Sigma Gamma Tau Home Page

SIGMA GAMMA TAU

National Aerospace Engineering Honor Society

National Office
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Wichita State University
Wichita, KS 67260-0042

Sigma Gamma Tau is the honor society for Aerospace 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.

Purpose
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 Aeronautics and Astronautics 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 University 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 Oklahoma, and Gamma Alpha Rho, founded in 1945 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

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. Since its modest beginnings in 1953, the society has grown from 14 to about 50 collegiate chapters (~40 active chapters) and from 1,900 to over 30,000 initiated members.

Membership
Distinguished scholarship or eminent professional attainment in Aerospace Engineering is the primary eligibility requirement for Sigma Gamma Tau. Undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited Aerospace curriculum must have completed at least five quarters or three semesters of work toward the bachelor's degree. Those in the upper one-third of the senior class, upper one-quarter of the junior class, or upper one-fifth of the sophomore class.

Graduate students must be in good academic standing and have met similar requirements. After the scholastic requisite is fulfilled, selection is then based on a high moral character and a strong interest in Aeronautics and/or Astronautics. By recognizing this group of young Aerospace engineers, Sigma Gamma Tau seeks to identify those from which the future advances in the profession are most likely to come.

Membership is also extended to those individuals in the Aerospace industry who have made significant contributions to the profession.

Activities
 As an honor society, Sigma Gamma Tau is primarily a service organization for Aerospace education. The student chapters participate in activities such as tutoring, hosting campus advisors, and serving on academic committees. Sigma Gamma Tau complements the work and goals of AIAA, the corresponding professional society in which most student activity is centered. Sigma Gamma Tau members traditionally are members of AIAA, and the two organizations frequently co-sponsor scientific, professional, and social activities.

In an effort to encourage ethical and professional betterment in the Aerospace field, nine regional awards of honor in the amount of $250 each are presented annually to outstanding undergraduate student members of Sigma Gamma Tau with an additional $750 awarded to the national winner. These honor awards reflect the society's emphasis on the pursuit and attainment of excellence.

You can review any of the following organizational information:
  • National Officers
  • Regional Coordinators
  • Regions & Student Chapters
  • Faculty Advisors
  • Constitution (pdf)
  • Chapter Officers Instructions, Chapter Officers Instructions (pdf)
  • Best Practices & Lessons Learned
  • Initiation Ritual, Initiation Ritual (pdf)
  • Annual Undergraduate Awards
  • 1979 Brochure (History & Conventions) (pdf)
  • 1994 Triennial Convention Minutes (pdf)
  • 1997 Triennial Convention Minutes (pdf)
  • 2000 Triennial Convention Minutes (pdf)
  • 2003 Triennial Convention Minutes (pdf)
  • 2006 Triennial Convention Minutes (pdf)
  • 2009 Triennial Convention Minutes (pdf)
  • 2012 Triennial Convention Minutes (pdf)
  • 2015 Triennial Convention Minutes (pdf)
  • 2018 Triennial Convention Minutes (pdf)
  • 2021 Triennial Convention Minutes (pdf)
  • Society Merchandise
  • Nomination and Order Forms

    9 January 2018 update by roy.myose@wichita.edu