Phi Sigma () is an honor society for students of

biological sciences 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 ...

, formed at Ohio State University.

History

The Phi Sigma honor society was founded on March 17, 1915 at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

to honor excellence in biological research. In 1928 its constitution was so altered that the society "should now be considered as a working guild", with a focus on ongoing research. The society now includes more broadly the field of the biological sciences. Phi Sigma became a member of the Association of College Honor Societies in 1950. In 1947, Phi Sigma became international, opening a chapter in Mexico City at the ''

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...

''. In 1949 it opened a second international chapter, entering the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 20 ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. Phi Sigma is reserved for students who have demonstrated interest in research, and are at the top of their class in their respective universities. At least one-fourth of their college training should include

Chapters

The society reports 93 active chapters since 1915.

Traditions and insignia

The

Greek letters The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as we ...

, Phi and Sigma, signify "fellows in science". The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

contains the motto of the organization in Greek, which when translated means, "Truth shall spring from the earth." The emblem of the Society consists of a watch key fob formed of the Greek letters and , the former being superimposed upon the latter. Together, they signify FELLOWS IN SCIENCE. Fellowship in science includes ardent cooperative effort, effective leadership, and creative scholarship.From th
Phi Sigma website
accessed 10 Oct 2020. The flower of the society is the Shasta Daisy. The colors of the society are Medium Green, White and Old Gold, taken from the colors of the Society's flower.From th
Society's website, Merchandise page
accessed 10 Oct 2020. The jewel of the society is the

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

External links

*
Hermean/Phi Sigma Societies Collection (MUM00568)
at the University of Mississippi, Archives and Special Collections.
ACHS Phi Sigma entry

Phi Sigma chapter list at ACHS

References

{{Association of College Honor Societies Association of College Honor Societies Honor societies Student organizations established in 1915 1915 establishments in Ohio