Oklahoma State Lambda
Stillwater, OK 74078
Early in 1931, the Mechanical Engineer's Club was organized for the purpose of petitioning Pi Tau Sigma for a chapter at what was then Oklahoma A. and M. College. The efforts of the petitioning students were rewarded on April 20, 1931, by the formal installation of the Oklahoma, now Oklahoma State, Lambda Chapter with National Secretary 1. V. Martenis officiating.
The Oklahoma State Lambda is an active organization striving for cohesion in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Student-faculty relationships and cooperation among all mechanical and aerospace engineering societies are primary areas of interest. For example, this chapter of Pi Tau Sigma helps maintain a student lounge, participates in Engineering Week and participates in an annual awards banquet. On the national level, Oklahoma State Lambda Chapter traditionally takes a large number of members to the national convention.
ANNUAL SUMMARY REPORTS
2022-2023, John-Todd Wallace, Chapter President
Lambda Chapter held two initiations throughout the academic school year. The fall 2022 initiation took place on 12/01/2022, inducting three undergraduate members—two from the Stillwater campus and one from the Tulsa campus. In the spring of 2023, we inducted five members, all from the Stillwater campus, during the initiation held on 4/19/2023. The conventional initiation procedure was followed for both events and all inductees satisfied the Pi Tau Sigma academic standards.
Fall 2022 Initiation
New Initiates: Austin Rouser, Samuel Kratochvil, Levi Walls
Spring 2023 Initiation
New Initiates: Matthew Greene, Aaron Chrismon, Craig Mullarkey, Ethan Biedenstein (not pictured), Peyton Aubrey Patterson (not pictured)
Lambda Chapter participated in a variety of activities throughout the school year. We held regular Habitat for Humanity volunteer days where club members had an opportunity to aid in domestic construction efforts to support those in need. Some of the recorded dates include, 9/3/2022, 9/24/2022, 10/15/2022, 11/12/2022. Below are some pictures of the events.
On 10/26/2022, The chapter conducted a STEM Outreach Day at Stillwater Junior High School. Club members talked to middle schoolers about their experiences as mechanical engineering students and the opportunities present in the field. Afterwards, students participated in a statics related activity in which they were paired up in teams to construct the tallest possible tower using marshmallows and pasta noodles. A Picture of the event can be seen below.
2021-2022, Caleb Bengs, Chapter President
The Oklahoma State Lambda chapter of Pi Tau Sigma conducted three different activities during the 2021-2022 academic year: a Habitat for Humanity involvement day, a Pi Day trivia contest, and a STEM outreach event to one of the local junior high schools. There were actually two Habitat for Humanity involvement days conducted during the Fall 2021 semester. One was held on September 25, and another on October 23. Both activities were spearheaded by John-Todd Wallace, who communicated with the individuals from Habitat for Humanity and directed the efforts of the other Chapter members. During the involvement, members helped in the construction of houses.
The Pi Day trivia contest took place on March 9, 2022, and was conducted jointly with the local chapter of Tau Beta Pi. The Pi Day celebration was divided into two parts. First, at 1:00PM, members from both Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma helped pass out oatmeal crème pies with fliers attached to raise awareness of the festivities being held in the evening. The oatmeal crème pies were supplied by Pi Tau Sigma, and the fliers were design and printed by Tau Beta Pi. Then, the actual Pi Day trivia contest took place at 6:00PM. The trivia contest was created using online trivia software known as “Kahoot!” by members of Pi Tau Sigma. In addition to the trivia contest, pizza was provided by Tau Beta Pi. Approximately 100-125 people showed up for the trivia contest.
The STEM Outreach activity at Stillwater Junior High Schools occurred on March 30, 2022. The Outreach was conducted with the help of Mr. Trevor Fieldsend, a science teacher at school. Mr. Fieldsend agreed to let the Oklahoma State Lambda chapter of Pi Tau Sigma conduct one or two fun science activities with students during two of his classes. The activities included the construction of a miniature structure that could withstand simulated Earthquakes, and the construction of a paper tower that could hold a heavy textbook. On the day of the event, Mr. Fieldsend and Pi Tau Sigma both supplied the necessary materials, and members from both Pi Tau Sigma and Engineers Without Borders were present to help with the activities. The outreach was a success, and Mr. Fieldsend has invited the Oklahoma State Lambda Chapter to return in future semesters.
Members: Dr. Christian Bach, Alvin Ngo, Saad Salem, Simon Devlin, Peyton Pierson, John Geary, Nathan Janda, Levi Johnson, Macy Wohlgemuth, John-Todd Wallace, Caleb Bengs
Members: Dr. Christian Bach, Braegan Zimmerman, Emma Thompson, Christopher Rathman, Grant Bellah, Caleb Bengs
Members: Erika DiLuca, Evan Nicholas, Joshua Kroll, Dr. Jerome Hausselle
2020-2021, Caleb Bengs, Chapter President
During the 2020-2021 academic year, the Oklahoma State Lambda Chapter (henceforth referred to as the Chapter) held three initiations. The first initiation, held on November 18th, 2020, saw the inclusion of 15 undergraduates into the chapter. On December 4th, 2020, a special induction ceremony was held for the chapter advisor, Dr. Christian Bach. Dr. Bach is an honorary member of Pi Tau Sigma and had not yet been inducted. The third and final initiation was held on April 14th, 2021; this induction saw the inclusion of two graduate students into the local chapter.
On March 23rd, 2021, the Chapter worked with Trevor Fieldsend—a local teacher at the Stillwater Middle School and a STEM instructor with Project Lead the Way—to help local middle school students conduct an entertaining science experiment in an effort to encourage them pursue careers in STEM. The experiment concerned a zip line: a small zip line was constructed using fishing wire so that the line was approximately 10 feet long and 3 feet high, and students were given a Ping-Pong ball along with other various components (a piece of duct-tape, a straw, a piece of string, a hole-punch, a small solo cup, a paperclip, etc.). The students were instructed to construct a device that could hook to the zip line and safely carry the Ping-Pong ball to the bottom of the zip line in under 3 seconds. The experiment was performed in two classes, Trevor’s second-hour and third-hour classes, and seemed to be well-received by both groups of students. About 30 students in all participated in the event, and Trevor expressed interest in doing a similar project in a later semester.
During the academic year, the Chapter cast a vote on two matters related to the National Pi Tau Sigma organization. First, the Chapter was called upon to participate in a vote to accept an application by the Catholic University of America to obtain new chapter status. The Chapter voted “YES” to accept the proposal on April 29th, 2021. Second, the Chapter was asked to participate in a vote to accept Dr. Yolanda Mack serving a second term as the National Vice-President. The Chapter also voted “YES” on this matter on May 14th, 2021.
