Bouchet Graduate Honor Society | |
---|---|
BGHS | |
Founded | September 15, 2005 |
Type | Honor society |
Affiliation | Independent |
Status | Active |
Emphasis | Doctoral, Post-Doctoral, Faculty |
Scope | National (U.S.) |
Mission statement | To recognize scholarly achievement and promote diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate. |
Chapters | 19 |
Headquarters | United States |
Website | Official Website |
The Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society (often referred to as the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, Bouchet Society or BGHS) is an American honor society named after Edward Alexander Bouchet, the first African American to earn a doctorate degree (Ph.D. in Physics, Yale University, 1876). Established to recognize outstanding scholarly achievement and promote diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate, it was co-founded by Yale University and Howard University on September 15, 2005, commemorating Bouchet's birthday.
The Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society was co-founded by Yale University and Howard University on September 15, 2005, in commemoration of Bouchet's birthday. [1] [2] [3] [4] Inaugurated with a simulcast ceremony between Yale and Howard, the founding institutions reflect a commitment to combating historical underrepresentation in academia.
Honor societies have historically been critiqued for systemic bias and racism, often reflecting broader societal inequities in their membership and recognition practices. Traditional honor societies have sometimes perpetuated exclusion by upholding criteria or cultures that do not fully recognize the diverse potential of all scholars, particularly those from minority backgrounds. The Bouchet Society was established in part to address these gaps, emphasizing inclusivity and the importance of diverse scholarly contributions. [5] [6]
The Bouchet Society aims to develop a network of preeminent scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, foster supportive environments, and serve as exemplars of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy for those traditionally underrepresented in the academy. [7] [8]
The Bouchet Society has expanded to include numerous chapters across the United States. [9] [10] [11]
Membership is granted to individuals who demonstrate significant achievements aligned with the society's core values, including doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members. A distinct aspect of the society's nomination process is its focus on self-nominations and endorsements from faculty, encouraging applications from underrepresented groups such as minorities and women in STEM. [12] [13]
The society organizes annual conferences and forums, fostering professional development, networking, and academic exchange among members. These events also serve as platforms for discussing and promoting DEI initiatives within higher education. [14] [15]
The Bouchet Leadership Medal recognizes leaders who exemplify outstanding scholarly and community-oriented achievements, serving as role models in both academic and broader social contexts. [16] [17]
Following is a list of Bouchet Society chapters. [1] [18]
Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campus is in Druid Hills, 3 miles (4.8 km) from Downtown Atlanta.
Howard University is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C., located in the Shaw neighborhood. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in University Park, Florida. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florida and the eighth-largest public university in the United States by enrollment. FIU is a constituent part of the State University System of Florida.
Susan Hockfield is an American neuroscientist who served as the 16th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2004 to 2012.
The J. Reuben Clark Law School is the law school of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1973, the school is named after J. Reuben Clark, a former U.S. Ambassador, Undersecretary of State, and general authority of the institution's sponsoring organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Florida International University College of Law is the law school of Florida International University, located in Miami, Florida in the United States. The law school is accredited by the American Bar Association, and is the only public law school in South Florida. FIU College of Law is the third highest ranked law school in the state of Florida and is ranked in the top 60 in the nation. The College of Law has also achieved the highest July bar exam passage in the state of Florida consecutively for the last seven years (2015–2022).
In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. These societies acknowledge excellence among peers in diverse fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy Scouts of America. While the term commonly refers to scholastic honor societies, which primarily acknowledge students who excel academically or as leaders among their peers, it also applies to other types of societies.
Edward Alexander Bouchet was an American physicist and educator and was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from any American university, completing his dissertation in physics at Yale University in 1876. On the basis of his academic record he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society. In 1874, he became one of the first African Americans to graduate from Yale College.
The Institute for Citizens & Scholars is a nonpartisan, non-profit institution based in Princeton, New Jersey that says it aims to strengthen American democracy by "cultivating the talent, ideas, and networks that develop lifelong, effective citizens". It administers programs and fellowships that support civic education and engagement, leadership development, and organizational capacity in education and democracy.
The Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is the graduate school of Yale University. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest graduate school in North America, and was the first North American graduate school to confer a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.
Vernie Merze Tate was a professor, scholar and expert on United States diplomacy. She was the first African-American graduate of Western Michigan Teachers College, first African-American woman to attend the University of Oxford, first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in government and international relations from Harvard University, as well as one of the first two female members to join the Department of History at Howard University.
James T. Laney is an American minister, professor, and former diplomat. He served as dean of the Candler School of Theology, president of Emory University, and United States Ambassador to South Korea.
Akiko Iwasaki is a Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University. She is also a principal investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her research interests include innate immunity, autophagy, inflammasomes, sexually transmitted infections, herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus, respiratory virus infections, influenza infection, T cell immunity, commensal bacteria, COVID-19, and long COVID.
Carl Roark Holladay is an American scholar of New Testament, Christian origins, and Hellenistic Judaism. He is the Charles Howard Candler Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Emory University's Candler School of Theology and an Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Jonathan S. Lewin is an American neuroradiologist specializing in medical imaging research with an emphasis on the investigation, development, and translation of new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. He is the former executive vice president for health affairs (EVPHA) and executive director of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center for Emory University, and former President, CEO, and chairman of the board of Emory Healthcare. He currently serves as professor of radiology, biomedical engineering, and neurosurgery in the Emory School of Medicine and as professor of health policy and management in the Rollins School of Public Health.
Patricia Fortini Brown is Professor Emerita of Art & Archaeology at Princeton University.
Joel Michael Reynolds is an American philosopher whose research focuses on disability. His areas of specialization include Philosophy of Disability, Bioethics, Continental Philosophy, and Social Epistemology. He is an assistant professor of Philosophy and Disability Studies in the Department of Philosophy at Georgetown University, a Senior Research Scholar at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, a senior bioethics advisor to The Hastings Center, and core faculty in Georgetown's Disability Studies Program. In 2022, he was named a Faculty Scholar of The Greenwall Foundation in support of his project “Addressing the Roots of Disability Health Disparities." He is the founder of the Journal of Philosophy of Disability, which he edits with Teresa Blankmeyer Burke, and co-founder of Oxford Studies in Disability, Ethics, & Society, a book series from Oxford University Press which he edits with Rosemarie Garland-Thomson.
Joseph Andrew Johnson III was an American physicist and professor at the Florida A&M University. He was a founding member of the National Society of Black Physicists. He was awarded the 1995 American Physical Society Edward Bouchet award and the 2016 Yale University Bouchet Leadership Award Medal.
Anjelica L. Gonzalez is a biomedical engineer, scientist, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Yale University, and is part of the Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program. Her work focuses primarily on biomimetic materials, or the development of materials that mimic human organs, to study how drugs and other medical interventions can reverse tissue damage caused by environmental pollutants, inflammation, and diseases. She is also the principal investigator for the "PremieBreathe" device which has developed a low-cost device designed to save the lives of premature babies in settings that lack safe respiratory devices.
The Edward A. Bouchet Award is an annual prize presented by the American Physical Society (APS) to recognize distinguished physicists from underrepresented communities who have made significant contributions to research in the field of physics and for the advancement of minority scientists. The award provides a stipend of $5,000 and travel expenses for attending an APS meeting and visiting up to three institutions for talks and classroom visits.