Pi Epsilon () is an

environmental science Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physics, biology, and geography (including ecology, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geograp ...

Honor Society In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy Sc ...

open to both graduate and undergraduate students as well as professionals and scientists working in the field. Pi Epsilon was founded at

Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in honor of aviation ...

by th
Environmental Sciences PhD
student body in October, 2003. The purpose of Pi Epsilon is to promote the study of environmental sciences through recognition of exemplary scholarly and professional activity. Environmental science is understood to be the study of our

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

and all stressors acting on it; chemical, physical, and biological. The Society seeks to promote

interdisciplinary studies Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

, and interactions between industry and academia to further the study of environmental science. As a new honor society, Pi Epsilon currently has five chapters and is in the process of expanding to several more universities throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The five current chapters are the ''Alpha chapter'' located at

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, the ''Beta chapter'' located at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, and the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...

, as well as chapters located at Lemoyne College, and

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

Membership requirements

Lifetim
membership
is open to undergraduate and

graduate students Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...

in the environmental and

natural science Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

s who meet the following requirements: * Have a cumulative

GPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

of at least 3.30 out of 4.00 * Have completed at least 30 semester hours (45 quarter) of total coursework for undergraduates and at least 6 semester (8 quarter) hours of total coursework for graduate students * Have completed at least three semester or quarter-length courses in environmental science (of which at least one is not an introductory course) with a cumulative GPA in those courses of at least 3.30 out of 4.00 * If no environmental science courses are available, courses from

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

, and

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

will be accepted with the following requirements: ** Courses must be from three of the four above disciplines ** The primary discipline of study must not exceed 75% of the total science coursework ** Cumulative science GPA must be at least 3.30 out of 4.00

References

External links

Pi Epsilon's National Website

Pi Epsilon News Release
{{authority control Honor societies Student organizations established in 2003