Biology Student Organizations

Biology students are encouraged to engage in a variety of extracurricular activities, including participation in student organizations. Beta Beta Beta offers multiple opportunities for our students to gain valuable information about career, research, and networking opportunities.

A Brief History of TriBeta

Beta Beta Beta was founded in 1922 at Oklahoma City University by Dr. Frank G. Brooks and a group of his students. Chapters at several other midwestern colleges were established in the next few years, and the national organization was formed in 1925 by three faculty members: Dr. Brooks, Dr. William M. Goldsmith from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, and Dr. John C. Johnson, Sr., from Western State College in Colorado. Since that time biennial conventions with both student and faculty representatives have been held regularly with only a few exceptions. A Silver Anniversary Convention in Chicago, Illinois, in 1947, and a 50th Anniversary Celebration in Washington, D.C. in 1972 have been marked by special celebrations. The number of chapters and number of new initiates per year has increased steadily. There are now over 600 chapters across the US and Puerto Rico. The preceding section was excerpted from a TriBeta publication. More info about the history of TriBeta can be found at the following website: www.tri-beta.org.

The Alpha Chapter at OCU

The Alpha Chapter was officially chartered on November 20, 1924. Dr. Brooks served on the OCU faculty from 1919 to 1936 (his portrait hangs in the student study room, LO 210). He served as the Secretary-treasurer of the national organization from 1925 until his death in 1955. He also helped to establish BIOS, the journal of the society and served as its managing editor. After his death his wife, Laura Jean Brooks, took over his duties and performed them until she retired in 1967. Check out the Alpha Chapter website for more info.

Membership Criteria

Any person interested in the biological sciences is eligible to join TriBeta as an associate member. Associate members must pay a one-time fee of $40 (submitted to the national office) plus dues of $10 per semester (payable to the Alpha chapter). Full membership ($50.00 one-time) requires completion of 12 semester hours of coursework in biology (three semesters), with a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher. To upgrade to full membership from Associate Membership, an additional one-time fee of $10 must be paid to the national office, in addition to the regular semester dues.

Alpha Chapter Faculty Sponsors

Dr. Laurie Kauffman, Professor of Biology

Dr. Adam Ryburn, Professor of Biology