By Jeff Samoray, OU Web Writer

The Oakland University chapter of Tau Beta Pi continues its tradition of accumulating prestigious national awards.

The engineering honor society received an honorable mention for the R.C. Matthews Most Distinguished Chapter Award at the Tau Beta Pi National Convention last October in Columbus, Ohio. The award is given annually to the chapter that submits the best project book, said Jacob Kraus, OU chapter president.

“The award is based on a variety of criteria – partly the number and quality of our chapter projects,” said Kraus, a senior electrical engineering major. “It’s recommended that each chapter submit a book detailing chapter events, projects and meetings. Our chapter book had 47 entries for the school year 2000-2001, which is a lot considering we have about 30 members. There are other chapters that have won the award that have over 100 members, but we still do more events per person.”

Kraus said the OU chapter won the Matthews Award twice before and received honorable mention twice. The chapter also received a Project Award at this year’s convention based on the quantity and quality of its projects. About 30 of Tau Beta Pi’s 221 chapters received project awards, Kraus said.

“We do many different things, from community service projects to initiations,” Kraus said. “We collected resumes from engineering students and compiled a resume book to distribute to about 50 employers. We had a children’s book drive for a local nursery school. We participated in the Heart Walk and had a canned food drive for Thanksgiving. We also had several social events including initiations for new members and a dinner at Meadow Brook Hall. We’re one of the few chapters to have a formal dinner to initiate our members.”

Since the OU chapter was chartered in 1979, it has won 16 consecutive Project Awards, which is currently the second longest streak in the nation, said Kraus.

“The number of awards says a lot,” Kraus said. “We have a strong tradition that has been carried on over the years by our faculty advisers. Our listed motto is ‘Integrity and excellence in engineering.’ We get together as engineers and help make ourselves more visible through projects and community service. We’re real people out trying to do real things to help others, and at the same time, help create a positive image of engineers.”

Membership in Tau Beta Pi is open to all students of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. For more information, visit the Tau Beta Pi national Web site, or call the OU chapter at (248) 370-4229