Tandon's Chi Epsilon Chapter celebrates its 75th anniversary

On June 25, 1949, Brooklyn Poly (now the NYU Tandon School of Engineering) became the 31st Chi Epsilon Chapter in the nation.

Founded at the University of Illinois in 1922, Chi Epsilon, the national civil engineering honor society, recognizes and honors civil engineering students and professionals and now has almost 150 chapters at universities across the U.S. Members are elected based on four traits considered by Chi Epsilon to be essential in a successful engineer: scholarship, with candidates drawn from only the top third of their class; character, with the dedication to uphold the integrity and responsibility of the civil engineering profession through service; practicality, with a drive to improve the world through innovative and impactful solutions; and sociability, with the ability to forge connections between members while engaging the broader engineering community.

It has been 75 years since the first group of students from Tandon’s civil engineering program, which had long stressed those same values, became enthusiastic members of the new Chapter. (A large percentage of those early members were veterans returning from World War II and attending Poly with the help of the G.I. Bill.)

At Tandon, current Chi Epsilon members mentor and tutor civil engineering students, enthusiastically participate in the school’s concrete canoe and steel bridge competition teams, and take on various leadership roles. 

Quinn Gangadharan, who graduated this past May, served as the chapter’s president during his senior year. He explained that the practical benefits of membership were evident from the start.  “When I applied to graduate schools and needed a letter of recommendation from someone who knew me well, I turned to Chi Epsilon’s longtime faculty advisor, Anne Ronan,” he recalls. “Because she had become familiar with my work ethic and dedication to my studies, she was willing to write a detailed letter that I’m sure was at least partially responsible for my admission to a great MBA program.” Gangadharan also knows firsthand the power of the honor society’s alumni network: he sold software one summer, and during an online sales call, he happened to notice a Chi Epsilon plaque on his potential client’s wall. That day, a connection – and a sale – were both made.

Gangadharan felt confident passing the reins over to his successor, senior Alan Ma, who has since presided over something of a membership boom, with eight new initiates this fall. “One of our major initiatives is to match students who may be struggling academically with Chi Epsilon tutors, and as our membership grows, so does our ability to offer help,” Ma says. “In that way, a win for Chi Epsilon is a win for Tandon in general.” 

“Our Chapter’s service requirements and the leadership opportunities the group presents are formative,” Ronan asserts. “Hundreds of our students have been inducted over the last three-quarters of a century, and cumulatively, they’ve had an enormous impact on our school, our profession and our world.”

“Many of our department’s faculty members, including Anne Ronan, became Chi Epsilon members back when they were students themselves at various schools,” Department Chair Magued Iskander says. “Membership will always be indicative of high levels of commitment, dedication, and achievement, and I’m very proud of Tandon’s strong representation in the organization.”