Tau Beta Pi Awards 34 Fellowships

The Fellowship Board of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, announces the selection of 34 young engineering graduates from 306 applicants for graduate fellowships in 2004-05. Fourteen 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 $4,070,000 in stipends will have been given by the Society when this 71st group of scholars completes its graduate work. All Tau Beta Pi Fellowships are awarded on the competitive criteria 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.

These awards bring the total to 1,188 fellowships granted since the program was inaugurated in 1929. The 2004-05 Tau Beta Pi Fellows are introduced on the following list.

Seven of the winners will study electrical engineering, four biomedical engineering, four chemical engineering, two mechanical engineering, three structural engineering, two environmental engineering, and two aerospace engineering. The others have chosen to study law, physics of fluids, robotics, transportation technology and policy, and aeronautical & astronautical, civil, computer, and financial engineering. Two will pursue an M.B.A.

Tau Beta Pi was founded at Lehigh University in 1885. It has collegiate chapters at 228 engineering colleges in the United States and active alumnus chapters in 17 cities. It has initiated more than 466,000 members in its 119-year history and is the world’s largest engineering Society.

Given for the 19th time, the Centennial Fellowship honors the Society’s most outstanding fellow.
The Charles H. Spencer Fellowship is given for the 49th 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 43rd 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.

Eight 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 31st 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 25th time.

The Walter E. Deuchler Sr. Fellowship, IL A ’10, also presented for the 25th time, is given to a student of civil, urban, or environmental engineering.

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.

The Powell Fellowship is named for A. Hamilton Powell, MA A ’37, who left a bequest to the Society in 2003.