Burke Best Presents Senior Fellowship Project

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Burke Best

HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, VA (04/18/2013)(readMedia)-- On Tuesday, April 16, Hampden-Sydney College senior William Burke Best presented his Senior Fellowship Project in a public lecture at the College. Burke is one of a select group of seniors who undertook an extended, interdisciplinary research project which culminated in a public presentation. Although Senior Fellows are undergraduates, they are expected to pursue their research project at a graduate-school level. Each project is evaluated on its originality, on the thoroughness of its research methods, and on the quality of the final presentation. Burke's project, for Honors in Biology, Physics, and Psychology, was entitled, "Examining Head Injury: The Efficiency and Longevity of a Modern Lacrosse Helmet and the Effects of Concussion on Balance."

An Allan Scholar, Burke played defense on the varsity lacrosse team and is Vice-Chairman of the President's Men and Treasurer of the social fraternity Kappa Sigma. He is a member of the honor societies Phi Beta Kappa (academics), Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership) and Chi Beta Phi (sciences) and is a member of the Pre-Health Society. Burke received the President's Award for Overall Academic Excellence, at Opening Convocation in 2011 and again in 2012. He also received the H. B. Overcash Award, given to an exceptional premedical student, and he has already been accepted at Eastern Virginia Medical School. A biology major, Burke is a graduate of Norfolk Academy and is the son of Mr. & Mrs. Richard Best of Virginia Beach.

A private college for men, Hampden-Sydney is ranked in the top tier of liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report. The College is known for its liberal arts curriculum, the Honor Code which stresses individual and collective responsibility, and a focus on the education of young men.