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The University of Maryland's Tau Mu Chapter hosted the 82nd National Pi Tau Sigma Convention on the weekend of February 21-23, 2003. The convention welcomed over 200 attendees representing over 65 colleges and universities from across the United States. The Title Sponsor was Schlumberger. Local sponsors included the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Black & Decker, the University's Center for Energetic Concepts Development, and NorthropGrumman.
The convention kicked off with lab tours to the Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel, The Neutral Buoyancy Tank, the Permanent Interconnects and Accelerated Testing Lab (Prof. Abhijit Dasgupta, Director), the Laboratory for Optomechanics and Multilayer Systems (Prof. Bongtae Han, Director), Failure Analysis and Materials Characterization Lab (Dr. Craig Hillman, Director), and the Multiphase Transport Lab (Prof. Ken Kiger, Director). During the convention's plenary sessions, revisions to the Pi Tau Sigma Constitution were made and motions were passed, including The New Chapter Petition to welcome the University of Puerto Rico into Pi Tau Sigma, as well as a motion that "Maryland Rocks." The convention also showcased sponsor and graduate school exhibits.
Fall 2002 electees Will Becker, Scott Bryant, Catherine Buxton, Josh Dinaburg, Ira Golden, James Govern, Jason Mindlin, and Zach Sandkuhler were also initiated as new members of Maryland's Tau Mu. The guest speaker for the Saturday luncheon was Department of Mechanical Engineering Chairman Dr. Avram Bar-Cohen, and special guests at the Saturday evening banquet included A. James Clark School of Engineering Dean Dr. Nariman Farvardin and Pi Tau Sigma alumni.
Among the kudos that Maryland's Tau Mu Chapter received, Mark Gertrudes, a student from the University of Rhode Island, commented, "Just wanted to let you all know that you did a tremendous job hosting this year's convention. Hopefully everything went smoothly for you, but to an outsider such as myself, it seemed to be run perfectly. In talking to other participants, I can assure you that other schools felt the same way. Thank you for the event."
Contributing to the success of the 2003 National Convention was the Pi Tau Sigma Chapter Advisor, Dr. Linda Schmidt (who was also named the 2002 Outstanding Advisor for a Student Organization by the Office of Campus Programs). The National Convention Chairs, Patrick Schmahl, Rosa Shim, and Raleigh Stewart, and the members and electees of the Tau Mu chapter, worked with Dr. Schmidt prior to and during the convention to make the event a huge success.
February 15, 2003
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