Near the fountain in front of the Environmental Education, Science, and Technology building on the UNT campus is a curious bronze figure sitting on the side of the pond. This is a memorial to "Doc" Joseph Kean Gwynn Silvey, a nationally and internationally recognized limnologist and a former UNT faculty member who served as the chair of the Department of Biological Sciences from 1952 to 1973. Details of Dr. Silvey's water quality research and his work as an educator and administrator can be found in the Joseph Kean Gwynn Silvey Papers housed in the UNT Libraries Special Collections.

The Silvey Society is an interdisciplinary society established to honor Dr. Silvey's legacy of environmental leadership and research. "Doc" Silvey is credited with beginning environmental leadership and research at the University of North Texas in the 1930s. The UNT Silvey Society is comprised of UNT students with research interests in environmental or biocultural studies who meet high academic standards. The Society provides a platform for the exchange of innovative ideas and an opportunity to collaborate with members of other fields, including geography, ecology, environmental philosophy, and environmental science.

Silvey Honor Society: Applications Now Open for Membership

Application Deadline: April 12, 2019

Undergraduate Requirements

1. Must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher (in the last 60 credit hours) and submit a recent UNT transcript (new students may submit transcripts from previous universities).

2. Must have completed at least 55 semester hours or achieved the status of junior or senior.

3. Must demonstrate interest by completion of 6 semester hours at the 4000 level in geography, ecology, environmental philosophy, and/or environmental science.

4. Submit a brief letter describing your academic and/or research interests as they relate to geography, ecology, environmental philosophy, and/or environmental science.

Graduate Requirements

1. Must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and submit a recent UNT transcript (new students may submit transcripts from previous universities).

2. Must demonstrate interest through research, publications, meeting attendance and coursework related to the fields of geography, ecology, environmental philosophy, and/or environmental science.

3. Submit a brief letter describing your academic and/or research interests as they relate to geography, ecology, environmental philosophy, and/or environmental science.

For more information or to apply for a membership, please contact Katherine Cline, Vice President of the Silvey Society at KatherineCline@my.unt.edu.