Nu Rho Psi

In February 2013, Carthage was granted Wisconsin’s first charter to establish a chapter of Nu Rho Psi, the National Honor Society in Neuroscience.

Founded in 2006 by the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, Nu Rho Psi aims to encourage scholarship in neuroscience; recognize and honor excellent students; increase public awareness for neuroscience and its societal benefits; and promote career development in neuroscience and related fields.

Colleges or universities with large undergraduate neuroscience programs are encouraged to shelter a Nu Rho Psi chapter. Carthage has received Nu Rho Psi’s 30th charter and its first in Wisconsin. The Carthage College Nu Rho Psi chapter designation will be “alpha in Wisconsin.”

‘An excellent learning environment with a strong emphasis on research’

Reviewers and voters unanimously recommended Carthage’s approval as a Nu Rho Psi chapter. In anonymous comments, reviewers commended Carthage’s focus on undergraduate research, supportive learning environment, and student-faculty interaction.

“I am particularly impressed that all neuroscience students take a research methods course early in their undergraduate experience, and there seem to be opportunities for extended research experience at Carthage,” wrote one reviewer.

“The school has an excellent learning environment with a strong emphasis on research,” wrote another. “The students also seem to be eagerly engaged in learning about neuroscience and participating in the community.”

“There is good breadth in the neuroscience-related curriculum at Carthage College and evidence of student-faculty engagement in brain research,” wrote a third reviewer.

“It is an honor to receive a chapter and the first chapter in Wisconsin, and it was very fulfilling to read the anonymous reviews,” said Prof. Daniel Miller, director of Carthage’s Neuroscience Program. “It certainly affirms that neuroscience is a healthy and vibrant academic discipline on campus and that our students who have achieved excellence in their scholarship are worthy of national recognition.”

‘Active and dedicated’

Prof. Miller thanked then-student Laura Taylor ’13, and alumni Trystan Nyman ’12 and Karissa Secora ’12, for their work in researching and obtaining Carthage’s charter. In addition, he said, credit belongs to those students, faculty, and alumni who were instrumental in establishing Carthage’s Gamma Nu Sigma Neuroscience Club in 2002, four years before Nu Rho Psi was founded: Chris Chapleau ’02, Jessica Sladek ’03, faculty advisor Prof. Penny Seymoure, and current Gammu Nu Sigma president Kailey Scheller ’13.

Laura Taylor, a double-major in neuroscience and biology, said Carthage’s Neuroscience Program deserves this recognition. “We are a small group on campus, but we are active and dedicated,” said Laura, who is now pursuing graduate studies in the molecular neurosciences. “Our faculty are involved with the students, and many students have gone on to graduate and medical programs. The Neuroscience Club additionally has maintained a presence on campus and opened doors for students to go to conferences, speak with alumni, and be active in the Kenosha community.”