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Robert L. Wolke to Address W&L’s Phi Beta Kappa Convocation

Washington and Lee University will induct students into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society at its Phi Beta Kappa/Society of the Cincinnati Convocation on Wednesday, March 10, at 11:45 a.m. in Lee Chapel.

The convocation, which is free and open to the public, will recognize and honor 46 members of the junior and senior classes accepted into Phi Beta Kappa based on their exceptional academic achievements. Robert A. Strong, professor of politics, will be inducted as an honorary member.

The event will feature Dr. Robert L. Wolke, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and a food columnist for the Washington Post. The title of his talk is “A Little Knowledge….” As an educator and lecturer, he enjoys a national reputation for his ability to make science understandable and enjoyable.

His latest book, What Einstein Told His Cook 2, The Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science, is the fourth in his Einstein series on everyday science. The others include What Einstein Didn’t Know: Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions; What Einstein Told His Barber: More Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions; and What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained. He also is the author of Impact: Science on Society and Chemistry Explained, as well as dozens of scientific research papers.

Wolke will be available to autograph his Einstein books (which will be on sale at W&L’s Bookstore) on March 10 from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Commons Atrium.

Wolke has won the James Beard Foundation’s award for the best newspaper column and the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ (IACP) Bert Greene Award for the best newspaper food writing. The American Chemical Society selected Wolke for the 2005 Grady-Stack Award for interpreting chemistry for the public.

W&L students being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa:

Seniors:
Andrew Nicholas Assapimonwait of Prospect, Ky.; James Vernon Baird Jr. of Houston; William Wallace Billington III of Nashville, Tenn.; Kathryn Paige Boiles of Nacogdoches, Texas; Samuel Brusca of Rockville, Md.; Andrew Christopher Budzinski of Lawrenceville, N.J.; Edward C. Burks III of Berryville, Va.; Ian Childers of Ona, W.Va.; Emily Fay Coyle of Seattle; Dinah Elizabeth Danforth of Lexington, Va.; Brian Ellis Devine of Denver, Colo.; Joshua Alejandro Gonzalez of Bridgewater, N.J.; and Charles Edward Griffin of Charlotte, N.C.

Also Caroline Habliston of Alexandria, Va.; Margaret Rose Harrington of Eldersburg, Md.; Jessica Kaitlyn Kamp of Minneapolis, Minn; Meredith Dowd Mitchell of Little Rock, Ark.; Benjamin Mooneyham of Houston; Annaria Nardone of South Windsor, Conn.; Elliott O’Brien of TE Awamutu, New Zealand; Anthony James Oley Jr. of Richmond, Va.; Jock Pflug of Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.; Brooke Reidy of Ashland, Ohio; Thomas Rutherford Sellers of Pike Road, Ala.; Victoria Maureen Stevens of Leesburg, Va.; and Kimber Lauren Wiggs of Lakeland, Fla.

Juniors:
Catherine Elizabeth Anderson of Brentwood, N.H.; Cristina Bratu of Arad, Romania; Bridget Mary Donovan of Scarsdale, N.Y.; David James Doobin of Summit, N.J.; Clair Mairead Elder of Cincinnati, Ohio; Taylor Garrett of Birmingham, Ala.; Granvil George of Charleston, W.Va.; Robert S. George of Middletown, N.J.; Anna Marie Hermesmann of Columbus, N.J.; Anatoniy Khomenko of Yalta, Ukraine; and Michael Todd Kuntz of Stafford, Va.

Also Gregory Matthew Kurkis of Roswell, Ga.; Mou Cheng Peng of Sichuan, Peoples Republic of China; Hannah Elizabeth Muther of Rockford, Ill.; Susan Payton of Princeton, W.Va.; Lauren Frances Sturdy of Williamsburg, Va.; Victoria Rae Taylor of Manasquan, N.J.; Frank Andrew Tessier Jr. of New Orleans; Melissa Beth Valentine of Knoxville, Tenn.; and John David Walton Jr. of Blue Ridge, Ga.

The winner of the Phi Beta Kappa J. Brown Goehring Sophomore Award will be announced at the Convocation.