150 Years of Engineering

Students in a mining engineering course from 1890
Chemical engineering major Cassandra Uthgenannt ’16 works on biodiesel research.
A civil engineering course from the 1970's
Civil engineering major Munyaradzi Chifetete '17 and Prof. Michael McGuire work with a LIDAR unit for 3D mapping.
An electrical engineering course from the 1970's
Mechanical engineering majors Matt Sosa ’16 and Andrew Burchenal ’16 work on the formula one race car.
A chemical engineering lab in 1951
Prof. Scott Hummel works with students with the water jet cutter.

The 2016-17 academic year marked the 150th anniversary of engineering at Lafayette College.

Throughout a rich history, Lafayette engineering students have focused not just on the technical, but on the human aspects of a problem. Through research, fieldwork, service, and study abroad, our students collaborate with others across disciplines to become well-rounded engineers, whose skills translate to virtually any field. We are proud that our mission and ideals have remained consistent for the last 150 years.

In the tradition of our founders

  • Since 1866, Lafayette has “set the goal of educating not just the engineer, but the whole person, who is able to meet the challenges of a world in which, scientific, technological, and human needs have steadily become more complex.“

Our People-Centered Approach

Merging liberal arts and engineering makes Lafayette different.