The Tau Beta Pi Association, national engineering honor society, was founded at Lehigh University in 1885 by Dr. Edward Higginson Williams, Jr., 'to mark in a fitting manner those who have conferred honor upon their Alma Mater by distinguished scholarship and exemplary character as undergraduates in engineering, or by their attainments as alumni in the field of engineering, and to foster a spirit of liberal culture in engineering colleges'. -- Preamble to the Constitution.
Current Status
| Collegiate Chapters | 260 |
| Alumni Chapters | 47 |
| Districts Across the Country | 16 |
| Total Initiated Membership | ~575,000 |
WI-Α
Our chapter was established on May 5, 1899 and has initiated over 2,000 members since then. Our current membership is at 90. We pride ourselves on hosting a bi-annual blood drive, industry meetings with companies looking to recruit Tau Bates, and social events such as Bent Casting
The Bent
The Bent, pictured above, is an iconic symbol for Tau Beta Pi. It’s form is derived from a watch key in the shape of the bent from a trestle. Most chapters have a bent statue on campus. Notably, our chapter is the last one to uphold the tradition of Bent Casting, in which personal bents are cast out of brass at the Material Science foundry.