Six statistics majors at Iowa State University have been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Everett Hargrove, Gwen Hammond, Megan Mason, Lauren Kwon, Thenuki De Mel, and Kaden Frank have been recognized for their outstanding academic achievements and commitment to the liberal arts and sciences.
Everett Hargrove was awarded the Jean Day Lassila Award in the Liberal Arts. The following was used to introduce Hargrove during the ceremony.
Our Lassila awardee plays banjo with the No Mountain Boys and jazz guitar for the Everett Hargrove Unit. He has been heavily engaged in research projects beginning with his time in Scott Nelson’s Biochemistry of Beer class where he found a previously unknown yeast. Professor Nelson said he was still making beer from it at home, and he plans to coauthor a paper on the new variety. Our awardee’s paper that performs statistical analyses of professional disc golfers just won the best student poster competition at a national conference. He is also working on a paper on whether unexplained sources of wage gaps between genders and between urban and rural residents can explain lower country productivity. A double major in statistics and economics, he serves as president of the Economics Club and will be doing research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland this summer. From Ames, our 2026 Jean Day Lassila Award in the Liberal Arts goes to Everett Hargrove.
Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious honorary society in the United States with a history dating back to its founding at the College of William and Mary in 1776. The organization is celebrating its 250th year.
Membership is exclusive. Only about 10% of colleges and universities in the United States have chapters. Of these chapters, only about 10% of their liberal arts and sciences students will be invited to join. To qualify, students must be pursuing a bachelor's degree, demonstrate good moral character, and excel in liberal arts and sciences studies.
