Thirty-five members of the class of 2009 were elected to the Rhode Island chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honors society on Feb. 5.
Phi Beta Kappa "celebrates and advocates excellence" in arts and sciences, according to its Web site, by honoring about one percent of all college students nationwide each year. Founded in 1776, it is the oldest undergraduate honors organization in the country.
Brown's chapter, called Rhode Island Alpha, was established in 1830, making it the seventh-oldest chapter in the country. According to Encyclopedia Brunoniana, Rhode Island Alpha elects new members twice a year: juniors at the middle of each academic year and seniors in April.
To be eligible as a junior, a student must have received at least 17 A's during a period of five semesters at the University. Undergraduates chosen in their junior year become "electors" in their senior year, and then elect senior and junior class members. Electors choose the next inductees based on their grades and the difficulty of their course loads.
Thirty-nine juniors were elected to the society last year.
New members:
Saran AhujaBonni BrodskyCaitlin BrowneDaniel ButlerAlison CohenMichaela CohenGerry Della RoccaChao DengMarc FrankJessica GoldbergFiona HeckscherDavid HockJanine KwohEmily LauAmy LittlefieldNikolas LoganDaniel LuJacob MatlickDan MeltzerEric MukherjeeNisha NarulaSamuel NofzingerSamuel Oliker-FriedlandSheila PakirSoyoung ParkManuel PossoloRavi RamanathanKatharine ReutershanGretchen RoeckerElizabeth SchroederChristian SealeSamuel TermanJulia VazquezJonathan Wing Javier Zapata
