Visiting scholar: Dr. John Brauman. Dr. Brauman visited campus March 12-14. He met informally with about 25 University Honors Students, following which he gave an address, entitled "Impacts of Technology on Basic Science", at the Torgersen Museum. He had dinner with members of the Chemistry faculty, Phi Beta Kappa members, and Virginia Tech members of the National Academy of Sciences. The following morning, Dr. Brauman addressed an audience of Chemistry faculty and students as a participant in the department's lecture series, "The Highlands of Chemistry".

For the Fall Luncheon, October 30, 2002, Sturm Award recipient Richard Hirsch addresed the membership on "Skis, X-Rays, and Electric Wires: The Benefits of Breadth and Serendipity in a Professional Career."

On March 12, 2003, retiring Secretary and Historian Sandra Birch entertained the membership with her reminiscences in a talk called "Phi Beta Kappa: Up Close and Personal." Sandra was honored by the membership with tokens of appreciation, including a letter from John Churchill praising her more than 20 years of outstanding service to the local, state, and national organizations.

Special Programs or Projects

Gift certificates from the University Bookstore and award certificates were presented to top students at four county high schools. Selected students have broad cultural interests and/or notable accomplishments in the arts and sciences, a minimum grade point average of 3.6/4.0 (excluding vocational and phisical education courses), and are of good character.

Campus Developments

Due to University restructuring and the semi-retirement of two of our most important leaders, we had to cut back on the scope of our activities. But the future looks good for Mu of Virginia.

Dr. Lay Nam Chang, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, continued his support of the chapter, providing funds for receptions and taking part in both Fall and Spring initiations. As Dr. Chang becomes Dean of the new College of Science, he has promised to give Phi Beta Kappa a permanent home in the College and ongoing support. It is particularly fortunate that our new Vice-President, Carole Nickerson, has been working in Dean Chang's office and will continue to do so. This means that she, and he, complete this transition with good contacts with the other departments whose students are eligible for Phi Beta Kappa (now mainly housed in the new College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences). We have also strengthened our ties with the University Honors Program, which supports us by publicizing Phi Beta Kappa events and encouraging eligible students to join.

Amendments to Chapter Bylaws

The necessary changes to the constitution were submitted and approved in November. A sub-committee has been appointed to revise our bylaws, and it has met several times.

Website

The webmaster will continue to update the website at the old web address until a new one can be developed as part of the new College of Science page. For now, the website is:

http://www.cs.vt.edu/~pbk/