The what? The bent () is a symbol that one often sees alongside the words "Tau Beta Pi" but what does it mean and where did it come from?

From the Official Tau Beta Pi Information Book, "The official badge of the Association is a watch key in the form of the bent of a trestle". A trestle is a rigid frame used for support. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent. The bent on a trestle gives the structure its integrity, hence why it is used as a symbol for tau beta pi who's creed is Integrity and Excellence in Engineering.

The idea of the insignia being a "watch key" comes from the fact that it was first designed, in the late eighteenth century, to include a pocketwatch winding feature. The bottom stem, added to the basic insignia, had a tapered square hole fitting the common sizes of watch-winding shafts.

The top stem and ring were added so that the kay could be worn as a pendant form a chain, rather than as a pin or badge.

Even though pocketwatches have since gone out of style, the "bent" of Tau Beta Pi still stands as one of it's most distinguishable features. Most chapters, including Pitt's, have a large bronze monument of the bent located somehwere on the campus. Check out Binghamptons University's giant monument:

The Pennsylvania Lambda Chapter has built on this tradition by requiring all initiates to construct a bent of their own. Please note that the correct dimensions should be in centimeters (cm), not millimeters, as the image below dictates.

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