Twenty-five students, two alumni and one faculty member will be inducted into the Eckerd College chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious honor society, during a ceremony on May 15.
Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is this nation’s oldest society for recognition of academic excellence and scholarly achievement. A distinction granted to only 270 colleges and universities nationwide, the Zeta Chapter of Florida was granted to Eckerd College at the 40th Council in 2003.
Election to membership in Phi Beta Kappa is one of the highest honors that an undergraduate student may earn. In addition to undergraduates, a select number of alumni members who were students before the chapter was created, may be elected based on their undergraduate academic record and their professional accomplishments.
The two new alumni members are:
- Ian Johnson ’89 who earned a BA with High Honors with a major in Economics, is a member of the Eckerd College Board of Trustees since 2005. He was in the inaugural class of Ford Scholars and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Finance from Boston College. He is now the Vice President of Product Development and Implementation for Pyramis Global Financial Advisor and serves on the Eckerd Board’s Investment Committee.
- Susan Slaugenhaupt ’85 earned a BS degree with a major in Biology and is a member of the Eckerd College Board of Trustees. She earned her MS and PhD degrees in Human Genetics from the University of Pittsburgh. She is Professor of Neurology in the Center for Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Her research interests include the discovery and characterization of human disease genes and the role of the mRNA splicing in human disease.
Joel Thompson, Professor of Marine and Geosciences, will be inducted as an honorary faculty member. His research research areas include geomicrobiology, biogeochemistry, biogenic mineralization, sediment diagenesis, microbialites, and chemical and geological oceanography. He holds a Ph.D. in Marine Geochemistry from Syracuse University.
The student inductees are:
Juniors:
- Ross Harrison Busch Tierra Verde, International Relations and Government Affairs
- Rachel Lee Beck St. Petersburg, Environmental Studies and Political Science
- Dylan M. Gray Uniondale, Ind. Psychology and Sociology
- Colleen Elizabeth O’Brien Chardon, Ohio Marine Science and Biochemistry
- Emma Rose Sheffield Groton, Mass., Biology
Seniors:
- Kimberly Ellen Anderson St. Paul, Minn., Biochemistry
- Stephen Carl Bruce South Dartmouth, Mass., Environmental Studies
- Ashleen Nicole Brydum Denver, Colo., Communication
- Maria Julia Castro Seminole, Philosophy and Literature
- Larissa Chavez Centennial, Colo., Psychology and Spanish
- Robin Elyn Dein Madison, Wis., Environmental Studies
- Frank DiCicco Sarasota, American Studies
- Julie Ellen Fisher St. Petersburg, History and American Studies
- Tiffany Alynn Flor Longwood, Fla., Mathematics and Computer Science
- Natasha Yamile Flores St. Petersburg, Marine Science
- Anthony Robert Hayes Palm Harbor, International Relations/Global Affairs
- Chloe Rose Holzinger St. Petersburg, Marine Science
- Kaitlyn Nicole Lantz St. Petersburg, International Relations/Global Affairs and Spanish
- Wyatt Cameron McMurry Prospect, Ky., Literature and Creative Writing
- Christine Eliana Michael Wyckoff, N.J., Marine Science
- April Iris Murphy Orlando International Relations/Global Affairs
- Karyn Jo Rose Paradis New Hartford, Conn., Anthropology
- Katherine Elise Pemberton Boulder, Colo., Biology
- Solvig Hellgren Sayre Vineyard Haven, Mass., International Relations/Global Affairs
- Mara Emory Shingleton Butler, Pa., International Relations/Global Affairs, Spanish
