Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, inducted 27 new members into the Rhode Island Alpha chapter at Brown University in a ceremony held Thursday, Dec. 9. Fifteen juniors were inducted along with 12 seniors.
Among the 15 juniors elected were: Zack Cheng ’23 (computer engineering), Caroline David ’23 (engineering physics), Mallory Ehlers ’23 (biomedical engineering), Rafael Erdley ’23 (electrical engineering), Ariana O’Brien ’23 (biomedical engineering), Luke Prestwich ’23 (chemical engineering), Justin Rhee ’23 (electrical engineering), Lukas Scheidl ’23 (mechanical engineering), Rebecca Schwartz ’23 (mechanical engineering), Charles Shi ’23 (computer engineering), Matthew Shinkar ’23 (chemical engineering), Ryan Silverman ’23 (computer engineering), Chase Thomas ’23 (chemical engineering), Derick Toth ’23 (computer engineering), and Jordan Watts ’23 (electrical engineering).
The 12 seniors elected included: Khemarat Boonyapaluk ’22 (engineering physics), Matthew Derry ’22 (mechanical engineering), Julia Henke ’22 (biomedical engineering), Jason Ho ’22 (computer engineering), Benjamin Homer ’22 (biomedical engineering), Alexander Koh-Bell ’22 (mechanical engineering), Manual Lopez ’22 (chemical engineering), Samantha Maguire ’22 (biomedical engineering), El Hadji Arona Mbaye ’22 (biomedical engineering), Joshua Neronha ’22 (mechanical engineering), Ilan Upfal ’22 (electrical engineering) and Thomas Usherwood ’22 (biomedical engineering).
Tau Beta Pi, founded in 1885, is the second oldest Greek-letter honor society in America; the oldest is Phi Beta Kappa. While Phi Beta Kappa is restricted to students in the liberal arts, Tau Beta Pi is designed to "offer appropriate recognition for superior scholarship and exemplary character to students in engineering."
In order to be inducted into the prestigious honor society, juniors must rank in the top eighth of their class and seniors must rank in the top fifth of their class.
The Rhode Island Alpha chapter is not only an honor society to pay tribute to outstanding students, but it also provides a vehicle for these students to assume a role of leadership at Brown and to be of distinctive service. Tau Beta Pi members provide tutoring to first years and sophomores, and are active in a variety of other engineering student organizations. Members also lead prospective engineering student tours of Barus and Holley and the Engineering Research Center.