VMI Alpha Psi

The VMI Alpha Psi Chapter was founded in 2007 under the leadership of Dr. Michael Sexton, who had been originally inducted into the Virginia Tech Upsilon Chapter in 1965. The following year, Dr. Robert McMasters became the faculty advisor, who had originally been inducted into the inaugural Naval Academy Delta Psi Chapter in 1978.

The VMI Alpha Psi Chapter has provided student volunteers to serve as guides for tours of the Mechanical Engineering laboratories to prospective students in an effort to recruit top candidates during six annual Open House Weekends at VMI. Many members also serve as tutors through the VMI Mechanical Engineering Department’s “Peer Study Session” program.

ANNUAL SUMMARY REPORTS

2023-2024 Robert McMasters, Advisor

During the past year, the Alpha Psi chapter inducted five new members, all of whom were juniors.  An induction ceremony was held on March 21, 2024.  Membership certificates and membership cards had not yet been received at that time, so temporary certificates were issued.  The criterion for selection into the Pi Tau Sigma chapter at VMI is the student’s major GPA in mechanical engineering courses.  This is distinguished from the chapter of Tau Beta Pi, a general engineering fraternity, also sponsored by VMI separately from the Pi Tau Sigma chapter.  The procedure for the initiation ceremony follows the script from the Rituals of Pi Tau Sigma.

A reception including pizza, cake, and soft drinks was hosted. All of the current chapter members were invited to the induction ceremony.  An election was held to establish new officers for next year.  The new officers are

       President: Louis Wiltenmuth (wiltenmuthlb25@vmi.edu)

       Vice President: Branko Jaworski (jaworskibp25@vmi.edu)

        Secretary/Treasurer: Nicholas Sitzman (sitzmanna25@vmi.edu)

All but three of the Chapter members who graduated this year were designated as being “distinguished in academic merit,” as determined by the Virginia Military Institute, which allows them to wear gold-star insignia on their uniforms.  All graduating chapter members successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination, administered by the State of Virginia for the official designation of Engineer in Training (EIT).  Chapter member Louis Wiltenmuth received the Faculty Scholarship for Merit, recognizing academic performance as the top-standing mechanical engineering major in the junior class.  Chapter member Ella Flickinger received the Naval Submarine League: Admiral Frederick B. Warder Award.  The Superintendent William H. Milton, Jr. Class of 1920 Award was given to the first-standing graduate in mechanical engineering, Dillon C. Tidwell.  Chapter members Ulrich Meintjes, Keanu Williams, Dillon Tidwell, Jr-Wei Liou, Suttipat Muangna, Ella Flickinger, Mark Gaugahn, Reynolds Short and Colby Doyle each completed a mathematics minor in addition to the curriculum for the mechanical engineering major.  Chapter members Dillon Tidwell, Mark Gaughan, Jr-Wei Liou, Ella Flickinger and Colby Doyle each completed a concentration in nuclear engineering, in addition to the curriculum for the mechanical engineering major.  Chapter members Jr-Wei Liou and Ella Flickinger each completed a physics minor, in addition to the curriculum for the mechanical engineering major.  Chapter members Ulrich Meintjes and Reynolds Short completed Institute Honors projects, earning this designation upon graduation.  

Pi Tau Sigma members occasionally conduct tours of the mechanical engineering laboratories.  The tours are for high school students who express interest in mechanical engineering as a potential academic major.  The tour-guides lead the students throughout the laboratories and classrooms of the Engineering Building during open house events which are conducted on six designated weekends throughout the year.  They also participate in Group Study Sessions (GSS) where underclassmen are afforded the guidance of upperclassmen in small groups, so as to improve their performance in freshman and sophomore mechanical engineering courses.  Additionally, Pi Tau Sigma members assist instructors in reviewing homework submissions from underclassmen in order to ease the grading burden on the faculty.