Engineering honor society symbol returns to NMSU

A new Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society official badge, known as the Bent, is on display in NMSU’s Engineering Complex. 

Thanks to a generous donation from engineering graduate Kenneth Lloyd Martin ’83 and the work of numerous students, a new monument for the symbol was installed on the Bromilow Mall between Jett and Goddard Halls in April 2023. The original Bent had been installed when the group was chartered April 5, 1974.

During a campus visit, Martin, a member of Tau Beta Pi-New Mexico Alpha Chapter, noticed that the traditional insignia of the organization was missing. 

“The Bent is an important symbol that brings visibility and helps to get students involved in a professional organization,” Martin says. “It represents the history of the engineering organization.” 

The Bent comprises a watch key in the form of the bent of a bridge trestle. Martin and his wife, Staci ’83, donated the funds to have a foundry create a metal casting for the Bent.