The International Professional Honor Society for Materials Science and Engineering

About Alpha Sigma Mu International

Alpha Sigma Mu was established in 1932 by the faculty of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering at Michigan College of Mining and Technology. In the next few years, chapters were established at the University of Illinois and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. These chapters are named the Alpha, Beta and Gamma Chapters, respectively.

Low enrollments during World War II curtailed activity, and 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 and 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 and the Constitution was again revised to accommodate self-government. ASM pledged continued financial support as it might be needed during the first few years of self-government. In 1965, Alpha Sigma Mu became a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. The society continued its pattern of growth and in May 1978 had a total of 33 chapters, and was growing at a rate of about 200 new members each year.

To keep pace with expanding membership and activities of the society, and with trends in Materials Science and Engineering, the Constitution has been revised several times. In 1990 revisions were made to include all materials science and engineering fields and to recognize the large number of foreign members who were elected while attending a college or university in the United States. Now Alpha Sigma Mu is the International Professional Honor Society for Materials Science and Engineering. The most recent revision, designed to streamline operations of the society, were
approved by the Board of Trustees on October 7, 1996.

Alpha Sigma Mu now has elected more than 7,000 members and continues to grow at a rate of about 200 new members each year. While some chapters have ceased to exist, new chapters at Lehigh University, Wright State University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been added to the chapter roster in recent years.