Hastings College’s Pi Omicron chapter of Tri-Beta received the organization’s national Lloyd M. Bertholf Award, honoring their achievements in the 2016-17 academic year. This is the highest award a chapter in Tri-Beta can receive for programming, and is the first time Hastings College has been honored as the top Tri-Beta chapter in the nation.
“In the last 11 years, we have been recognized nine times for the work we do, including a second place award in 2012-13, but this is the first time we’ve received the top award,” said Dr. Amy Morris, faculty sponsor for Tri-Beta. “It is always gratifying to be recognized for the work we do.”
To apply for the award, a chapter must complete an extensive form detailing its activities for the previous academic year. Four activity categories are considers, and each is evaluated by a point system. The categories include student research, participation in district and national conventions, chapter programming and relationship with the national office of Tri-Beta.
Hastings College highlighted students’ presentations at conferences, students’ work with summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and on-campus activities hosted by the chapter, including its annual Darwin Day.
“Receiving this award represents how what we’re doing through Tri-Beta to extend our education beyond the classroom has been beneficial to our understanding of science and the purpose of scientific research,” said chapter president Jake Fowler, a biology major from Hastings. “Several of our Tri-Beta members were heavily involved in conducting their own research, and some were awarded grants from the Tri-Beta research foundation to help fund that research, and most went on to present their research at a district convention or our college’s Academic Showcase Day. We’ve also made moves to strengthen our community service efforts, so I hope that this award is positive reinforcement for each of those engagements in the future.”
Hastings College’s application for the Lloyd M. Bertholf Award was completed almost entirely by the student officers of the chapter. The chapter will be formally recognized for their award at the organization’s national conference in June.
The Lloyd M. Bertholf Award was established in 1961. Its purpose was to provide national and local recognition to the chapter that most nearly met a series of criteria for program excellence.
Hastings College is a private, four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. With 64 majors and 15 pre-professional programs, Hastings College has been named among “Great Schools, Great Prices” by U.S. News & World Report and a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.
