Students inducted into campus' first engineering honor society

The School of Engineering at Penn State Erie has inducted 27 students into its first engineering honor society, Tau Beta Nu. The organization is being modeled after the national engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi and plans to apply for membership.

Candidates were initially selected based on GPA requirements; only those juniors who are in the top one-eighth and seniors in the top one-fifth of their respective classes are asked to join the organization. Candidates then had to meet additional criteria to be accepted into the society, including completing 10 hours of community service and attending educational seminars and socials.

The inductees represent students from four of Penn State Erie's engineering programs. All cities listed are in Pennsylvania, unless noted otherwise.

Computer Engineering:
Cody M. Griffin of Warren and Stephen P. Sowansky of Meadville

Electrical Engineering:
Alyssa R. Baran of Elizabeth, Patrick M. Combes of Finleyville, Stephen J. Graves of McMurray, Jeremy D. Grossman of Roulette, Edward P. Jacobs of Ellwood City, Ryan D. Scanlon of Penn Run, and Nathan C. Smerker of Shippenville

Mechanical Engineering:
Brandon H. Bruner of Mount Pleasant, Andrew J. Cotherman of Cranberry, Laura A. Dewalt of Millerton, Molly K. Eberly of Fairview, Jeffrey T. Erdman of McKean, Chad R. Green of Butler, Joshua J. Jones of Pittsburgh, Ashraf Khalifa of Damascus, Syria, Louis J. Kobielski of Sherman, N.Y., Nicolas A. Kurczewski of Waterford, Daniel P. Madison of Apollo, Kensaku Matsushita of East Stroudsburg, Timothy A. McNeal of Venetia, Wesley A. Salandro of Latrobe, Drew P. Seker of Ellicott City, Md., and Benjamin R. Wigg of Edinburg

Software Engineering:
Andrew P. Keen of Birdsboro and Matthew J. Shuster of Butler

"These students have been committed to this organization and the process from the beginning," said Kathleen Muhonen, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and committee chair. “They’re first recognized for their academic successes, but take that honor one step further with their individual commitments to improve both themselves and their communities. It was inspiring to see their range of volunteer interests.”

Students’ community service activities included volunteering on campus, in the Erie community and in students’ hometowns -- from tutoring fellow students in the School of Engineering to assisting at the expERIEnce Children’s Museum in downtown Erie and volunteering at Magee Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, among others.

Five Penn State Erie faculty members served on the Tau Beta Pi planning committee to help form this inaugural class of the society. They are Muhonen, Tom Hemminger, professor of electrical and computer engineering, William Lasher, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Dipo Onipede, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and John Roth, associate professor of mechanical engineering. Each will now serve as advisers for the organization.

By following Tau Beta Pi’s bylaws and cannons, Tau Beta Nu will be eligible to petition to become an official chapter of the national honor society in four years. Penn State Erie’s chapter will hold officer elections this month and, moving forward, students will assume responsibility for managing Tau Beta Nu.

Tau Beta Pi is the nation’s oldest and largest engineering honor society. It was founded at Lehigh University in 1885 to recognize students of distinguished scholarship and exemplary character. There are collegiate chapters at 234 colleges and universities in the United States, active alumnus chapters in 16 districts across the country, and a total initiated membership of more than 503,600 people.