Growing Together Through Service: TriBeta Holds First Induction Ceremony on Campus
A new honor society is bringing biology majors together to promote research, collaboration, and community service.
Twenty-nine students were inducted into the Delta Sigma Upsilon chapter of TriBeta, the national biological honor society, during a special ceremony on January 28 in the DeSales University Center.
Joshua Slee, Ph.D., head of the Division of Sciences and Mathematics, and Austen Barnett, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, kickstarted the initiative by reaching out to David Royer, Ph.D., a biology graduate from the Class of 1970, who serves as a TriBeta district director.
During the fall semester, Batur Yaman ’24, a biology major and vice president of the DeSales chapter, was selected to meet with Royer to learn more about the society.
“The key thing that he outlined is that there are three principles of TriBeta: to promote scholarship in the biological sciences, to promote the dissemination of biological knowledge, and to encourage research. Our biology faculty and students really represent those ideals, and we thought it would be worthwhile to form this society so that like-minded students can grow together through our service.”
The society’s first outreach program is already in the works. Students will visit Liberty Bell Elementary School in Coopersburg to perform fun science demos with oobleck, which is similar to slime, and a Van de Graaff generator.
Members will also have the chance to network with other local TriBeta chapters. And they’ll participate in a mentorship program that pairs them with first-year students and sophomores at DeSales who are studying biology and neuroscience.
“The mentor program expands our connections and allows us to put ourselves out there to relate to younger students because we were in their shoes,” said Amelia Saunders ’24, a biology major who serves as president of the DeSales chapter. “We can be a voice of advice about which classes to take, studying habits, and also just sharing our path to success.”
For Royer, who presided over the ceremony, returning to campus to install the newest TriBeta chapter was a very special experience. He noted that the biology department was very strong when he was a student, and that it remains a department with high standards.
“I am confident that the combination of hardworking students and dedicated faculty advisors will result in an active and productive chapter,” Royer said. “On a personal note, I am forever thankful for the strong education I received at DeSales and for the many special memories of my years there.”
