This is the 2nd installment of memories from the 2019 Tau Beta Pi blog focusing on July through December.
July 2
Automotive Icon & Tau Beta Pi Member Dies
Automotive legend Lee Iacocca, PA A ’45, died July 2, 2019, at the age of 94. According to an obituary, he was “known as the father of the Ford Mustang and the man who saved Chrysler Corporation.”
Iacocca was initiated into TBP on 12/6/44 at Lehigh University where he earned a degree in industrial engineering. He was a featured speaker at his alma mater for TBP’s 100th anniversary Convention in 1985. (pictured above) He spent time as president of both Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corporation.
August 1
Start Up Purchased By Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company announced the purchase of Quantum Signal, a company behind computer generated environments used by militaries to test unmanned remote and autonomous systems. Mitchell M. Rohde, Ph.D., MI G ’94, is CEO of Quantum and co-founded the Saline, Michigan, company in 1999. His degrees are in biomedical and electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.
Mitchell’s father Steve M. Rohde, Ph.D., NJ G ’67, is director of vehicle platforms and engineering (emeritus). His bachelor’s degree is in electrical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Previously, Steve worked for 32 years at GM on engine design, controls in vehicles, and much more. Read this article from TechCrunch for more details on what Quantum does and why Ford purchased the company.
September 18
Resume Portal Debuts In Time For Annual Convention
In response to corporate and graduate program recruiter interests, Tau Beta Pi Headquarters created a web portal for all student members to upload their resumes specifically for recruiters who participated in the 114th Annual Convention’s recruiting fair last October.
The Association received positive feedback from all involved with the resume portal which allows users to continue to upload and view resumes for one year. To keep your resume current, please go to TBP.org/resumes.
October 2
NJ D Chapter President Recognized for Academic Excellence
A Montreal community newspaper reported that Tau Bate Nicholas Johnson was presented with the Class of 1939 Princeton Scholar Award on September 8. As stated on Princeton’s website, the award is given to the undergraduate who, at the end of the junior (3rd) year, has achieved the highest academic standing for all preceding college work at the university.
During the summer of 2019, Johnson worked as a software engineer in machine learning at Google’s California headquarters, which followed internships at Oxford University’s Integrative Computational Biology and Machine Learning Group, where he developed and implemented a novel optimization technique under the supervision of Aleksandr Sahakyan, principal investigator and group head.
In June 2019, his project was recognized with the Angela E. Grant Poster Award for Best Modeling, at the 25th Conference of African American Researchers in the Mathematical Sciences.
November 29
Need an expert on plastic trash? You might want to talk to Tau Bate & National Geographic Fellow, Jenna Jambeck, Ph.D., FL A ’96
Univ. of Georgia/Andrew Tucker)
Late in November, the Tau Beta Pi blog ran a short profile on Dr. Jambeck shortly after she appeared before a congressional subcommittee on plastic waste in the ocean. To read the entire post, please click here.
#choosetheplanet
Dr. Jambeck has spent more than 20 years working on the issues associated with solid waste. In 2010, she and co-creator, Kyle Johnsen, also from the University of Georgia (UGA,) developed the mobile app Marine Debris Tracker while partnering with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program and the Southeast Atlantic Marine Debris Initiative (SEA-MDI), located within the College of Engineering at UGA.
December 17
Space Farmer: Nick Hague, Colorado Zeta ’98
Late in December, the blog featured U.S. Air Force Col. Nick Hague who wrapped up 203 days on board the International Space Station, conducting all kinds of research projects. (Photo from NASA.)
One of those experiments seemed tailor-made for the astronaut who describes himself as a farm boy from rural Kansas –the Vegetable Production System, termed VEGGIE.
Tau Beta Pi 