Sam M. '07 | February 18, 2006
"The Greek Way"
DID YOU KNOW? MIT developed the first college undergraduate programs in Chemical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, and Nuclear Engineering.
Today I decided to do start doing things the Greek way as I was inducted or inaugurated or initiated or something into the MIT chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society. I don't know what they actually called the ceremony, but it used the word "covenant" enough times to make me a little bit uncomfortable. Now, TBP isn't anything like one of MIT's 27 fraternities or 5 sororities, but I still had to sign a non-hazing agreement, which also made me a little bit uncomfortable.
MIT is actually quite strict about hazing; if they catch you doing anything even as bad as throwing a freshman into a shower the night before the first 8.01 exam, they'll excommunicate you from MIT, lock you in a pillory, and melt the key MIT's nuclear reactor. Of course, I'm totally forbidden to tell you anything about what the ceremony involved such that it necessitated this non-hazing agreement, but you can use your imagination as to the kind of requirements for initiation that an engineering honor society might have.
Or, you know, just look at this PDF.
After the ceremony we had elections. It took us 2 hours and 15 minutes to elect 16 positions. Why? Because it is important. TBP does some really cool stuff on campus like Leonardo Dinners with the faculty, an Engineering Day to teach area high school students about engineering majors (do you know what an engineer is, really?), and a career fair, which is the main reason that Tau Beta Pi is one of the three most affluent student groups on campus. At the end I finally decided to volunteer for social chair because it had gone unfulfilled for so long, and holding this position lets you go to all the social events that you plan for free. My goal is thus to plan the most extravagant and self-serving social events I can conceive for the chapter in the coming year.
After dinner we headed down to Maggiano's Little Italy in Boston--a trip made in a mere four T stops, which was especially nice considering the AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature of -10 degrees tonight.
"Is it really that cold in Boston, Sam?"
Well, Chester, my stock answer to that question is that it's only about ten degrees (F) colder in Boston than it is in my hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but that those ten degrees are a very important ten degrees.
So the all-you-can-eat menu included:
Golden Mushroom Ravioli
Fried Calamari
Caesar Salad
Italian Antipasto Salad
Chicken Florentine
Lasagna with Marinara Sauce
Fettucine with Red Clam Sauce
Shrimp Oreganata
Chocolate Zucotto Cake
Profiterole
And if that's not enough to make you want to join TBP right here and now, why don't you just take a look at these profiterole?
The dinner was also peppered with fascinating engineering conversation. It's a really interesting way the way people think. For example, after the initiation we all had to get into a single-file in alphabetical order. After that we had to sign into a book, then leave our address in a registry, and then shake someone's hand. Clearly, the second of these took the longest, or, as I thought to myself, it was the rate-limiting step. Now, how long does it the entire line to go through this process--the amount of time it takes to go through the entire process multiplied by the number of students, or the amount of time it takes to complete the rate-limiting step multiplied by the number of students?
I was not the only person who considered this.
But I was the only one who tested it on my wristwatch while standing in line.
On the way back, two MIT students were talking about sight-reading Romantic and Baroque piano pieces, noting that the first was easier because you can always take extra time to play a chord and then justify it with rubato. Eventually, one noted that, "Sight-reading is like having a control system including a buffer with a variable response time. Right now, my response time is one quarter note."
MIT rocks, y'all.
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Yes it does, Sam. Yes it does.
Posted by: Laura on February 19, 2006 11:30 AM
You said, "ya'll," and you're from Pennsylvania? Is that legal?
Posted by: James on February 23, 2006 01:08 PM
