DUNMORE, Pa. – Penn State Scranton’s national biological honor society Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta), Rho Beta Rho Chapter, inducted five new members, including a campus faculty member, this spring.
The 2025 inductees were:
- Raphael Carvalho
- Isabella Colyer
- Jennifer Durham Gresham, assistant professor of biology
- Jacquelin Pichardo
- Ariana Scarfo
Associate professors of biology Dale Holen, Meg Hatch and Megan Van Etten (who also serves as the biology and science program coordinator), helped get the new biological honor society established at the campus last year, with Holen serving as the adviser for the group.
Holen explained that in order to attain membership in Tri Beta, students must meet specific qualifications.
“In essence, they are the best of the best, and we are proud to have admitted four students this semester,” he said. “It is a significant achievement, and the result of their hard work and dedication, with many involved in undergraduate research.”
Tri Beta’s objectives are to promote undergraduate research in the biological sciences; promote the dissemination of biological knowledge; and promote scholarship in the biological sciences.
To qualify for membership, students must be an undergraduate in a biological science degree program; have completed at least one term of the second year of a four-year curriculum; have completed at least three semester courses in biological science, of which at least one is not an introductory course with an average grade of B or its equivalent in those biology courses; have a B average in all courses; and be in good academic standing.
Beta Beta Beta is a national honor society for students, particularly undergraduates, dedicated to improving the understanding and appreciation of biological study and extending boundaries of human knowledge through scientific research.
Since its founding in 1922, more than 300,000 persons have been accepted into lifetime membership, and more than 650 chapters have been established throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.