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Mousam Kayastha ’01 (Kathmandu, Nepal) will use knowledge from dual degrees in civil engineering and art as she pursues her master’s degree in architecture at the Ohio State University this fall.
Kayastha’s most intensive examination of architecture at Lafayette was through an independent study on the art, architecture, and cultures of two temples in Nepal, Swayambhu and Kwa Bahal, where both Hindus and Buddhists worship. She also worked closely with Edmond Saliklis, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, in EXCEL research on structural aesthetics.
“Faculty members from both departments were very helpful to me, not just in class and with academic work, but also on a personal level,” she says. “It is an exceptional opportunity to have your professor know you, not only in terms of your grades, but also as a person, and that happens all the time at Lafayette.”
Art department faculty were “excellent mentors and have greatly enriched my college career,” says Kayastha. Serving as a teaching assistant under several professors has prepared her for taking a similar position in graduate school, she adds.
One of 59 Lafayette students invited to join the Phi Beta honor society this spring, Kayastha broadened her already eclectic education by participating in Lafayette’s Technology Clinic, an upper-level course in which students from different majors partner for a year to solve real-life problems. Her team built an Impaired Driving Simulator, an exhibit at the Weller Center in Easton that simulates a drunk driving experience.