Students Inducted into Marine Science Honor Society

College Spotlight on Rho Rho Rho

A leader in undergraduate marine biology programs, the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences at Nova Southeastern University has launched the country’s second chapter of Rho Rho Rho, the marine sciences national honor society.

The honor society’s Beta chapter was established in September 2008 to recognize student excellence and promote awareness of the college’s undergraduate marine biology program. The presence of such an organization offers prospective students another incentive to choose NSU if they wish to pursue a major or minor in marine biology. The chapter’s activities and networking opportunities create a more dynamic experience for the program’s current students.

“Any honor society recognizes student excellence, promotes understanding of the major, and provides a means by which undergraduates can network [and move] forward in their careers,” said Joshua Feingold, Ph.D., faculty adviser for Rho Rho Rho and associate professor in the Division of Math, Science, and Technology. “It also provides an outlet for student creativity and academic performance.”

Designed to prepare students for a career or further graduate study, the college’s marine biology major now includes about 50 to 60 students, Feingold said.
“It’s a very challenging field,” he said. “You have to be a biologist first and then specialize in marine biology. It’s a pretty rigorous curriculum [of biological and physical sciences].When I first came to NSU, there was an ocean studies major. That has transformed into the marine biology major. We recommend that our students go on to graduate school, which makes it easier to have a successful career.”   

NSU students Jessica Childers and Jenna Lash were inducted as the first general members of Rho Rho Rho’s NSU Beta chapter on February 6, 2009. They join chapter president Sharein El-Tourkey, vice president Tandace Burkhart, and secretary/treasurer Mary Crider, who were previously appointed as the chapter’s officers.

At the induction ceremony, Childers and Lash each recited a pledge to promote academic excellence and interest in the marine sciences, received certificates of induction, and accepted large sea shells as symbols of their commitment to the field.

In addition to Feingold, Don Rosenblum, Ph.D., dean of the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, and Charles Messing, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Math, Science, and Technology, attended the induction ceremony.

Rho Rho Rho was founded in 1990 with the Alpha chapter at the University of Miami. Among other criteria, a minimum 3.0 grade-point average in marine biology courses and an overall grade-point average of 3.2 or above are required for membership.