Houston Sigma Zeta

The University of Houston is situated in the center of the fastest growing technological metropolis. in this country. The Houston Sigma Zeta Chapter was formally installed on April 16, 1966. The Chapter came into being as a result of the planning and promotion of Dr. Douglas Muster. Dr. Ralph Metcalfe is presently the advisor of the chapter.

The Houston Sigma Zeta Chapter promotes a variety of academic and social activities on the University of Houston campus. The chapter along with the student section of ASME sponsor an annual mechanical engineering banquet. The banquet provides an opportunity for awards presentations to outstanding mechanical engineering students. Every semester a mixer is held to promote interaction among members, faculty, and prospective pledges. End of semester parties for the students and faculty are also sponsored by the chapter. At these functions the new chapter members present the University of Houston, Pi Tau Sigma Shaft Awards to noteworthy faculty members.

ANNUAL SUMMARY REPORTS

2018-2019 Luke Thomas Torres President

1. Engineering Student Organization Fair - Sigma Zeta hosted a table to answer any questions students have about joining Pi Tau Sigma. Mostly freshmen and sophomore attend these organization fairs, so the purpose of hosting a table at this event was to give students something to look forward to joining as they further their academic career.
2. Beginning of Semester Party - Sigma Zeta hosted a table at the BOS party for the engineering college. The purpose of this event is to have fun among engineering students. We had a game of SPIKEBALL at our booth.
3. Bechtel Bowling Social hosted by Pi Tau Sigma - We reached out to our connections at Bechtel Corporation and rented the game room at the student center. We invited all engineering disciplines and business and supply chain majors to join in a social gathering with Bechtel employees to network and have fun.
4. 2019 National Convention at Fort Collins, Colorado - We sent two members to attend the national convention. (All expenses were paid thanks to our friends at ExxonMobil.)
5. IEEE Chili Cook Off - We set up a table with Super Smash Bros for people to play and handed out our own chili which competed among other engineering organizations’ chili as well as some engineering companies who also entered with their own chili.
6. Jones Engineering LP Info Session - We invited potential and current Pi Tau Sigma members to join us in learning about Pi Tau Sigma, a recap of the 2019 National Convention, and plans for the future of the honor society. We had a Pi Tau Sigma alumni from Jones Engineering LP come and talk to students about how Pi Tau Sigma has helped her, and she did some onsite interviews with members for full time and intern positions.

Fall and Spring Initiation. 13 new members were inducted for the 2018-2019 academic year.

2017-2018 Dwight Theriot, President

1.   Beginning of Semester Party Fall 2017. Sigma Zeta hosted a table at the BOS party for the engineering college which had STEM related activities. The first activity was a challenge to see how many thick engineering textbooks could be supported using only one sheet of paper to build a support structure. The second involved 2 servos controlled by a microcontroller which released marbles down two inclined planes, one at 45 and the other at 30 degrees to the table surface. The goal was to calculate the delay between the releases to make the marbles collide on the table after they are released.

2.  Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam Prep. PTS hosted study sessions for members of the engineering college preparing to take the FE exam.

3.  Core Engineering Course Tutoring. PTS hosted study sessions for mechanical engineering core courses aimed at sophomore and junior students.

4.  FIRST Robotics Competition Volunteering. A few of our members volunteered at various FIRST events in and around the Houston area, culminating in the FIRST World Championship held in Houston this year.

5.  Industry Information Session. PTS hosted an information session given by a PTS member and alumni of UH now working for Exxon Mobil. Also, another current member gave information about how to become a NASA intern and eventually a permanent hire.

Fall and Spring Initiation. 10 new members were inducted for the 2017-2018 academic year.