Lafayette Engineering

05/28/2026

Congratulations to our engineering faculty and staff on recent well-deserved awards, promotions, and appointments!

🏆 Faculty & Staff Awards

Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering David Mante – Recipient of the B. Vincent Viscomi Engineering Prize for Excellence in Mentoring and Teaching.

Engineering Technician Rob Layng – Recipient of the Lafayette College Distinguished Service Award.

✨ Promotion to full Professor

Lindsay Soh (Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Department Head)

Yih-Choung Yu (Electrical & Computer Engineering, Acting Department Head)

🎓 Endowed Chairs & Scholars

Associate Professor Michael Senra – Appointed as the James T. Marcus ‘50 Scholar of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering for a three-year term.

Professor and Department Head Michael McGuire – Named the Simon Cameron Long Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

05/27/2026

The Mechanical Engineering Department wrapped up the year with some strikes, spares, and camaraderie at the bowling alley! In addition to getting a great group photo of the graduating ME class with some of the ME faculty, the group honored the 2026 award winners:

🏆 Carl G., Jr. ’67 and Deborah B. Anderson P’01 Mechanical Engineering Prize For high academic achievement and promise for career excellence.
👉 Kira Marr

🏆 Karl J. Ammerman Prize Awarded to the “most deserving student” in the department, selected by the ME faculty.
👉 Owen Paschke

🏆 Professor Jeff Helm Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Award For excellence in the implementation of the engineering design process.
👉 Allison Overholt

🏆 Mechanical Engineering Faculty Award Awarded to an outstanding citizen of our department.
👉 Chris Allen

🏆 Mechanical Engineering Student Award Awarded to an outstanding classmate, voted on by the ME Class of 2026.
👉 Peter Curtis

🏆 Mechanical Engineering Thesis Award For outstanding accomplishment on a senior thesis.
👉 Ajani Martin (not pictured, but thoroughly celebrated!)

Congratulations, Class of 2026! We're so proud of our leopards! 🎉🐆✨

05/27/2026

ECE seniors shared their Senior Design presentations before graduation. Highlights included a robot designed to tour the 4th floor and a robot capable of carrying items up and down stairs.

From late nights in the lab to working prototypes, these students are proving that the next generation of engineers is ready to solve real-world problems. Huge congratulations to all of our seniors! 🎓👏

05/27/2026

Lafayette's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department celebrated the induction of its seniors into the Order of the Engineer. Congratulations to all!

05/26/2026

What’s next for Grace Trautwein '26? ✨ The Integrative engineering major with an environment and energy concentration, and a mathematics minor will be attending Stanford University to pursue her master’s in environmental engineering. 🎓 Congratulations Grace!

The opportunity to conduct research as undergraduates inspired her next steps and shaped her future

05/26/2026

What's next for Owen Paschke '26? ✨ The mechanical engineer will head to an engineering rotation program at Williams International in Detroit, a manufacturer of small jet engines for passenger aircraft. 🎓 Congratulations Owen!

Owen Paschke ’26 will head to an engineering rotation program at Williams International in Detroit

05/26/2026

What’s next for Madison Horvath '26? ✨ The co-president of Society of Women Engineers is headed to Johnson & Johnson for a rotational engineering program. 🎓 Congratulations Madison!

The co-president of Society of Women Engineers is headed to Johnson & Johnson for a rotational engineering program

05/26/2026

What’s next for Syd Friedman '26? ✨ The mechanical engineering major will join Amentum’s work on the Artemis missions. 🎓 Congratulations Syd!

The mechanical engineering major will join Amentum’s work on the Artemis missions

05/22/2026

Congratulations to Jen Parsons ‘26, engineering studies major, and the Food Recovery Network on the Hoff Commitment to Service Award! 👏

Working with her thesis advisor Prof. Ben Cohen, Jen took an eco-socio-technical approach to analyzing how Lafayette’s Food Recovery Network operates. Her research paid close attention to a critical tension: the balance between eliminating/minimizing food excess and effectively using that food to combat local food insecurity.

Jen is another fine example of engineering citizenship in action! Bravo Jen! 🐆✨

05/21/2026

✨Alumni Spotlight!✨

Chris Nelsen ’16, a Civil & Environmental Engineering graduate, is an Associate Geotechnical Engineer at Delve Underground, a heavy civil project design and construction consulting firm. 👷

Chris has worked on major projects across the country, and finds his current role as resident engineer for the Ellicott City North Tunnel especially rewarding. The project is a key part of the Ellicott City Safe & Sound Plan to help mitigate flash flooding. The photo shows Chris in front of the cutterhead of the 18-foot-4-inch tunnel boring machine being assembled.🚧

While at Lafayette, Chris was a member of TBP and ASCE, president of LEAP, and captain of the men’s rugby team.

From Lafayette classrooms to major underground infrastructure projects, Chris is helping engineer safer, more resilient communities — one tunnel at a time. 💯