Leadership
Student Leaders
Nick Barbattini
President
My name is Nick Barbattini and I am the President of Tau Beta Pi for this school year. I am currently a senior in the Aerospace program and I am looking forward to leading TBP this year! I was previously the Student Engagement Coordinator and I was able to work closely with last year’s officers, so I have learned a lot about this organization and I am excited for the opportunities it will bring.
Outside of TBP, I like to listen to music, cook, play soccer, go hiking, and enjoy the outdoors. I also have a passion for aviation so I have always wanted to get my pilot's license and plan on doing so after graduation.
Suhana Zeutzius
Vice President
My name is Suhana Zeutzius and this year I am the Vice President of Tau Beta Pi. I am a senior majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a Computer Science minor. Additionally, this year I am trying out research in the Computer Architecture Research Lab with Professor Lehman.
Outside of school, I enjoy hiking, hot yoga, reading, and traveling. I also love watching movies with my dog. This is my first year in Tau Beta Pi, and I’m very excited to be a part of this community!
Andrew Victory
Treasurer
My name is Andrew Victory and this year I am the treasurer of Tau Beta Pi. I am a senior studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Engineering Management. This year, I am also a TA for the class MCEN 2000: Mechanical Engineering as a Profession. I am a student employee for the Idea Forge for the 5th semester in a row and I will be a grader for the class MCEN 3032: Thermodynamics 2.
Outside of Tau Beta Pi, I enjoying exploring the outdoors in many different ways. I enjoy trail running, hiking, backpacking, camping, and skiing. I am excited for a great year!
Grace Halbleib
Recording Secretary
My name is Grace, and I am Tau Beta Pi’s recording secretary. I am a junior in aerospace engineering with minors in business and computer science. Currently I am working on obtaining my private pilot’s license, with hopes of becoming a professional pilot one day. I am also the outreach coordinator of Sigma Gamma Tau, the Aerospace Engineering Honors society. Beyond school, I belong to Delta Gamma, which is a CU Panhellenic sorority. My hometown is Louisville, Kentucky, and I chose Boulder mainly because of the access to hiking, skiing, and all things outdoors. Music and art is also of great interest to me in my free time, and my favorite song of all time is Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.
Abulkalam Tanvir
Corresponding Secretary
My name is A.Tanvir or AT. I am an Aerospace Engineering major trying to do a minor in Astronomy. I am a Secretary at Tau Beta Pi-Colorado Beta. I love everything to do with Space side of Aerospace engineering.
Outside of academic and on-campus activities, I like outdoor running, training for half-marathons, cooking, watching movies, reading books, and philosophy. This year I am trying to be more involved in other outdoor Colorado activities like skiing and hiking.
Griffin Hayrynen
Events Director
Hello, I am Griffin Hayrynen and I am a Junior studying Chemical and Biological Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering. I enjoy going to the gym, hiking, skiing, and making memories with my closest friends. I have also become passionate about mental health advocacy and have recently spent time attempting to increase the resources CU students have to better their mental health.
Brendan Benigno
Community Service Coordinator
My name is Brendan Benigno, and I am the Community Service Coordinator for Tau Beta Pi this year. I am currently a sophomore studying Civil Engineering with a minor in Engineering Management. Following a construction management role on a project in Eswatini, I’m interested in construction, geotechnical work, and bringing these skills to the developing world. This is my first year in Tau Beta Pi, and I am excited to be part of the Colorado Beta chapter this year.
Outside of TBP, I enjoy exploring the outdoors through cycling, trail running, and traveling. I also love my work as a barista at Drogo’s Coffee Bar.
David Katilius
Logistics Coordinator
My name is David and I am Tau Beta Pi’s (administrative assistant?). Currently I am a Junior in biomedical engineering with a minor in Computational Biology. As well as this I am working as an RA.
Outside of School I enjoy lots of physical activities such as Hiking, Basketball, Tennis, Lifting, and snowboarding. So much so that you may even play me in Intramural sports which I’ve won twice! I also really enjoy playing video games, reading, and watching movies so long as I am not busy with school.
Advisors
Sandy Pitzak
Chief Advisor
I am an aerospace engineer who has done design, analysis, and operations of civil & commercial, manned & unmanned spacecraft for various companies before starting my own independent subcontracting business. My experience includes space situational awareness, orbital mechanics, systems engineering, electrical power systems, and environmental control & life support systems. Currently, I am a Senior Spacecraft Engineer at Atomos Space in Denver, designing space tugboats.
As an undergraduate, I served first as corresponding secretary, then as president of the Colorado Beta chapter. Upon graduation with my BS/MS in aerospace engineering in May 2001, I was elected to the advisory board, and became chief advisor in 2003. Since then, I have helped Colorado Beta host Tau Beta Pi National Conventions in 2006 and 2018. In 2016, I received the national Outstanding Advisor Award from Tau Beta Pi. I am also a director of the Front Range Alumni Chapter, acting as liaison between the alumni and student chapters.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading and watching programs about science, science-fiction, and fantasy. I can often be found riding my bike around Boulder or hiking along the trails. Other hobbies include knitting, sewing, and personal finance. Feel free to contact me with questions about Tau Beta Pi, anything space-related, life after college, etc.
Dr. Torin Clark
Faculty Advisor
My name is Torin Clark and I am the faculty advisor for Tau Beta Pi. I am an Associate Professor in the Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department and faculty member in the Biomedical Engineering Program. I am a member of the Bioastronautics Laboratory, where we research the challenges that humans face during space exploration missions. Specifically I focus on astronaut biomedical issues, space human factors, human sensorimotor/vestibular function and adaptation, interaction of human-autonomous and human-robotic systems, mathematical models of spatial orientation perception, and human-in-the-loop experiments.
Outside of TBP, I like to listen to ski, hike mountains, camp, play soccer, and do those things with our two little kids.
Greg Newcomb
District Director & Chapter Advisor
I've worked at CU's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) for nearly a decade as an Embedded Systems Engineer, which means I gets to combine three of my favorite hobbies: software, electronics, and space. My MS is in Electrical Engineering from CU Boulder.
I've acted as an advisor to the CU Boulder chapter since 2007 and before that served as the chapter President. I was appointed a TBP District Director in 2011, a post intended to facilitate communication between collegiate chapters and TBP HQ. My favorite parts of being involved with TBP are the frequent chapter visits, establishing relationships with chapter officers, and seeing officers grow into strong leaders.
Scott Busch
Chapter Advisor
I am an alumni of the Computer Science department of CU Boulder. I graduated from the BS/MS program at the end of 2009. Since graduating, I've has been working for Broadcom Limited (used to be Brocade Communications System) in Broomfield, Colorado. For Broadcom, I am a embedded software and linux kernel module developer working on the firmware running the network switches and routers.
Outside of a work, I dedicate a lot of time to my athletic pursuits as a endurance cyclist participating in many rides in the front range and Colorado mountains. In addition to cycling, I am starting to participate in triathlon racing. In the time remaining, I like reading, learning to play the piano, and getting together with friends.
I been an advisor for the Colorado Beta chapter since 2010. I am a past president of the CO-B chapter and currently is a member of the Front Range TBP Alumni chapter. I greatly enjoyed working with the students to support them for leading the chapter's membership. I enjoy watching the students grow and learn new skills and grow in their experiences.