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For his senior honors thesis, Marquis Scholar Jed Wilbur of Woodstock Valley, a double major in mechanical engineering and International Studies, is examining the architectural structure of an 11th century Romanesque church, the Abbey of St. Philibert at Tournus in France.
The goal of the thesis is to analyze, using finite element code on a computer, the engineering soundness of the building.
“The ceiling of the nave, the main portion of a church, is vaulted in a very unique manner,” explains Wilbur. “The central nave at Tournus was vaulted with transverse barrel vaults, a method found only in one other Romanesque church in all of Europe, which is much smaller and was constructed later than St. Philibert.”
“The results will be compared with those of other, more popular, vaulting methods, perhaps shedding some light as to why the method wasn’t adopted elsewhere in Europe,” says Wilbur.
Wilbur says that his project is much harder than he thought it would be. He has conducted a great deal of research, utilizing the resources at Skillman Library, and was surprised and pleased to find that Skillman had a half-dozen or more books on the church itself. Before he uses a computer program to analyze the church structure, he is creating a model on paper.
“Once I have the design on the computer, I have to take the results and change the model,” explains Wilbur. “That model will represent more of a typical church and once I have that, that’s when I hope to see something spectacular from looking at it and comparing sizes of supporting columns.”
Wilbur traveled to France over the January interim session to get a close look at the Abbey of St. Philibert at Tournus.
“I read every book and have seen every picture of the Abbey so I had a very good idea of what it was like,” says Wilbur. “But everything just clicked and all the pieces came together when I walked inside.”
This project incorporates both of Wilbur’s majors. “While the project is mostly engineering in nature, most of the research is reading historical texts, written in French, concerning the design, construction, and history of the abbey,” says Wilbur. “This lets me keep my focus on engineering while not neglecting the liberal arts side of my education.”
Wilbur’s thesis advisor is Leonard Van Gulick, Matthew Baird Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
“He is extremely well qualified,” says Wilbur of Van Gulick, “and realizes his job as an adviser is not to dictate work, but rather to point me in the right direction, which he has never failed to do.”
Wilbur says that Lafayette maintains its great academic reputation due to the exceptional nature of its professors.
Van Gulick, who suggested the project to Wilbur, says, “Jed’s project will give him an opportunity to combine his knowledge of engineering with his knowledge of French language and culture. It will allow him to expand his knowledge in both areas and prepare him to work in an international context and to do graduate research.”
Wilbur’s thesis project is part of Van Gulick’s general research focus on French medieval architecture. “The church that he is studying is one that I have been interested in for some time due to its almost unique structural configuration of transverse barrel vaults in the central nave,” explains Van Gulick.
“Jed is one of the most capable students that I have worked with in many years,” continues Van Gulick. “His ability to work independently is equal or better than that of many graduate students. His knowledge of both engineering and French language and culture is outstanding.”
A graduate of Woodstock Academy, Wilbur is a member of Tau Beta Pi, the national honorary engineering society, and Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most respected undergraduate honors organization in the United States. He is vice president of the Outdoors Club and a member of Lafayette College Republicans.
Wilbur participates in the Alternative School Break club, which is sponsoring service projects over the winter and spring breaks in Arizona, Hungary, Honduras, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. in 2001-2002. This spring break, he will travel to Arizona to work with Tuba City for Family Harmony, an affiliate organization of the Navajo Way, which provides shelter, emergency services, and prevention resources to victims of domestic violence. Tuba City also provides aid in filing protection orders, public information on domestic violence, and community education materials. This is Wilbur’s second year participating in the Alternative School Break club, as he traveled to Honduras over last year’s spring break to take part in service projects there.
Wilbur studied abroad in Brussels, Belgium in spring 2000, and he is a former member of the Crew Club.
Marquis Scholar Jed Wilbur ’02 analyzed the architectural structure of the Abbey of St. Philibert at Tournus, France, in a senior honors thesis advised by Leonard Van Gulick, Matthew Baird Professor of Mechanical Engineering.