Centennial Sundial

Tau Alpha Century Sundial (New Sundial)

The Tau Alpha Century Sundial donated by Mario Montejo ’70 to the Tau Alpha Fraternity, and donated to the College of Engineering, UP, was inaugurated on June 13, 2010 at the Engineering Corner, College of Engineering, UP, Diliman, QC. The Tau Alpha Century Sundial is a new design made by Mario Montejo from ideas he got from the internet.

I. Tau Alpha Fraternity

Tau Alpha, The Argonauts, was founded in the University of the Philippines College of Engineering in the old campus in Manila on June 27, 1931. Originally named Mu Epsilon, Manila Engineers, Tau Alpha began to exist as a living organization the next year.

The Tau Alpha Fraternity upholds the ideals and principles which the University of the Philippines stands for. The fraternity commits itself to the College of Engineering in its avowed purpose to enhance the engineering profession and the promotion of the general interest of the studentry.

II. Structure and Content

The Centennial Sundial actually is made up of two sundials. The big main sundial tells the time of the day and has a motor that adjust the pointer to allow for the movement of the earth around its axis so that the time throughout the year is accurate. The motor is run by a printed circuit (computer) installed at the base of the Sundial that tells the motor how much to compensate for the rotation of the earth and because of the elliptical nature of the earth. The computer is programmed to compensate for the deviation enabling it to give accurate time through the entire year. A solar panel is installed on top of a forty foot steel pole to operate the motor and the printed circuit. The solar panel on top of the pole also acts as a second Sundial that will tell the day of the week and the month of the year by the shadow cast on the block of the main Sundial. The difference of the new sundial from the UP Alumni Engineers' Sundial is that the old was analogue, this one is digital.

Sources:
Tau Alpha Century Sundial Inaugurated. (2010, June 13). Retrieved September 7, 2013, from Tau Alpha: Official Website: http://taualpha.org/web/2010/06/13/tau-alpha-century-sundial-inaugurated/ Tiangco, J. P. (2013, September 6). Centennial Sundial. (E. Saluta, Interviewer)