Tau Beta Pi Awards 35 Fellowships 

Tau Beta Pi's Fellowship Board announces the selection of 35 young engineering graduates from 208 applicants for graduate fellowships in 2002-2003. Sixteen of this year's winners will receive cash stipends of $10,000 for their advanced study; the others do not need financial aid from Tau Beta Pi. More than $3,777,000 in stipends will have been given by the Society when this 69th group of scholars completes its graduate work. All Tau Beta Pi Fellowships are awarded on the competitive basis of high scholarship, campus leadership and service, and promise of future contributions to the engineering profession. All fellows are members of Tau Beta Pi and may do their graduate work at any institution they choose.

Nine of the winners will study mechanical engineering, seven electrical engineering, three biomedical engineering, three environmental engineering, two chemical engineering, two civil engineering, and two computer science. The others have chosen to study mathematics and biology, remote sensing, computer science and engineering, computer science and systems engineering, and industrial/systems, nuclear and financial engineering.

Tau Beta Pi is the National Engineering Honor Society, founded at Lehigh University in 1885. It has collegiate chapters at 225 engineering colleges in the United States and active alumnus chapters in 16 cities. It has initiated more than 450,000 members in its 117-year history and is the world's largest engineering Society.

Given for the 17th time, the Centennial Fellowship honors the Society's most outstanding fellow.

The Charles H. Spencer Fellowship is given for the 47th time. Named for Tau Beta Pi's national president in 1936-47, it is awarded to that winner whose contributions to his or her collegiate chapter are judged worthy of commendation.

The Harold M. King Fellowship, awarded for the 41st time, honors the 1954-58 president of Tau Beta Pi and is given to that winner whose participation in his or her technical society is judged worthy of special mention.

Four Tau Beta Pi-James Fife Fellowships are presented in memory of the father of the late member William Fife, CA A '21.

The Tau Beta Pi-Sigma Tau award, given for the 29th time, perpetuates the name of Sigma Tau, national engineering honor society founded at the University of Nebraska in 1904 and merged into Tau Beta Pi in 1974. It also commemorates Sigma Tau's former national president and secretary-treasurer, Clarel B. Mapes.

The Donald A. Stark Fellowship is supported by a gift from a charitable trust named for the man who contributed much to progress in the fluid-power industry.

The Edward H. Williams Jr. Fellowship honors the founder of Tau Beta Pi and is given to a winner who plans to earn a doctoral degree and become a professional engineering teacher, as was Dr. Williams. It is awarded for the 23rd time.

The Walter E. Deuchler Sr. Fellowship, IL A '10, presented for the 23rd time, is given to a winner whose work is to be in civil, urban, or environmental engineering.

The Tau Beta Pi-Maddox Fellowship, awarded for the seventh time, is named in honor of Arthur Maddox, OK A '30, who bequeathed a significant gift to the Society.

The Matthews Fellowship is awarded in honor of R.C. "Red" Matthews, IL A '02, who served as Secretary and Secretary-Treasurer in 1905-47 and as Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus in 1947-78. The Nagel Fellowship is given to honor Robert H. Nagel, NY D '39, for his service as Editor and Secretary-Treasurer during 1942-82 and as Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus in 1982-97.

These awards bring the total to 1,121 fellowships granted since the program was inaugurated in 1929. Click here for a complete list of the 2002-2003 Tau Beta Pi Fellows.

Membership in Tau Beta Pi is by invitation from our collegiate chapters (just in the United States right now).
Undergraduate students must be in the top 1/8th of the junior class or top 1/5th of the senior class to be scholastically eligible for membership. The second requirement of exemplary character is determined by the chapter. Each chapter has its own method which usually requires some activity such as participating in a project.
Graduate students must meet the top 1/5th requirement or have a letter of recommendation from their primary advisors plus have completed at least 50% of their coursework including research.
If you have already graduated, you would need to have graduated in the top 1/5th.
If you feel you meet our scholastic requirement you are encouraged to contact the president of the Tau Beta Pi chapter on your campus. We have chapters on 220 campuses across the country and in Puerto Rico.