Nu Rho Psi is the National Honor Society in Neuroscience, founded in 2006 by the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience.

The purpose of Nu Rho Psi is to:

• encourage professional interest and excellence in scholarship, particularly in neuroscience;
• award recognition to students who have achieved such excellence in scholarship;
• advance the discipline of neuroscience; encourage intellectual and social interaction between students, faculty, and professionals in neuroscience and related fields;
• promote career development in neuroscience and related fields;
• increase public awareness of neuroscience and its benefits for the individual and society; and
• encourage service to the community.

Who may join?

Membership is by invitation and is open to graduate and undergraduate men and women who are making the study of Neuroscience one of their major interests and who meet the other academic qualifications. Nu Rho Psi is also open to qualifying Neuroscience faculty and alumni of Neuroscience programs.  Requirements for membership include:

• Major or minor in Neuroscience
• Completion of at least 3 semesters of the College course
• Completion of at least 9 semester hours of Neuroscience-related courses
• Undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 and a minimum GPA of 3.5 in Neuroscience courses

Students and faculty are elected to membership by the chapter at participating institutions, according to the provisions in the national Nu Rho Psi Constitution.  Any chapter, at its discretion, may establish higher academic standards for eligibility, but may not require lower standards for eligibility.  Membership in Nu Rho Psi is open to qualified candidates regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, race handicap or disability, color, religion, or national or ethnic origin.

What are the benefits of membership?

The first and foremost benefit of Nu Rho Psi membership is the honor and recognition of academic excellence. Almost all graduate schools and employers ask for a list of honors. Membership in Nu Rho Psi is a way of building these credentials. Members receive membership certificates and lapel pins as an indication of the honor. Beyond this, Nu Rho Psi membership is a springboard for the networking of like-minded colleagues interested in the study of the brain. The society offers travel awards to undergraduate members who wish to attend the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) and Society for Neuroscience Annual Meetings. As the Society transitions to a regional structure over the next few years, there will be regional and national meetings where neuroscientists from around the country will gather to share scientific findings. News and information is available to members via the Nu Rho Psi online newsletter.

What is the cost?

Membership in Nu Rho Psi is for life and the induction fee ($40.00 for students; $50.00 for faculty) is the only payment to the National organization.

Applications for establishing a new chapter will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year. If application materials are received by 1 March of each year, the Society expects to be able to provide feedback regarding the status of applications prior to the end of the spring academic semester.

Colleges or universities with large undergraduate neuroscience programs, majors or minors, are encouraged to shelter a chapter of Nu Rho Psi. Alternatively, colleges or universities that are geographically close to one another may chose to apply for a charter as a Cooperative Chapter consisting of members from more than one school. In this case, multiple schools should be listed in the chapter application and charter.

Current Nu Rho Psi members:

Advisors and officers of current NuRhoPsi chapters will find the New Members Report Form and a number of other useful forms and letters in the members section of the NuRhoPsi website.

For more information please contact:

Dr. G. Andrew Mickley,
Executive Director, Nu Rho Psi
Professor and Chair of the Neuroscience Program
Baldwin-Wallace College
email: amickley@bw.edu
phone: 440-826-2194