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Alpha Sigma Mu
Michigan Gamma Chapter
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About Us
Official Statement - Who We Are
Alpha Sigma Mu is the honorary metallurgical and materials engineering society designed to recognize outstanding students in these programs who attain high rank in scholarship and who possess to a high degree the qualities of exemplarary integrity, leadership, and initiative.By this recognition and by establishing high standards for ethical conduct and emphasizing the obligation each of these students has to contribute to the well being of his fellowman, this society promotes the overall best interest of this profession.
What We Do
Alpha Sigma Mu is the professional honors society for Materials Science Engineering (MSE) and Metallurgy programs around the nation. We are devoted to improving student life around the engineering community through volunteer opportunities. The level of involvement is depended upon the initiative and level of devotion of Alpha Sigma Mu's members from year to year. Our goal is to increase the status of Michigan's materials science department in leadership, professionalism, and social life, and inspire young upcoming engineers to join the MSE department.Although the activites Alpha Sigma Mu participates in from year to year varies, we are consistently involved in undergraduate tutoring for materials science courses and related prerequisites. Every year tutoring sessions are offered through Alpha Sigma Mu in the introductory Materials Science courses, MSE 220 and 250. Depending on the acedemic history of our members, tutoring sessions may be offered for classes such as first and second year physics, quantum physics, calculus, thermodynamics, x-ray diffraction, MSE lab courses, and more. Please see our online section on "tutoring" in the left toolbar for more information.
The chapter officers of Alpha Sigma Mu are in charge of arranging new events and activities on campus to increase society involvement. For several years, the Michigan Gamma chapter worked in collaboration with the Michigan Materials Society (MMS) to organize weekly luncheon seminars, inviting technical companies and corporations to come to the University of Michigan to present their work in the field of Materials Science. These luncheons, still put on primarily by MMS, were designed to inspire new engineering students to join the MSE department, and often used for hiring opportunities.
On top of tutoring and weely company-sponsored luncheons, Alpha Sigma Mu has organized a variety of different events in the past. Career fairs have been planned some years bringing in companies that specialize in polymer science, ceramics, or metallurgy seeking for brilliant eager minds for internships or full time jobs. Encouraging a comfortable social relationship with members of the MSE department, we have organized field trips to interesting manufacturing plants, steel mills, foundries, and more. We prefer not to work on our own, and encourage non-members to suggest new ideas and interests.
History
Alpha Sigma Mu was established in January 1932 by the faculty of the metallurgical engineering department of the Michigan College of Mining and Technology. In the next few years, chapters were established at the University of Illinois and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Low college enrollments during World War II curtailed activity, and a the small core of active members in the post-war years found it difficult to promote the expansion of the society.
In 1956, the national officers of Alpha Sigma Mu approached the American Society for Metals as to ASM's willingness to assume the business management of the society. A careful study was made of the society's potentials and the need of the profession for such an organization. These factors were considered in light of metallurgy's importance and the possible influence upon metallurgical education by society chapters in the separate schools. The American Society for Metals agreed that both the potential and the possible influence on education were sufficiently important to justify their active interest in and support of the society's efforts to expand its activities.
In 1957, the American Society for Metals assumed the business management of the society, and the constitution was revised to define the national officers of Alpha Sigma Mu as the same individuals who served as the national officers of ASM. The Board of Trustees of the American Society for Metals simultaneously served as Trustees of Alpha Sigma Mu.
Under the stimulus of this direction, the society grew rapidly in size and prestige. During the 1962-63 academic year, for instance, approximately 300 new members were added to the roles. By the end of 1963, the total number of chapters reached seventeen. The stability of the society seemed assured, and the administration was returned to the society itself, although the American Society for Metals pledged continued financial support as it might be needed during the first few years of self-government. At that time, recognizing the trend in the Universities and Industry, the constitution of the society was altered to include Materials Engineering.
In 1965, Alpha Sigma Mu became a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. Due to Alpha Sigma Mu's expansion, the constitution of the society was revised again in 1972 to be in accord with the requirements of its expanding membership and activities. The society has continued this pattern of growth, increasing its chapter count to 33 internationally in 1978. Student member counts have been increasing by about 200 on average each year since then.
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