Student-Driven Initiative Yields Approval for GSU Chapter of National Neuroscience
Honors Society, Nu Rho Psi
ATLANTA – As a result of the tireless efforts of a small
group of undergraduate neuroscience students and a faculty
advisor, Georgia State University (GSU) recently
established a chapter of Nu Rho Psi and inducted five
inaugural members.
Nu Rho Psi is the sole nationally recognized honor society
in the area of brain research. The GSU chapter, which was
officially chartered on July 2, 2013, is one of only two in
Georgia and 35 nationwide.
Under the guidance of Dr. Michael Black of the Neuroscience Institute at GSU, students Norma
Hernandez (junior), Elizabeth Hinton (senior), Shalin Jyotishi (junior), and Lluvia Frias (senior)
worked as a team putting in many hours to collect information and write the charter application.
“The application process required the students to compile a large amount of detailed information
about the graduate and undergraduate programs, neuroscience faculty, teaching and research
activities and university academic policies, and submit their proposal with a persuasive
justification for establishing a chapter at GSU. They deserve a lot of credit for their hard work in
preparing an impressive application,” said Director of the Neuroscience Institute, Dr. Walter
Wilczynski.
When asked about her involvement in establishing the new chapter, Norma Hernandez said, “we
spent the spring semester of 2013 working on making our students, faculty, and neuroscience
programs shine in the application. In my three years at Georgia State, I have met some amazing
students and professors. I have seen them working long hours in the lab, preparing for classes,
and volunteering in the Atlanta science community. So, our main reason for applying for a
chapter was to officially recognize and congratulate their efforts. The inaugural members are the
face of the neuroscience community at Georgia State University. They will serve as role models
for current neuroscience students and will be inspirations for future neuroscience students. It is
my hope that with this honor society we, as a neuroscience community, can encourage the
continuous success of these bright GSU students.”
Nu Rho Psi was founded in 2006 under the auspice of the Faculty for Undergraduate
Neuroscience and through the joint efforts of faculty and students at Baldwin-Wallace College,
Baylor University and Johns Hopkins University. Its aims are to: (1) encourage professional
interest and excellence in scholarship, particularly in neuroscience; (2) award recognition to
students who have achieved such excellence in scholarship; (3) advance the discipline of
neuroscience; (4) encourage intellectual and social interaction between students, faculty, and
professionals in neuroscience and related fields; (5) promote career development in neuroscience
and related fields; (6) increase public awareness of neuroscience and its benefits for the
individual and society; and (7) encourage service to the community.
Membership into this honor society is by invitation only and is open to graduate and
undergraduate men and women who major or minor in neuroscience and who meet other
academic qualifications. On September 24, 2013, the first five students were inducted into the
chapter: Jarod Collens (graduate student), Sepehr Goshayeshi (senior), Sara Khan (senior),
Morgan Mosley (junior), and Jill Weathington (graduate student).
“The main objectives of Nu Rho Psi are to increase relations between students and faculty and
to spread awareness of neuroscience to the general public. To procure these goals in our chapter,
we hope to collaborate with fellow neuroscience students to start an undergraduate student-run
journal, which will include a peer review panel. This will help undergraduates expand their
knowledge on current research being done in the field and prepare them for the process of
writing scientific papers and going through the publication stages,” said Chapter President
Morgan Mosley.
“We are also planning volunteer events including trips to local schools to give brief presentations
about the neuroscience field. It is our hope to not only increase awareness of the growing field of
neuroscience, but to also have an impact on children who will eventually become the future of
neuroscience.”
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For more information about the National Honor Society in Neuroscience, Nu Rho Psi, visit
http://www.nurhopsi.org/drupal/.
For more information about the Neuroscience Institute and its undergraduate and graduate
programs, visit http://neuroscience.gsu.edu/index.html.