Eta Kappa Nu is the honor society in Electrical and Computer Engineering. It was founded in 1904 in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This society was established in Stevens Institute of Technology in May 1984 with the chapter name "Iota Delta". The founders include the current Emeritus Professor Emil Neu, and other faculties in the department.
Stevens' chapter of Eta Kappa Nu, Iota Delta, was established to honor in a befitting way those students (undergraduates and graduates) who have demonstrated distinguished scholarship in Electrical & Computer Engineering. The selection into this society is done through nomination after every academic year by the department. Presently, there are 26 students who have been recognized as members of this prestigious honor society.
The goals of Eta Kappa Nu include to reward scholarship, to improve the standards of the profession in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and to get more acquainted with each other and the society. The students in the society achieve these goals when they voluntarily participate in tutoring sessions for courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering, organized projects that can be a competition between schools, or other beneficial activities. During the academic year, distinguished scholars in the profession which include our alumni are invited to present speeches to help improve the students knowledge about Electrical and Computer Engineering. There are educational movies, such as "Engineering - A Career for Tomorrow" developed by University of Illinois, that are shown during the year relevant to the profession of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Students may also participate in school-organized social contests such as bowling between the students and the professors in the department.
Currently, the faculty advisor of Iota Delta is Prof. Hong Man, Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science at Stevens Institute of Technology. He oversees the operations of Iota Delta, which include the Initiation Ceremony, during every academic year. As a member of Eta Kappa Nu, you are known as one of the top engineers and as such expected to maintain the standards of the society by excelling academically and being of good moral standing.
Student membership of the society is open to undergraduates in the junior and senior classes and graduate students. To be a member of Eta Kappa Nu as an undergraduate, you have to be in the top 25% of the Junior class or top 33% of the Senior class and known to have abided by the honor system of Stevens Institute of Technology. Graduate students are selected for membership based on prominent accomplishments and academic excellence. Every academic year, students are nominated by the chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering and contacted by an officer of the society.
There is a mandatory Initiation ceremony for prospective students held every academic year. It is during this time that the prospective student members are formally recognized as members of the society. As a member, one can take advantage of all the benefits open to the society, which include scholarships, special interviews, and academic competitions.
Our lifetime membership fees amounts to $78, all of which is sent to IEEE-HKN headquarters. The local chapter at the Stevens Institute of Technology does not currently collect any dues for our own use. Acceptable forms of payment are cash or check, and should be delivered to the IEEE-HKN Chapter Officers.
Although the electrical engineering honor society Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) has existed since 1904, Stevens never had a chapter before 1984. Professor Boesch, who was the Head of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at that time, contacted the national organization and completed the process of creating a chapter here. At that time the only people who were members of HKN were Professors Boesch, Chirlian, and Suffel. They had all been inducted as members when they were undergraduates at schools other than Stevens.
On May 6, 1984, Professors Boesch, Chirlian, and Suffel ran a ceremony to induct 51 student members and 12 faculty members into HKN and thereby form the new Iota Delta Chapter.
The Stevens chapter of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu has received the Key Chapter Recognition award in 2016, 2021, and 2025. This award is a recognition of the recent success the chapter has had in its activities and in membership involvement.
