Honor Society

Note: For students to be eligible for the Honor Society, Outstanding Chapter Award or Undergraduate Research Award, their ASBMB membership must be activated. This is a required step before applying. Check your email for the activation link. For questions regarding activation, please contact education@asbmb.org.

The ASBMB Honor Society, ΧΩΛ, is a prestigious distinction given to exceptional undergraduate juniors and seniors pursuing degrees in the molecular life sciences at colleges or universities with ASBMB Student Chapters. Students are recognized for their scholarly achievement, research accomplishments and outreach activities.

Individuals from historically underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

Benefits and election into the honor society

After a student is elected into ΧΩΛ, a photo and short biography will be published on the ASBMB website. The student also will be recognized during the ASBMB William C. Rose Award for Exemplary Contributions to Education lecture at the ASBMB annual meeting and will be featured in ASBMB Today. All Honor Society inductees will receive an official certificate, ΧΩΛ lapel pin and graduation cord.

Nomination process

To be eligible, undergraduate nominees must:

• Be active members of the ASBMB Student Chapters.
• Be juniors or seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Demonstrate high achievement in academics, undergraduate research and science outreach.

Nominations may be submitted by either a faculty ASBMB member or by the student member.

Nomination materials must include:

• A completed ASBMB Honor Society application.
• A copy of an official or unofficial transcript indicating science courses taken and overall GPA included in the application.
• Two completed ASBMB Honor Society reference forms completed within the online application system. After the applicant indicates the referees and sends their requests, referees will be prompted to complete the online form. PDF versions of the form used prior to the 2024 application cycle will not be accepted.

Review of applications

During a rigorous review process, applications will be scored against the specified criteria listed below. Applicants are highly encouraged to discuss their application with their Student Chapter adviser and research mentor. Review criteria include the following:

• An evaluation of the applicant's engagement in undergraduate research, including the time spent doing research, the applicant's progress during that time, the level of engagement/independence on the project, presentation at a scientific conference (home institution, local, regional, national or international) and the quality of the research project description.
• An evaluation of the service and/or outreach activities in which the applicant has participated. Activities include — but are not limited to — hosting scientific speakers, leading campus events or hosting scientific events in the local community, such as with schools or museums. While all levels of participation are encouraged to apply, preference will be given to those who have (i) led activities rather than simply attending and (ii) participated in both campus activities and activities outside the campus community.
• The extent to which the applicant has been involved in their ASBMB Student Chapter (leadership, regular attendee or non-active member).
• The extent to which the references verify the above activities (research, outreach/service and student chapter involvement).
• The extent to which the applicant has experienced barriers to participating in these activities. Such barriers might include — but are not limited to — caregiving responsibilities, the need for employment to pay for their education, or barriers in reduced access, opportunities, or discriminatory treatment that the applicant has experienced due to the applicant's identity as a member of a historically underserved community.