WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Nov. 4, 2019 — West Liberty University’s chapter of Chi Beta Phi hosted the science honorary’s national meeting recently.
“Students from all schools participating presented research during the daylong meeting. Six of our students, all Chi Beta Phi members, shared their research either in a poster or a talk and we are pleased that several won awards for their work,” said Dr. Chad Kuhns, faculty co-advisor to the chapter and associate professor of mathematics.
Also serving as a co-advisor is Dr. Jon Serra, who is an associate professor of chemistry.
“This was the first year that submissions for poster presentations were accepted at a Chi Beta Phi national meeting,” noted Kuhns.
The meeting was held in the Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex (ASRC) and opened with a welcome from Dr. Stephen Greiner, WLU president.
WLU students who earned awards include:
- Audrey Meloun, Vestavia Hills, Ala. Poster presentation 1st place
- Carly Cunningham, Hurricane, W.Va., Poster presentation 2nd place
- Rhiannon Macom, Wellsburg, W.Va., Oral presentation 3rd place
The keynote address was given by another math faculty member, Dr. Raymond Holsapple, who spoke on the topic of Data Science with Applications to the Sciences.
Holsapple is a former member of the United States Air Force and also worked for six years as a research mathematician at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, prior to shifting his career to teaching. He joined WLU’s faculty in 2018.
WLU’s Chapter is known as the Rho Chapter and its officers include students:
- MacKenzie Jacobs, President
- Michela Marchese, Vice President
- Kendall Souder, Treasurer
- Andrew McGlynn, Secretary
Founded in 1916 to promote scholarship in the biological, chemical, mathematical, and psychological sciences, Chi Beta Phi is an interdisciplinary scientific honorary for undergraduates. An affiliate society of The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) since 1935, it seeks to gain recognition for scholarly scientific attainment.
Member colleges include: Randolph-Macon College, Va.; Hampden-Sydney College, Va.; University of Charleston, W.Va.; Davis & Elkins College, W.Va.; Marshall University, W.Va.; Limestone College, S.C.; The University of Mary Washington, Va.; University of Memphis, Tenn.; Columbia College, S.C.; Lynchburg College, Va.; Lenoir-Rhyne University, N.C.; Franklin College, Ind.; Keuka College, N.Y.; William Carey College, Miss.; Newberry College, S.C.; Glenville State College, W.Va.; Athens State College, Ala.; State University of Oneonta, N.Y.; St. Francis College, N.Y.; University of Rio Grande, Ohio; Arkansas College, Ark.; Molloy College, N.Y.; Rust College, Miss.; Shenandoah University, Va. and the University, Ala.