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The Gamma Alpha Graduate Scientific Society () is an American fraternal organization for
interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economi ...
graduate student Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have ...
s. Its chapters are headquartered in chapter houses, akin to residential
cooperatives A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...
, though there have been many chapters that lacked a chapter house historically.


History

The Society was founded in 1899 as the Gamma Alpha Graduate Scientific Fraternity in
Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...
by graduate students in the biological sciences at
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
. Its purpose was an interdisciplinary one concerning the sciences: to stimulate "mutual interest" among graduate students from "the various scientific departments of Cornell University." In time, it expanded to more than a dozen chapters across the country and boasted a membership of "more than 10,000 men." In 1909, the fraternity merged with Alpha Delta Epsilon, a similar group established at
Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
in 1905. A chapter was established at
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
in 1906. This was followed by chapters at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
and the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
in 1908. Gamma Alpha held its first national convention in 1908. In 1963, it changed its name to the Gamma Alpha Graduate Scientific Society, in part to differentiate itself from
undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...
fraternities A fraternity (; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western conce ...
. Originally, the society was a scientific fraternity exclusively for men. Individual chapters, such as the ''Missouri chapter'', admitted women by 1968. ''Chicago'', ''Cornell'' and ''Ohio chapters'' began to admit women and students in disciplines other than the sciences in 1972 ''Ann Arbor chapter'' followed in 1973. Although the makeup of the organization has thus changed greatly since its inception, it is still dedicated to promoting an interdisciplinary fellowship among graduate students, in large part through its
cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...
living arrangements.


Symbols

The significance of Gamma Alpha's motto as well as the symbolism of its insignia used to be revealed to new members in their initiation ceremony. After presenting the candidates with their certificates of membership, the president of the chapter would inform them that:
The letters denote our motto: ''Gnothe ten Aletheian'' – Know the Truth. The wings and star on our Society Emblem, which all of you are now entitled to wear, signify Progress and Attainment. The four notches in that Emblem commemorate the four original Chapters: Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Chicago, and Dartmouth.
Today, the society has no such initiation ceremony, though the motto and insignia have been retained. Most ceremonies of this sort—another would be the singing of the fraternity's song at the end of chapter meetings—appear to have been dropped with the organization's metamorphosis from a fraternity into a type of fraternal, co-ed cooperative. Gamma Alpha's colors are gold and black. Its publication print publication was ''The Gamma Alpha Record'', established in 1908.


Activities

Where established, chapter houses have served as venues for the academic talks hosted by the society. More informally, the shared living space of the society's houses provide its members with a forum for a regular exchange of ideas across disciplines.


Chapters

None of the active chapters are legally affiliated with its members' home academic institution. For convenience, each chapter is designated by the name of its logical academic institution. Following is a list of Gamma Alpha chapters.Robson, John, ed. (1963). ''Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities'' (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, 1-George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 661-662 Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are in ''italics''.


Cornell chapter

The ''Cornell chapter'' was the founding branch of the organization and contributed several illustrious members like
Hans Bethe Hans Albrecht Eduard Bethe (; ; July 2, 1906 – March 6, 2005) was a German-American physicist who made major contributions to nuclear physics, astrophysics, quantum electrodynamics and solid-state physics, and received the Nobel Prize in Physi ...
, the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
-
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
who won the
Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...
in 1967 for his work on the theory of
stellar nucleosynthesis In astrophysics, stellar nucleosynthesis is the creation of chemical elements by nuclear fusion reactions within stars. Stellar nucleosynthesis has occurred since the original creation of hydrogen, helium and lithium during the Big Bang. As a ...
. The chapter continues to offer housing to graduate students in the sciences at its house at 116 Oak Avenue.


Chicago chapter

The ''Chicago chapter'' was the second chapter of the society to be established (excluding the Alpha Delta Epsilon Scientific Fraternity chapters which, though they existed before the ''Chicago chapter'', merged with the society shortly after the latter's establishment). According to early records, it was through the "untiring zeal" of F. H. Krecker and R. E. Sheldon of the ''Cornell chapter'' that graduate students in the sciences at the University of Chicago petitioned Gamma Alpha for a charter in December 1907. The charter was granted on February 8, 1908, and the chapter was officially installed on the same day. The chapter has been housed in six different locations in its nearly one hundred years of existence in
Hyde Park, Chicago Hyde Park is a neighborhood on the South Side, Chicago, South Side of Chicago, Illinois, located on and near the shore of Lake Michigan south of Chicago Loop, the Loop. It is one of the city's 77 community areas of Chicago, community areas. ...
. In its first year, the chapter secured rooms that were "modestly though neatly furnished" on the first floor of 5724 S. Drexel Avenue. Within a year, it had already found a house of its own at 5731 S. Monroe Avenue (renamed Kenwood Avenue in 1915), where "almost all" of its 24 members lodged. By October 1915, the chapter had moved again, this time to a house that would affectionately come to be called the Blackstone Castle, at 5520 S. Blackstone Avenue, where "eighteen to twenty-odd men" were put up in seven bedrooms. By October 1922, the chapter had moved to 5733 Kenwood Avenue, in the house next to its former residence. In the first quarter of 1938, the chapter relocated to 5735 S. Woodlawn Avenue, "the most beat up house on Woodlawn" with a "poor porch" that remained, "well, darn poor." Finally, in a forced move in the latter half of 1958, the chapter settled into its longest-lived home to date, the former residence of the famous American sociologist,
David Riesman David Riesman (September 22, 1909 – May 10, 2002) was an American sociologist, educator, and best-selling commentator on American society. Career Born to a wealthy German Jewish family, Riesman attended Harvard College, where he graduated in ...
, at 5621 S. University Avenue, across the street from the campus (see below). The chapter fell on tough times and nearly lost its housing both during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and with the sale of its house to the University of Chicago in 1958. Like many residential institutions during World War II, the ''Chicago chapter'' lost many men to the
armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...
and was hard-pressed to fill the house with enough members to make ends meet. Supplies like roofing tiles were "unattainable at any price" that the chapter could afford and the pipes also fell into disrepair, dripping "dismally" through the winter of 1943. The house's future seemed "none too bright" to its members and was so uncertain that "all efforts" were "being made to forestall a possible closure." Such a closure was all but certain in 1957 when an expanding University of Chicago arranged to buy the chapter house and replace it with a
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
dorm. For its part, the local corporation governing the house planned to use the monies from the sale to "establish a fellowship-loan fund," but at the cost of permanently closing the chapter house and displacing its resident members. A hard battle was subsequently fought by the chapter's active members, with the support of the national organization, to get the local corporation to relocate rather than abolish the chapter house. Eventually, the corporation capitulated and, with help from the university, relocated the chapter in 1958 to 5621 S. University Avenue, the "magnificent residence which is the present home of ΓΑ." The ''Chicago chapter'' has institutionalized in its "House Rules" the membership changes that were ushered in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In recruiting new members for its 15 rooms, it seeks to maintain a balance between the sexes and admit students from as diverse a set of academic fields as possible. It has thus come to conceive of itself more as a graduate student cooperative than a scientific fraternity, though it remains both active in the national organization and invested in the welfare of its sister chapters. For more information about the present activities of the chapter, its recruitment of new members, and alumni contacts, visit the chapter's homepage.


Michigan chapter

The ''Gamma Alpha chapter'' of Ann Arbor first bought a house near the North Engels building. In 1949, ''Gamma Alpha'' moved to the current location in the southwest area of the city, into a house that was built in 1923 as a family residence. During the early years, the chapter housed up to 40 male chemistry graduate students. This luckily changed over time—the house now offers single rooms for thirteen graduate students, both female and male, and from all departments. The house has a lively and multicultural community, and besides some tightly organized house meetings, the members cook together, fill out crosswords, play board games, sled (in winter), brew beer, bake bread, repair the house, and engage in many other activities.


Illinois chapter

Instituted on December 16, 1908, a residential chapter has continuously been located at the University of Illinois and has been situated at 807 W Nevada Street in Urbana, Illinois for approximately the last eighty years. The ''Illinois chapter'' is a co-ed organization. It encourages application from graduate students attending the University of Illinois and has opened membership capabilities to students in areas other than exclusively scientific disciplines.


Notable members

*
Arnold Orville Beckman Arnold Orville Beckman (April 10, 1900 – May 18, 2004) was an American chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. While a professor at California Institute of Technology, he founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention o ...
(''Illinois'',1922), the inventor of the first
pH meter A pH meter is a scientific instrument that measures the hydrogen-ion activity in water-based solutions, indicating its acidity or alkalinity expressed as pH. The pH meter measures the difference in electrical potential between a pH electro ...
and founder of the first
silicon transistor A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and power. It is one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics. It is composed of semiconductor material, usually with at least three terminals f ...
company in California (thus giving birth to
Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...
) * Edward W. Berry (''Johns Hopkins''),
paleontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...
and
botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
*
Hans Bethe Hans Albrecht Eduard Bethe (; ; July 2, 1906 – March 6, 2005) was a German-American physicist who made major contributions to nuclear physics, astrophysics, quantum electrodynamics and solid-state physics, and received the Nobel Prize in Physi ...
(''Cornell'', 1934), physicist and
Nobel prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate *
Polykarp Kusch Polykarp Kusch (; January 26, 1911 – March 20, 1993) was a German-American physicist who shared the 1955 Nobel Prize in Physics with Willis Eugene Lamb for his accurate determination that the electron magnetic moment was greater than its ...
(''Illinois'', 1932), won the Nobel prize in physics in 1955 * Frank Vigor Morley (''Johns Hopkins''),
mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...
Geiser, S. W. (May 1922).
Johns Hopkins
. ''The Gamma Alpha Record''. 7 (2): 51 – via Google Books.
* James George Needham (''Cornell''),
entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...
*
John P. Stewart John Pogue Stewart (June 1, 1876 – January 27, 1922) was an American football and basketball coach. He was the fifth head football coach at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, serving for four seasons, from 1903 to 1906, compiling a ...
(''Cornell''), head of the
pomology Pomology (from Latin , "fruit", + , "study") is a branch of botany that studies fruits and their cultivation. Someone who researches and practices the science of pomology is called a pomologist. The term fruticulture (from Latin , "fruit", + , "c ...
department at
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...
and head football coach at
Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...
Humphrey, R. R. (May 1922).
Cornell
. ''The Gamma Alpha Record''. 7 (2): 41 – via Google Books.
* John Wesley Young (''Dartmouth''),
mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...
Mathewson, Louis C. (May 1922).
Dartmouth
. ''The Gamma Alpha Record''. 7 (2): 43 – via Google Books.


References


External links


Chicago chapter website
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723154252/http://gamma-alpha-society.uchicago.edu/ga.swf , date=2011-07-23 Scientific organizations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in New York (state) 1899 establishments in New York (state) Student organizations established in 1899 Fraternities and sororities in the United States