Candidate Information
Every semester, Tau Beta Pi at Michigan Tech invites hundreds of students to join the engineering honor society. Our chapter is required to strictly follow eligibility criteria set forth by Tau Beta Pi. We have outlined the criteria for membership below as they pertain to distinguished scholarship and exemplary character.
Eligible Majors and Programs
As we are an engineering honor society, we can only invite and subsequently initiate engineering students into the Michigan Beta chapter. Per our chapter's bylaws, the following majors and programs in the College of Engineering are eligible to join Tau Beta Pi:
Undergraduate and Graduate
Biomedical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Geological Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Mining Engineering
Undergraduate Only
Aerospace Engineering
Engineering
General Engineering
Geospatial Engineering
Robotics Engineering
Graduate Only
Engineering - Environmental Engineering (PhD Only)
Manufacturing Engineering (Master's and PhD Programs)
Mechanical Engineering - Engineering Mechanics (PhD Only)
Top Class Standing
To be considered for membership in Tau Beta Pi, you must first demonstrate distinguished scholarship to our chapter. Depending on your class, you will have different eligibility criteria. You can review them in the drop-menus below.
Juniors
If you are in Junior standing based on earned credits, you must be in the Top 1/8th of your graduating class to receive an invitation to join.
Seniors
If you are in Senior standing based on earned credits, you must be in the Top 1/5th of your graduating class to receive an invitation to join.
Graduate Students
If you are a Masters or PhD student, you must be in the Top 1/5th of your graduating class and have completed at least 50% of your degree to receive an invitation to join. As an eligible graduate student, you MUST also provide the Initiation Chair your full educational background. Headquarters requires we submit this information to further validate your eligibility for Tau Beta Pi. This includes:
All institutions attended including Michigan Tech (your current institution)
Degrees earned or being sought at each institution
Majors/programs for each degree
Graduation month and year
For Michigan Tech, provide your estimated graduation month and year
If you fulfill these requirements, you will receive an email and/or a physical invitation, and it will contain information on orientation session(s) that you will need to attend. You MUST attend a session to be further considered for membership.
Chapter Election and Catalog Cards
Tau Beta Pi has a strong belief that scholarship alone cannot determine a good Tau Bate. For exemplary character is an even more important requirement, and Michigan Beta maintains the belief that your fellow peers will know you well. After the orientation session(s), all current members of the Michigan Beta chapter will be notified of all the eligible candidates for membership that attended the orientation session and expressed interest. The chapter will hold an Election to vote on whether or not to let you become members. The ballots are casted to the Executive Board anonymously, and we will follow up with any potential concerns as needed.
Once the Election process is complete, candidates will be notified of either being elected or not. If you are elected, you will be provided details on completing a mandatory catalog card online - including a chapter PIN to access the official form. Today, they do not just provide a record of your membership, but they also help determine the following:
Your preferred and full name for your membership card and certificate
Your preference for an official engraved pin or charm
Type of 4-year subscription to The Bent and where to ship it (if applicable)
And more!
Because the catalog card is vital to the materials you will receive at the Initiation Ceremony, we highly urge you to complete your catalog card immediately. It only takes a few minutes at most.
Initiation Fee
To be initiated into Tau Beta Pi, we require a mandatory one-time fee of $75. Of that, $55 is the required funding set forth by the Association. This encompasses the materials you will receive at the Initiation Ceremony including your engraved pin/charm, certificate, membership card, and more. As a newly initiated member, a portion of your initiation fee also goes to a four-year subscription to The Bent - a quarterly magazine that discusses news in Tau Beta Pi and current events and trends in the field of engineering. The additional $20 of your initiation fee is used to fund the Michigan Beta chapter. Although Tau Beta Pi at Michigan Tech is a registered student organization (RSO) at Michigan Tech, we do not receive funding from the university as we are an invite-only organization. It may not seem like much, but it ensures we can host activities and operate as an active collegiate chapter.
Little Bent Sanding Workshop
A tradition across all Tau Beta Pi chapters is for candidates to be given a casted Little Bent, and those candidates will be required to sand and polish them to pristine condition. In addition, candidates will wear their Little Bent at their Initiation Ceremony. The Michigan Beta chapter hosts a workshop in the Makerspace (located in the basement floor of the MUB) to provide all elected candidates for membership their Little Bents and begin sanding. The workshop is intended to be a starting point for the entire process, as it can take 5-10 hours to properly sand and polish the Little Bent. Some general information is provided in the drop-down menus below, but more information will be provided at the workshop on how to sand and polish the Little Bent properly.
General Tips
Use proper personal protective equipment (PPE) as you will be exposed to sanded metal and polishing chemicals. While in the Makerspace, you will be required to wear safety glasses and latex-free gloves. It is also recommended that you wear older clothes due to the risk of staining them.
Do NOT use machine tools. For safety reasons, machine tools will NEVER be operated in the Little Bent Sanding Workshop nor should you use them in your own free time on your Little Bent. This can result in excessive sanding that can damage your Little Bent and/or equipment, and it can potentially turn your Little Bent into a dangerous projectile and cause serious injury.
Take your time and do not procrastinate. As stated before, it can take anywhere from 5-10 hours to complete the sanding and polishing process. If you feel there's room for improvement, then continue working on it!
Sanding and Polishing Steps
FILING: Obtain a metal file and begin filing the Little Bent. This includes the inner edges of the Bent and the hole at the top. File in a single direction until all the scratches are aligned in that direction. Then change the direction of the file by 90 degrees and repeat.
SANDING: Obtain 80 grit sandpaper. You will need to begin with low grit sandpaper to properly smooth out the surfaces, and use the same sanding technique that you performed with the file in Step #1. Repeat with new sandpaper with a slightly higher grit. Gradually increase the grit of sandpaper as you repeat as needed. Once you reach ~600 grit, proceed to Step #3.
WET SANDING: At higher grits of sandpaper, wet sanding becomes more effective. A spray bottle of water will suffice, and you should spray the Little Bent and especially the sandpaper to keep it wet. Perform the same sanding techniques previously discussed, and gradually increase the grit upwards to ~2000. The closer you get to 2000 when you finish, the smoother the surface will be.
POLISHING: Obtain metal polish and some rags/polishing cloth. A highly recommended metal polish is Brasso. While wearing gloves and safety glasses, rub in the polish well throughout the entire Little Bent. Use a different rag to rub it off completely. Use more cloths/rags to rub any residual polish off and remove any dullness. By the time you're done, your Little Bent should look shiny as if it was made of gold!
WARNING: Metal polishes like Brasso can contain chemicals like ammonium hydroxide - which are noxious and hazardous. Use them outdoors or in well-ventilated spaces. The Makerspace does NOT provide adequate ventilation for this step.
Chapter Events
The Michigan Beta chapter also requires candidates for membership attend some of the events with the chapter prior to Initiation. They will be notified of upcoming events that they can attend, including but not limited to social events, volunteering activities, Tau Bate Talks virtual seminars, Engineering Futures workshops, and more.
Initiation Ceremony
The final step to become a member is to attend the Initiation Ceremony. Candidates are required to attend the ceremony in-person! Sometime before the ceremony, the Initiation Chair will let all candidates know when and where the ceremony is to be held. Initiation dues must be paid in full prior to the ceremony to ensure that Headquarters receive their payments. The Initiation Ceremony is a formal event and we require at minimum a business casual dress code for all attendees.
When current members arrive, they can enter the ceremony room, but electees must wait in the hallway outside the ceremony room. Electees must also bring their sanded and polished Little Bents to the ceremony as it's tradition to wear it during initiation. A ribbon will be provided for wearing the Little Bent. Electees will need to line up in order by last name, and the Initiation Chair will provide more instructions as needed. All electees should take this time to fully shut down all mobile devices.
It is expected that all attendees - especially the elected candidates - arrive early to ensure attendance. We will operate on a strict schedule, and the ceremony will officially begin when the electees are led into the ceremony room. Electees that arrive late will NOT be allowed to enter the room, and therefore will NOT be initiated that semester.
Any questions? Refer to the FAQs page and/or contact the Initiation Chair.