Sigma Gamma Tau is the American
honor societyIn the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America...
in
Aerospace EngineeringAerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering...
. It seeks to identify and recognize achievement and excellence in the Aerospace field. Sigma Gamma Tau's collegiate chapters elect annually to membership those students, alumni, and professionals who, by conscientious attention to their studies or professional duties, uphold this high standard for the betterment of their profession.
The objectives of Sigma Gamma Tau, as stated in the preamble of the society's national constitution, are: "to recognize and honor those individuals in the field of
AeronauticsAeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
and
AstronauticsAstronautics, and related astronautical engineering, is the theory and practice of navigation beyond the Earth's atmosphere. In other words, it is the science and technology of space flight....
who have, through scholarship, integrity, and outstanding achievement, been a credit to their profession. The society seeks to foster a high standard of ethics and professional practice and create a spirit of loyalty and fellowship, particularly among students of Aerospace Engineering."
History
Sigma Gamma Tau was founded on the campus of
Purdue UniversityPurdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
in West Lafayette, Indiana, on February 28, 1953, "to offer appropriate recognition to persons of superior scholarship, outstanding character, and professional achievement in the field of Aeronautical Engineering."
The new society was formed by the merger of two existing societies, Tau Omega, founded in 1927 at the
University of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, and Gamma Alpha Rho, founded in 1945 at
Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteStephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
.
The name of the society was selected by combining the Greek letter Sigma, indicating sum, with Gamma and Tau from the initial letters of the parent organizations.
Chapters
Since its modest beginnings in 1953, the society has grown from 14 to 53 collegiate chapters and from 1,900 to 21,000+ initiated members in 9 regions:
Northeastern
- Boston University - Boston, MA
- Clarkson University - Potsdam, NY
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Cambridge, MA
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Troy, NY
- State University of New York at Buffalo - Buffalo, NY
- Syracuse University - Syracuse, NY
Mid-Atlantic
- University of Maryland - College Park, MD
- Pennsylvania State University - University Park, PA
- University of Virginia - Charlottesville, VA
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University - Blacksburg, VA
- West Virginia University - Morgantown, WV
Southeastern
South Central
- University of Alabama at Huntsville - Huntsville, AL
- University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa - Tuscaloosa, AL
- Auburn University - Auburn, AL
- Mississippi State University - Starkville, MS
- University of Tennessee - Knoxville, TN
- Tuskegee University - Tuskegee, AL
Great Lakes
North Central
Southwestern
Western
Southern Pacific
National headquarters
The national headquarters of Sigma Gamma Tau is located at the Aerospace Engineering Department of Wichita State University.
National officers
- National President: Dr. Roy Myose, Wichita State University
- National Vice President: Dr. Shahriar Keshmiri, University of Kansas
- Immediate Past President: Dr. John Valasek, Texas A&M University
- National Secretary/Treasurer: Dr. Roy Myose, Wichita State University
National convention
SGT National Convention has been held every three years since 1953 (except for the years between 1956 and 1964). The most recent convention was held in conjunction with the AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting at Orlando, Florida in January 2009.