Lehigh undergrad wins national award from civil engineering society

Tyler Tate, who is completing a B.S. in civil engineering this spring, has received the Brother B. Austin Barry National Chi Epsilon Scholarship, one of the top awards given to students in his field.

The scholarship is presented annually to three Chi Epsilon members in the U.S. who demonstrate a commitment to academic endeavors as well as a "significant, enthusiastic, and excellent involvement in extracurricular activities."

Chi Epsilon is the national honorary society for civil engineers. Tate traveled to the society's national convention at Purdue University to receive his award.

Tate will use the scholarship to pursue an M.S. in civil engineering at Lehigh next year. Tate has also received a President's Scholarship, a Lehigh award given to graduating seniors with a 3.75 GPA or higher, which grants students a tuition-free fifth year of study at the university.

As an undergraduate at Lehigh, Tate sang in the University Choir, served as its manager, and also also sang in The Overtones, a select a cappella group. The choir twice toured Europe during Tate's time at Lehigh - once to Germany and Russia, and once to Austria and Hungary.

Tate also traveled to Italy for two weeks in 2002 through the Martindale Student Associates Program in Lehigh's College of Business and Economics. Each year, for the past 25 years, a dozen Lehigh undergraduates are chosen to travel to another country to interview its political and business leaders and write reports on topics related to the country's economy and government. The papers are published in Perspectives on Business and Economics, the undergraduate journal of the Martindale Center.

Tate wrote his report on Italy's transportation infrastructure.

In 2003, Tate sang the role of Harold Hill in a Lehigh student production of Music Man.