Student Professional, Social, and Service Groups
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
AIAA's mission is "to advance the arts, sciences, and technology of aeronautics and astronautics, and to promote the professionalism of those engaged in these pursuits."
Thayer School students Alex Price and Erik Dambach organized a student chapter of AIAA during the 2003-2004 academic year.
The advisor for the group is Professor Simon Shepherd. For more information, email AIAA@Dartmouth.edu.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
The student chapter of ASME sponsors lectures and presentations at Thayer School, often in conjunction with the local ASME Upper Valley Subsection. Thayer School students have won numerous prizes for projects entered in ASME regional and national design competitions as well as recognition for their activity in technical presentation competitions.
The advisor for the group is Professor Minh Phan.
The Big Green Bus
The Big Green Bus is an effort to spread information about alternative fuels and environmental and social responsibility through the Ultimate Frisbee community. The group has converted a 1992 International Carpenter school bus to run on waste vegetable oil. By reusing waste oil, the group focuses on reshaping society's waste into social energy.
The faculty advisor for the group is Professor William Lotko.
See also The Big Green Bus: News and History.
The Big Green Bus in Washington, D.C.
Dartmouth Engineers Without Borders (D-EWB)
D-EWB now operates as part of Dartmouth HELP Worldwide.
Dartmouth Engineers Without Borders built a solar-powered clean-water system in Nyamilu, Kenya.
Dartmouth Formula Racing (DFR)
The student-run DFR team designs and constructs a racecar to compete in the annual Formula SAE competition. The team receives advice and equipment from the faculty and staff of Thayer School, but DFR members raise most of each year's budget from corporate sponsors and personal donations.
The advisor for the group is Professor John Collier. For more information, email Dartmouth.Formula.Racing@Dartmouth.edu.
See also Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
View a QuickTime animation of the Dartmouth Formula race car. (Download QuickTime player)
- 240 x 180 pixels (2.8MB)
- 320 x 240 pixels (7.3MB)
- 640 x 480 pixels (81MB)
Dartmouth Formula Racing - Hybrid (DFR-Hybrid)
The student-run DFR-Hybrid team works in conjunction with the DFR team (see above). The task of the hybrid team has been to design, implement and test a platform for high performance hybrid technologies. The hybrid team initiated and now sponsors an annual Formula Hybrid™ competition.
The advisor for the group is research engineer Doug Fraser.
See "Racing into the future" video
Thayer School students built the country's first Formula Hybrid racecar.
Dartmouth Humanitarian Engineering Leadership Projects (HELP) Worldwide
Humanitarian Engineering Leadership Projects (HELP) exists to organize and support students to lead humanitarian engineering service projects all over the world. The goal of all projects is to improve a community's quality of life through the design and implementation of appropriate technologies that are socially conscious, environmentally aware, economically feasible, and fully sustainable.
The advisors for the group are Professor Daniel Lynch and Ellen Stein, Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. For more information, email humanitarian.engineering@Dartmouth.edu.
See also their student blog: H.E.L.P. in Rwanda
Dartmouth Satellite (DARTSAT)
DARTSAT is a NASA-funded project run by students interested in developing space satellites. Members design and test the subsystems of the satellite with the goal of integrating the entire system around a Space Science Monitoring payload. Membership is open to undergraduate and graduate students and affiliates.
The faculty advisor for the group is Professor Simon Shepherd.
Dartmouth Society of Engineers (DSE)
DSE is an association of alumni/ae and friends of Thayer School. The DSE student chapter, open to all Thayer School students, fosters a sense of community among engineering students, faculty, and staff at Thayer School by sponsoring activities such as study sessions, intramural sports, and outreach activities around the campus and community.
The advisor for the group is Professor Solomon Diamond. For more information, email Dartmouth.Society.of.Engineers@Dartmouth.edu.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
The IEEE is a professional society of engineers and scientists whose mission is to promote "the engineering process of creating, developing, integrating, sharing, and applying knowledge about electro and information technologies and sciences for the benefit of humanity and the profession." The Thayer School branch sponsors activities, guest lectures, competitions, and other events relevant to students in engineering and computer science.
The advisor for the group is Professor Paul Meaney.
IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE-EMBS)
The IEEE-EMBS provides resources for networking and job opportunities. The student chapter provides a sense of community among the biomedical engineering students at Thayer School, and also brings experts in the field to speak about their research and provide students with networking opportunities.
Schweitzer Fellows
The Schweitzer program provides college students with funding and support to work on a range of projects that benefit underserved populations in local communities. The program was begun in 1940 to support the efforts of physician and humanist Albert Schweitzer.
Of the approximately 30 Schweitzer Fellows in New Hampshire and Vermont, 14 are from Dartmouth, including the only engineering Schweitzer Fellows in the country. Recent projects include putting together an all-girl team that placed in the annual FIRST Lego League Robotics Competition, and designing a carbon credit trading simulation for high school students to help them understand the interconnections between environment, policy, and business.
The 2006-07 Schweitzer Fellows from Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) and Thayer School of Engineering organized the first joint "Common Good Day" to serve local community members. Over fifty medical and engineering students chose from ten different opportunities to volunteer, ranging from helping a local shelter for displaced families, to building a bike and walking trail for a low-income housing facility, to fixing up a residence for pregnant and parenting teenagers.
This photo shows the team led by DMS Schweitzer Fellow, Dan Kaser, doing trail work for the Upper Valley Trails Alliance. Clockwise from bottom left: Tian Zhou (Thayer), John Taylor (Upper Valley Trails Alliance), Juan Pablo Fernandez (Thayer), Erryn Leinbaugh (DMS)
(See also Schweitzer Fellow Leads Robot Team to Victory)
Sigma Xi
The Dartmouth Chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, sponsors the Christopher Reed Science Competition for senior honors students, and supports other activities that recognize and honor the research achievements of Dartmouth students.
The president of the Dartmouth Chapter of Sigma Xi is Professor Dean Wilcox of the Chemisty Department.
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
SAE is a professional engineering society that specializes in transportation technology. A multi-disciplinary group, it encompasses mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering.
The advisor for the group is Professor Laura Ray. See also Dartmouth Formula Racing.
Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
The Dartmouth chapter of SWE includes women and men, faculty, students, and staff. The group sponsors a variety of activities, ranging from workshops for local schools to the annual "junkyard wars" competition. SWE students are often active in the Women in Science Project (WISP).
The advisor for the group is Ellen Stein, Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. For more information, email Society.of.Women.Engineers@Dartmouth.edu.
The Society of Women Engineers held Junkyard Wars in Thayer School's Great Hall.
Tau Beta Pi
The New Hampshire Beta chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society, was installed in February 2002. Tau Beta Pi membership is open to top engineering students with distinguished scholarship (the top 12.5% of senior Engineering Sciences majors and the top 20% of B.E. students), exemplary character typified by integrity, a wide range of interests, adaptability, and interest in participating in community and volunteer activities.
The national office of Tau Beta Pi offers student chapters a variety of programs including scholarships, fellowships, training projects, tools for career development, and support for chapter service projects.
Initiation into Tau Beta Pi brings lifelong membership.
The advisor for the group is Professor Francis Kennedy. For more information, email Tau.Beta.Pi@Dartmouth.edu.