UD senior wins Tau Beta Pi scholarship

William A. Tisdale III

5:02 p.m., May 20, 2004--William A. Tisdale III, a senior in the College of Engineering, has won a research scholarship from Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society.

Selection for the award is based on high scholarship, campus leadership and service and promise of future contributions to the engineering profession. Winners receive a cash award of $2,000 for engineering study during the 2004-05 academic year.

“I felt very honored,” Tisdale, from Basking Ridge, N.J., said. “The application was long, and even though I thought mine was pretty good, I knew from reading online about past winners that I was up against some very impressive students. I was, of course, happy about the cash award but more excited about the honor itself.”

Besides Tau Beta Pi, Tisdale has been an active member of the Sigma Chi fraternity since his freshman year. He has held a number of offices, most recently as vice president of the Interfraternity Council for the 2003-04 academic year.

“Sigma Chi has meant a lot to me and I feel that a lot of my success in school has been the result of the support I get from my fraternity,” Tisdale said.

Last winter, Tisdale was among 14 UD students who traveled to South Africa and volunteered to help children who have been infected with or orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The trip was organized by members of the Battle For Life committee of Alpha Lambda Delta.

“As a student of engineering, I spend much of my time thinking about the physical world, “Tisdale said. “The trip to South Africa offered the chance to think about the world differently, and I jumped at the opportunity. It was a moving experience. I learned the impact that a little love and care can have on a young child.”

Tisdale said he enjoyed studying chemistry, math and physics in high school and chose UD because of the reputation of the chemical engineering department and the University Honors Program.

Last summer, Tisdale worked as an intern at Merck & Co., but he decided to get involved in undergraduate research this summer in preparation for graduate studies in chemical engineering.

Article by Martin Mbugua
Photo by Greg Drew

E-mail this article

To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here.