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April 20, 2007 Vol. 77,
no. 12S
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| TEEBEEPEE’ERS
FOREVER: Cal’s chapter has more than 200 members.
Pictured here, from left, are ME senior Eric Lew, BioE junior
Grace Wu, BioE junior Emmanuel Cua and EECS senior Nick Hwang.
RACHEL SHAFER PHOTO
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Cal’s Tau Beta Pi celebrates 100 years
Honor society offers professional development, social activities and more
When Cal’s chapter of the national engineering
honor society Tau Beta Pi (TBP) formed in 1907, Albert Einstein had
just introduced his theory of relativity, and the “electric suction
sweeper” (aka vacuum cleaner) was making its debut in Ohio. Amidst
mind-boggling advancements in engineering since then, California Alpha,
as the chapter is called, remains one of Cal’s oldest engineering
societies and is still going strong a century later.
“The Cal chapter of Tau Beta Pi (TBP) has represented the best of Berkeley
Engineering undergraduates for 100 years,” says Acting Dean Fiona Doyle. “TBP
students not only achieve academic excellence but push themselves to be leaders
in everything from research to student government to social service. This is
an incredible legacy. We congratulate them on their many achievements at this
wonderful milestone, thank them for their significant contributions, and look
forward to another century of TBP distinction.”
To become a member, engineers of any major must be in the top eighth of their
junior class or the top fifth of their senior class and complete an evaluation
period. But California Alpha has grown far beyond an honor roll of bright students.
It hosts over 50 events per semester, from job skills workshops to class advising
sessions and bowling nights. It serves as a crucial professional connection,
a place to try out leadership skills and a social hub.
On April 21, the club will celebrate its centennial at a banquet of current and
former members at the HS Lordships restaurant on the Berkeley Marina. Event organizers
hope it will be a time to mingle with old friends and talk about how the chapter
has changed over the years.
One of those attending will be Bernie Lin (B.S.’99 EECS), TBP alum and
adviser. “This celebration is important because it shows everyone that
we’ve maintained a strong chapter of excellence over a time period that
spanned two world wars, the Cold War, numerous scientific breakthroughs and our
current Internet age. Over all these years it has adapted itself to serve the
students, College, community and the engineering profession.”
For example in 2005, TBP officers launched a new DeCal class, Engineering 98 “Berkeley
Engineering: The Survival Guide.” Taught by upperclassmen, the class gives
new engineers the inside scoop on finding campus resources and getting academic
help.
Lin, who works at Lockheed Martin, says joining TBP was one of the best decisions
he made during his college career. “It not only introduced me to some of
my closest friends over the past decade, but also allowed me to practice the
social, personal and leadership skills I use every day at work.”
The chapter’s membership continues to grow. “I like TBP because I
can use my own personal talents [in whatever activity I’m involved in],” says
current member Emmanuel Cua, a BioE junior. “In the classroom, you have
to demonstrate yourself scholastically. But with TBP, I can just be myself.”
For more information, go to http://tbp.berkeley.edu.
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