THETA TAU
Professional Engineering Fraternity
The nation's oldest, and still foremost, Fraternity for Engineers

QT Activities & Events

Theta Tau Leadership Academy has been established and held its inaugural session at The Ohio University in August 1999. Over 100 student members of Theta Tau chapters and colonies participated in this first Academy. Due to the positive response to the inaugural Academy, a condensed version of the program was presented at the 2000 Convention of the Fraternity. Subsequent Leadership Academies have been held in the summer of each year at Ohio State,Vanderbilt, and Washington University. The core Academy curricula is based on The Leadership Challenge (Kouzes-Posner) with additional elements having been recently added from the Who Moved My Cheese (Johnson). In the fall of 2005, the Foundation tested holding mini-Academy at 2 Regional Conferences. Both were greatly successful reaching more students than could otherwise attend the national/summer presentations. In the years just ahead, the Foundation hopes to continue to reach more student members with this valuable leadership training at the chapter and regional level.

Rube Goldberg™ Machine Contest is sponsored by the Educational Foundation with financial support from Dell Computer and other sponsors. Local contests are held at various universities throughout the country, and local winners are eligible to compete in the national contest. The national contest is administered by Phi Chapter and held near Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. The 2006 national contest will be held April 1 with the task of cutting or shredding into strips 5 sheets of 8.5" x 11" 20 lb paper individually with a shredder in 20 or more steps. Visit www.rubemachine.com for more information.

Theta Tau Educational Foundation Scholarship Program has been established and regularly awards scholarships to student members of Theta Tau to enable them to continue their engineering education. The recipients are selected on the basis of their academic achievements, their participation in campus and community activities, and/or on financial need. Theta Tau's goals of assisting our Brothers and recognizing and fostering high academic achievement among members is strengthened through this program.

Over the years, over $15,000 in scholarships has been awarded to the following deserving students:

Derek Andreas, Tau Beta 2002
Greg Arkwright, Phi Beta 2001
James M. Baker, Lambda Beta 2005
Stephanie M. Ekern, Xi 2003
Greg M. Franzer, Phi 2003
David A. Geswein, Phi 2002
Jeffrey T. Goodney, Beta 2001
Brandon Kelly, Beta 2001
Angela M. Kleman, Chi Beta 2004
Michael Larson, Omicron 1999
Anthony Marciniak, Pi Beta 2006
Brian P. McGowan, Phi 2002
Michael McGrath, Omega Beta 2003
Patrick A. Nelson, Phi 2004
Jennifer O'Meara, Xi 1999
Suzanne M. Paden, Rho Beta 2002
George Parrino, Xi 1999
Kevin Ray Patterson, Kappa Beta 2000
Kathryn Riddle, Eta Gamma 2000
Josh Rothenberg, Psi Beta 2000
Kevin Ryan, Jr., Rho 2007
Christopher W. Schnarr, Phi 2001
Laura Ann Smith, Chi Beta 2002
Paul M. Verdugo, Chi 2002
Caleb Waddle, Lambda Beta 2005
David Weaver, Chi Beta 2000

Newark Electronics Scholarships were available to Theta Tau student members for the first time in 2000. Newark Electronics has also agreed to provide up to $5,000 in scholarships during the next school year.

Applicants must be members of Theta Tau, ranking sophomore or higher and demonstrating significant academic achievement and personal development during their collegiate careers. An applicant must have been a member for at least six months, be in good standing with the chapter, and have taken at least 12 credit hours during the term. A representative of Theta Tau and a representative of Newark will judge scholarship applicants on scholastic achievement, involvement in campus and community activities, and professional and personal goals. All application materials must be submitted to the Central Office by June 30, 2001. Visit Newark's web site at www.newark.com. To request an application for the Newark Electronics Scholarships, please contact the Theta Tau Central Office by email central@ThetaTau.org.

Theta Tau's goals of assisting our Brothers and recognizing and fostering high academic achievement among members is strengthened through this program. Similarly, Newark's goal of forging a strong relationship with educational communities is enhanced through association with the educational foundation.

The Newark Scholarship winners announced at the Theta Tau Convention in August 2000 were:

Laura Ann Smith, Chi Beta '02, the first place winner, is a Bioengineering major at the University of Toledo. She has served her chapter as Philanthropy Co-Chair. Laura has also served as Vice President of the Biomedical Engineering Society, Social Justice Co-Chair of the Catholic Students Association, Chair of Tradition Development of the Engineering Council, and on the Bioengineering Student Advisory Committee at University of Toledo. She is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta, Tau Beta Pi, and Phi Kappa Phi. She plans to pursue a Master of Science Degree in Bioengineering and then work in private industry developing better medical treatments and techniques.

Brian P. McGowan, Phi '02, is a Mechanical Engineering major at Purdue University. He currently is Vice-Regent of his chapter and the 2000 Homecoming Committee Chairman. He has participated in intramurals and philanthropic projects for his chapter. He has served as Director of Freshman Programs for the Student Engineering Foundation. Brian is a member of Phi Eta Sigma. He plans to work in the oil industry in Alaska after graduation and eventually pursue a degree in management.

Kevin Ray Patterson, Kappa Beta '00, a Computer Engineering major at Mississippi State University, has served his chapter as Vice-Regent, Social Committee Chair, and Webmaster. He has also participated in philanthropic and professional development activities for his chapter. Kevin is a member of Upsilon Pi Epsilon Computer Honorary Society, IEEE, and ACM. After graduation Kevin plans to pursue a career in computer security.