Harvard student found dead

By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff

A 20-year-old Harvard sophomore was found dead early today in her residence hall, just weeks before the end of the semester, Harvard and law enforcement officials said.

Kathlene Joo, a sophomore from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was discovered in Eliot House just after 2 a.m., officials said. State police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office investigated but did not find signs of foul play, said spokesman Corey Welford.

Joo, who concentrated in neurobiology and had completed a pre-med curriculum, was a member of the Radcliffe rugby team and a volunteer at Massachusetts General Hospital through the Harvard Cancer Society, according to an e-mail sent to students and faculty from Harvard College Dean Evelynn Hammonds.

Joo also was the 2007 valedictorian of Bethel Park High School in Pennsylvania, according to the school’s web site. Counselors were made available for students and staff, said Harvard spokesman Robert Mitchell.