Monica Meng '18 encourages a boy wearing a yellow shirt in Lafayette's STEAM summer camp.

Monica Meng ’18 encourages a student in Lafayette’s STEAM summer camp.

Lafayette engineering not only provides students with meaningful coursework and exciting research opportunities, our students in turn engage the community in outreach that brings engineering to life.

One example is the annual STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) summer camp at Lafayette. The program offers four days of hands-on learning modules and fun activities culminating in a final showcase group project.

“I want engineers and arts to combine, to get kids excited,” says civil engineering major Monica Meng ’18, who was thrilled that girls outnumbered boys among this year’s 60 campers.

The camp embodies the reasons that Meng chose Lafayette – to develop communication skills and creativity in addition to engineering.

“Engineering in a liberal arts environment provides a lot of exciting opportunities to develop well-rounded skills, and we wanted to convey that to young students,” she says.

Scott Hummel, William Jeffers Director of Engineering, believes this sets Lafayette’s engineering program apart and gives graduates an advantage in the workplace.

“Lafayette students have the ability to think broadly, look at a problem, and develop a solution,” he adds.

Lafayette’s engineering program is ranked #13 in the nation among undergraduate-only schools by U.S. News and World Report. Support by generations of alumni has made advances in the program possible and continues to enhance the educational experience for students like Meng.