prior to exams, the honors students set up Common Hour tutoring sessions for our freshmen,” Dr. Antonawich said. “In the first week of school, they meet with freshmen to share tips on how to be a successful biology major at SJC. Theta Iota chapter members participate in the Student Research Symposium, in addition to regional and national conferences.”
Valerie Giordano, Ph.D., associate professor, and Michael Hanophy, Ph.D., professor and associate chair, serve as the advisers for SJC Long Island and SJC Brooklyn, respectively.
