Rhodes College is proud to hold a charter and maintain a chapter of Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics honor society. The chapter was installed in 1963 when Rhodes was called Southwestern at Memphis, and the first member to sign the Rhodes membership book was Peyton Nalle Rhodes, physics professor and college president. Physics students who meet the national criteria for membership (have completed at least three physics classes carrying 3 or more credits each and are ranked in the top third in their Rhodes class) and have at least a 3.0 major and cumulative gpa are invited to join the chapter in their junior or senior year.
Induction into the society is an honor that one carries for the rest of their life, and many of the chapter’s members have gone on to become leaders in the scientific community. One member of the Rhodes chapter, Charlie Robertson '63, is the generous sponsor of the Jack H. Taylor Scholarship in Physics and a recipient of the Sigma Pi Sigma Outstanding Service Award.