Chi Epsilon () is an American collegiate civil engineering honor society. It honors engineering students who have exemplified the "principles of scholarship, character, practicality, and sociability...in the civil engineering profession.""The Constitution and Bylaws of Chi Epsilon" as approved by National Conclave Rolla, Missouri March 9–11, 2006 As of 2023, there are 141 chapters, of which 137 are active, where over 125,000 members have been inducted.
History In early 1922, two local civil engineering student groups–Chi Epsilon and Chi Delta Chi–formed independently at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and petitioned for university recognition. Once the two groups learned of each other, they merged under the Chi Epsilon name. The university approved Chi Epsilon on May 20, 1922, recognized by the society as it founding date, The group had 25 founding members.
Chi Epsilon is "dedicated to the purpose of maintaining and promoting the status of civil engineering as an ideal profession." Its objective and purpose are to uphold competence, sound engineering, good moral judgment, and a commitment to society to improve the civil engineering profession.
The society received a certificate of incorporation from the State of Illinois on February 23, 1923.
Chi Epsilon sent letters to other engineering programs, inviting students to found a chapter. A second chapter was chartered at the Armour Institute of Technology on March 29, 1923.
The society is overseen by student officers at each chapter who act through a National Council. Its headquarters is located at the California Polytechnic State University.
Symbols The society's motto is "Conception, Design, Construction", suggested by the Greek letters Chi Delta Chi, the proposed name for one of Chi Epsilon's predecessor groups.
The colors of Chi Epsilon are purple and white. Its badge is a key made in the likeness of the front of a Theodolite or engineer's transit, the instrument of a surveyor. Its publication is The Transit, published semi-annually in the spring and fall of each year.
Membership Male and female undergraduates, graduates, and faculty in civil engineering are all eligible to become members if they meet basic requirements. Undergraduates must be in the top third of their class and have completed at least half of the civil engineering curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree. Members are selected based on scholarship, character, practicality, and sociability, the four primary requirements of a successful engineer.
All candidates must participate in a formal initiation ceremony. After becoming a regular member, anyone who has attained eminence through accomplishments in the profession may become a Chapter Honor Member. The next level of elevation is National Honor Member.
Chapter list
Notable members Collegiate and chapter honor members
NameChapter of initiationNotabilityReferencesIra Osborn BakerUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignProfessor of engineering at the University of IllinoisThomas B. BernsUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignProfessor of surveying at the University of Illinois and Illinois House of Representatives Joseph ColacoUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignStructural engineer noted for contributions to the supertall skyscrapersHardy CrossUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignDeveloper of the moment distribution method for structural analysis of statically indeterminate structures.David E. DanielUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignPresident of the University of Texas at Dallas and deputy chancellor of the University of Texas SystemRobert H. Dodds Jr.University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignProfessor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignLouis R. DouglassUniversity of Colorado Boulder Civil engineer with the United States Bureau of Reclamation and was in charge of Hoover Dam Daniel C. DruckerUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignDean of Engineering at the University of Illinois James van HoftenUniversity of California, BerkeleyAstronaut for NASAFazlur Rahman KhanUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignFather of tubular designs for high-risesFranklin MatthiasUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonCivil engineer who directed the construction of the Hanford nuclear siteRalph ModjeskiUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignCivil engineer and pioneer the use of suspension bridgesNathan M. NewmarkUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaignone of the founding fathers of earthquake engineering and recipient of the National Medal of ScienceKent RomingerColorado State UniversityAstronaut and NASA Chief of the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center,Paul J. TikalskyUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison Dean & Donald and Cathey Humphreys Chair of Engineering at Oklahoma State University.
National Honor Members National Honor Members start as collegiate members or chapter honor members but are elevated based on professional achievement. The chapters listed are the original chapter of initiation, followed by the NHM elevation chapter if different.
NameChapter of initiationNotabilityReferencesStephen Bechtel Jr.Purdue UniversityBusinessman and owner of the Bechtel CorporationCharles B. BreedMITHead of the Department of Civil and Sanitary Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyGeorge Dewey ClydeUniversity of UtahGovernor of Utah and dean of the Utah State University College of Engineering and TechnologyHardy CrossUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, MITeveloped the moment distribution method for structural analysis of statically indeterminate structuresLuther W. Graef Marquette University, University of Wisconsin–Madisonfounder of Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer and Associates Inc.Henry Townley HealdIllinois Institute of Technologypresident of Illinois Institute of TechnologyWilliam LeMessurierUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell, MITstructural engineer for the Boston City Hall, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Singapore Treasury Building, and the Dallas Main Center.Tung-Yen LinUniversity of California, Berkeley; University of KentuckyStructural engineer who was the pioneer of standardizing the use of prestressed concreteDaniel W. Mead University of Wisconsin–Madison, Cornell UniversityProfessor at the University of Wisconsin-MadisonRalph Brazelton PeckUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignCivil engineer specializing in soil mechanics and recipient of the National Medal of Science Lewis A. Pick Virginia TechChief of Engineers in the United States ArmyLeslie E. Robertson University of California–Berkeley, Stevens Institute of TechnologyStructural engineer of the World Trade Center, the U.S. Steel Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, and the Bank of China TowerHunter Rouse MIT, University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignHydraulician, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University, and dean of the University of Iowa College of EngineeringMario Salvadori Manhattan College, Cooper UnionProfessor of civil engineering and architecture at Columbia UniversityJohn L. SavageUniversity of Colorado BoulderSupervised the designs of Hoover Dam, Shasta Dam, Parker Dam and Grand Coulee Dam David B. SteinmanCity College of New YorkDesigner of the Mackinac BridgeLeif J. Sverdrup Missouri University of Science and TechnologyGeneral with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Arthur Newell Talbot University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignPioneer in the field of reinforced concreteBertram D. TallamyRensselaer Polytechnic InstituteSuperintendent of the New York State Department of Public Works and Federal Highway AdministratorFrederick E. TurneaureUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonDean of engineering at the University of Wisconsin–MadisonAbel Wolman Drexel UniversityPioneer of modern sanitary engineering
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