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“I think Lafayette provides a wide array of activities despite its small size,” says Amy Mussen, a senior from Keyser, W.Va., and a graduate of Keyser High School. “The best part is the autonomy. It’s not hard to create a new group or do your own thing in an independent study. I’ve been very satisfied with my own Lafayette experience.”
Marquis Scholar Amy Mussen is combining her love of engineering with a keen aptitude for French in two independent studies this semester. She is studying medieval French architecture with Leonard A. Van Gulick, Lafayette’s Matthew Baird Professor of Mechanical Engineering and head of the department.
“In the mechanical engineering study, Jeremy Brodney and I will be using finite-element computer modeling to analyze static forces in the Romanesque cathedral Paray-le-Monial in Burgundy,” Mussen explains. “In the French study, I’m reading and translating literature in French to gain insight into medieval architecture.” Brodney is a senior from Lincoln, Mass.
Van Gulick says the combination gives Mussen a fitting outlet for her creativity and talents.
“I had Amy in a distance-learning course when she was in Brussels. I knew she wanted to combine her knowledge of French and engineering, and this project seemed like a great opportunity to do so,” he says. “She’s a very hard-working, self-motivated student, a great example of how well students can work independently. In fact, she’s hoping to go to France between semesters to do archival work in Paris.”
Mussen views Van Gulick as a natural choice to be her adviser due to his expertise on the subject.
“Professor Van Gulick has been pursuing the study of medieval church construction for quite awhile, and he teaches an interim-session course that involves visiting churches and cathedrals in France,” she says. “He has attended workshops and met with experts and authors. When I get bogged down in piles of medieval architecture books, Professor Van Gulick always knows which ones to suggest.”
Mussen, a double major in civil and environmental engineering and international affairs, has learned the joys — and challenges — of conducting research on her own.
“Any research-based study can be frustrating,” she concedes. “It’s exasperating to know that somewhere in that vast library of books, there’s a drawing or bit of text that I need in order to pull things together, but it could take weeks to stumble upon it.”
In addition to scholarship, she is also learning to master ANSYS computer modeling software.
“The program we use is far from user-friendly, so learning to build and test models in general is something I have been getting the hang of,” she says. “Then I can start getting results based on the church model I’ve been formulating through my research.”
The projects are stimulating Mussen’s thoughts about the future.
“I’ve always been interested in buildings and how they are put together,” she says. “This research and modeling has inspired me to consider continuing studies in architecture or construction engineering.”
Mussen cites her current independent studies as the most recent examples of the variety of opportunities that students can take advantage of.
“I think Lafayette provides a wide array of activities despite its small size,” she says. “The best part is the autonomy. It’s not hard to create a new group or do your own thing in an independent study. I’ve been very satisfied with my own Lafayette experience.”
Another Side of Amy
The secretary of the Lafayette chapter of the America Society of Civil Engineers, she is head usher at Williams Center for the Arts. She is also a member of the Equestrian Club and plays trombone in the Lafayette Peppers, the College’s pep band.