Home

Information about PLU

Current Students

Friend E. Clark Lecture

Events

Whitehill

Picnic Pics

Christmas 05

Fundraising

Alumni

Whitehill Memorial Award

 

History

In 1928, in honor of the memory of Dr. Alexander R. Whitehill, former head of the Department of Chemistry at West Virginia University, who died October 25, 1921, the Tau Chapter established a prize to be known as the "Whitehill Memorial Award".  The purpose of the prize was to give recognition to scholarship and attainment in chemistry and to better promote interest in science as a life work.  It was annually awarded to the man or woman at West Virginia University doing the best work in first year chemistry during the first three quarters of the school year.  The award had the form of a solid gold crucible made up either as a watch charm or as a pin and was to bear the insignia of the honorary, the name of the winner, and the inscription "Whitehill Memorial Award".

Those students making over 85% in chemistry during the first semester and the first half of the second semester were eligible to take a brief examination to be given by a committee of three students and two faculty members of Phi Lambda Upsilon.  From a certain fraction of those making the best showing in the examination the same committee would choose one student to be the award recipient.  The method of selection was based on the character and scholarship of the competitors because these qualities were considered necessary in one who should choose the field of chemistry as their lifework and also because these qualities were prerequisites for membership in Phi Lambda Upsilon.

 

Current

The Whitehill Examination is now given annually at the end of the spring semester in an effort to identify the top freshman chemistry students. All students enrolled in Chemistry 116 or 118 are eligible to take this examination. The top five finishers are excused from taking the Chemistry 116 or 118 final and are given monetary awards ($100, $50, $30, $25, $20) by the Department of Chemistry in recognition of their performance. The first place winner also has his or her name added to a permanent plaque displayed in the foyer outside of Clark 101.

The individuals who received the top five scores in 2007 were Nathan Pearson (1st place), Dwight Lastinger (second place), Jason Kang (third place), Robert Baylor (fourth place) and Megan McClusky (5th place).

 

Past Winners

For a current list of past Whitehill Award winners please view the .pdf file found here.