Hypatian Society - Kappa Mu Epsilon, 1963-2005

The Hypatian Society is open to students who have an interest in the study of mathematics, and includes the Maryland chapter of the National Mathematics Honor Society – Kappa Mu Epsilon.

Notre Dame’s Maryland Alpha chapter of Kappa Mu Epsilon was established on May 25, 1963. Columns reported on March 22, 1963, that “the Mathematics Society of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland [which was established in 1959] will be officially initiated as the first Maryland chapter of [KME], a national honorary mathematics fraternity.”

Kappa Mu Epsilon (KME) is a “specialized honor society in mathematics.” It was founded on April 18, 1931, at Northeastern State Teachers College (now Northeastern State University) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. According to KME’s website, the organization’s purpose is “to further the interests of mathematics in those schools which place their primary emphasis on undergraduate programs; to help undergraduate students realize the important role that mathematics has played in the development of civilization; to develop an appreciation of the power and beauty possessed by mathematics, due, mainly, to its demand for logical and rigorous modes of thought; to provide a society for the recognition of outstanding achievement in the study of mathematics at the undergraduate level; to disseminate the knowledge of mathematics; and familiarize its members with the current progress in this important area of human interest.”