Omega Chi Epsilon (or , sometimes simplified to OXE) is an International

honor society In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. ...

for

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

students.

History

The first chapter of Omega Chi Epsilon was formed at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

in 1931 by a group of chemical engineering students. These Founders were:Founders named noted in th
National Constitution
other pages provide detail about present structure of the organization. Accessed 24 Mar 2021. * F. C. Howard * A. Garrell Deem * Ethan M. Stifle * John W. Bertetti Professors D.B. Keyes and Norman Krase supported the students in their efforts. The ''Beta chapter'' was formed in the

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

1932. The society grew slowly at first. ''Baird's Manual'' indicates there were six chapters by 1957, of which three were inactive. However, interest was revived in the 1960s, allowing a sustained growth that has continued to the present day. There are approximately eighty active chapters of the society as of 2021. Omega Chi Epsilon amended its constitution to permit women to become members as of 1966. The organization became a member of the

Association of College Honor Societies The Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) is a voluntary association of national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies. It was established on December 30, 1925 by six organizations: Alpha Omega Alpha, the Order of the Coif, Phi B ...

in 1967.

Symbols

The society's name comes from its motto "''Ode Chrototos Eggegramai''" or "In this Society, professionalism is engraved in our minds". The Greek letters ΩΧΕ were chosen to stand for "Order of Chemical Engineers". The society's official seal is made of two concentric circles, bearing at the top, center the words "Omega Chi Epsilon" with the words "Founded, 1931" at the bottom center. The letters of the society appear in the center of the seal. The society's colors are black, white, and maroon. The society's badge is a black

Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which develope ...

background, on which is superimposed a circular maroon

crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings * The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York * "The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York * Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Sw ...

. The crest bears the letters ΩΧΕ on a white band passing across the horizontal midline. Above the white band are two crossed ''

retort In a chemistry laboratory, a retort is a device used for distillation or dry distillation of substances. It consists of a sphere, spherical vessel with a long downward-pointing neck. The liquid to be distilled is placed in the vessel and heat ...

s'' rendered in gold. Below the white band are a gold integral sign and a lightning bolt. These symbols are noted to represent the roles of chemistry, mathematics, and physics in chemical engineering.

Activities

Chapter traditions of service to their chemical engineering departments commonly prevail rather than broader, national traditions.

Membership

Membership is limited to chemical engineering juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Associate membership may be offered to professors or other members of the staff of institutions within the field.

Chapters

Omega Chi Epsilon has chartered 80 chapters at colleges and universities in the United States,

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

, and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

Governance

The Society's annual meeting is held at the same time and place as the annual meeting of the

American Institute of Chemical Engineers The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a professional organization for chemical engineers. AIChE was established in 1908 to distinguish chemical engineers as professionals independent of chemists and mechanical engineers. Curr ...

. Governance is vested in a national president, vice president, executive secretary, and treasurer. With the immediate past president, these constitute the Executive Committee. The current national president is Christi Luks of the

Missouri University of Science and Technology Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T or S&T) is a public research university in Rolla, Missouri. It is a member institution of the University of Missouri System. Most of its 6,456 students (2023) study engineering, busin ...

References

External links

Omega Chi Epsilon homepage
{{authority control Association of College Honor Societies Engineering honor societies Chemical engineering organizations Student organizations established in 1931 1932 establishments in Illinois