Aug. 2, 2006
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) -
Lafayette track and field seniors Adam Callaghan of South Portland and Daniel Kucz of Newfoundland have enjoyed a busy few summer months. Although in completely different realms, Callaghan and Kucz participated in extensive, high-level projects, enhancing their Lafayette academic experience immensely.
Callaghan and Kucz will play a central role in improving on the men's track and field indoor and outdoor seasons. Callaghan is expected to add strength to the Lafayette jumpers, while Kucz lends his skills to a corps of distance runners.
Callaghan has a knack for collecting autographs, even if they are from the 16th and 17th centuries. He is researching early modern alba amicorum, autograph albums similar to today's yearbooks, event guest books, and celebrity albums.
He is collaborating with June Schlueter, Charles A. Dana Professor of English, through Lafayette's distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students conduct research with faculty while earning a stipend. The program has helped to make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate each year share their work through articles in academic journals and/or conference presentations.
Recently stepping down as provost after 13 years, Schlueter has been a member of the Lafayette faculty since 1977. Schlueter, whose area of expertise is Renaissance and modern drama, holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University. She is the author or coauthor of five books and numerous essays and reviews on a range of early modern literature and culture and on modern drama. She will spend the next year on sabbatical, pursuing her research on 16th and 17th century autograph albums, coming to campus one day a week to search for more connections between the albums and William Shakespeare. She also will make a few short trips to England and Germany. Along with Lafayette alumnus Paul Nelsen '69, professor of theater and drama at Marlboro College in Vermont, she is editor of a new book of essays in honor of the late James P. Lusardi '55, Francis A. March Professor of English.
"Alba amicorum were popular in Germany during the 16th and 17th centuries, and give an interesting look at contemporaries in the era," says Callaghan, a double major in English and German. "The one Professor Schlueter is currently pursuing is that of the Englishman Francis Segar, who spent much of his career in Germany at the court of the Landgrave Moritz, who hosted a troupe of English actors. However, materials on Segar's life by no means abound, and they are quite scattered."
Schlueter explains album analysis requires diligent work.
"The first task is to research the life of the album owner," she says. "Materials on Francis Segar will not be abundant, but understanding who the album owner was is essential to establishing a context for the album. I would ask Adam to undertake this research in our library, online, and by examining some arcane early modern materials I have collected. I would then ask him to draft a sketch of Segar's life based on these materials."
Callaghan, who is fluent in German, also will read the album pages, many of which are in 17th century writing that is difficult to discern.
"I started off with a huge stack of papers that June had collected pertaining to Segar and his family," says Callaghan. "Anything from detailed accounts of his brother and father to brief, vague mentions of the Segar name were worthy of a look, and I have gotten fairly far through the stack, doing my best to interpret and extrapolate useful information."
Callaghan believes the hard work is worth the effort, especially for a project focused on a type of historical document many people are unaware exists.
"What's interesting about this project is that it shows a connection between our modern interests and the interests of people from centuries past," says Callaghan. "I had never heard of these autograph albums before, and I suspect many people have not. While the first reaction tends to be one of confusion, when I explain what these albums are, people realize that we still have similar albums today. Whether as guest books, yearbooks, or `celebrity autograph' albums, we enjoy collecting signatures, statements, and other marks of people and places we've seen."
Schlueter sees promise in Callaghan's research and is pleased with his progress.
"Adam is well-qualified to assist with this research project," she says. "He spent the Fall 2005 semester in Germany, where he took courses in German, including one that prepared him in early modern texts."
Callaghan is a past recipient of the Rexroth Prize in German Culture/Language Studies. Along with Hannah Schorr of Vestal, N.Y., he directed the film ghost/people, winning the Filmmakers' Award at Lafayette's Documentary Film Festival. He is a graduate of South Portland High School.
Kucz is a big fish in a small pond this summer at civil engineering firm Cherry Weber & Associates, P.C. in Phillipsburg, N.J. The civil engineering major is a structural civil engineering intern at the small firm where everyone makes a significant contribution.
Lafayette alumnus Scott Minnich '97, a professional engineer with the firm, arranged the internship and is Kucz's supervisor.
"Dan is being exposed to nearly all facets of our structural engineering department, including review of supporting calculations," says Minnich. "He is gaining great experience on why things are done certain ways and real-world understanding of the civil engineering business."
Kucz is working on bridge inspection projects for the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and assisting with quality assurance on other projects for the structural engineering department. Bridge safety inspections performed to satisfy federal regulations, which require inspections of all bridges with spans of more than 20 feet every two years, are a large part of Cherry Weber's business.
"In the office, while reviewing a fabricator's shop drawings or reviewing an engineer's calculations, I am able to gain a wealth of knowledge related to how drawings are typically presented," explains Kucz. "Understanding these relationships in the real world by being a part of them is something that may be overlooked in an academic setting."
Kucz must know current NJDOT standards for bridges and safety procedures to assist in bridge inspections on three- and four-lane interstate bridges used by commuters traveling to New York City each day.
"The experience I am gaining in the field is insurmountable," says Kucz. "With an interest in structures, particularly bridges, the bridge inspections I have been a part of are excellent [practice]. I am able to see how all the different parts of a bridge come together in full-scale, real-world proportions."
His work with Cherry Weber is exposing Kucz to massive structures that only a practical experience such as an internship can provide.
"While checking the inadequacies, I am amazed at the size of the structures," he says. "Sometimes during inspection, you may be standing under the connections [where the bridge beams and deck connect to the ground, or where the superstructure connects to the substructure] of a bridge, and the supporting beams are as deep as you are tall. While standing on the top of the bridge, often it is the case that you can actually feel the deflection from a large truck passing over the bridge. Feeling this deflection connects, on a very profound physical level, the things you learn in the classroom with the real-world applications."
Minnich is impressed with Kucz's performance on the job.
"Dan has performed above expectations," he says. "He has integrated himself perfectly into the structural department and has become a valuable part of the team. We all have had great experiences at Lafayette and have a great sense of pride to instill some of our knowledge to a fellow `Pard. We could not be happier with having Dan as our intern, and we plan to continue to host summer internships."
"These skills and experiences are invaluable when it comes to my future academics and future career," Kucz adds. "What I learn now puts me that much more ahead when it comes to my career after graduating from Lafayette."
Kucz has gained a wealth of knowledge from the firm's other structural engineers, including alumni Carl McGloughlin '97 and Kevin Spagna '97.
"Being a resident of Pennsylvania, I had some knowledge of roadway and bridge requirements in [the state], but I had little or no prior knowledge of NJDOT requirements," he says. "Not only are these mentors good at being professional engineers, but they are good at being teachers."
Kucz also praises the resources at Lafayette that helped him secure a valuable summer learning and professional experience.
"By aligning me with Cherry Weber & Associates, P.C., Career Services has nourished my hopes of becoming a professional engineer with a focus on structures, particularly bridges," he says. "In addition, the steel bridge competition carried out in [civil engineering course] Structural Analysis and Design further developed my interest in bridges. This coming fall, I will be taking part in a steel bridge independent study along with three peers [Eric Backlund '07 of Parlin, N.J., Joe Danatzko '07 of West Caldwell, N.J., and Lee Vanzler '07 of Sharon, Mass.] supervised by Professor [Stephen] Kurtz, [assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering], which is centered around the annual American Institute of Steel Construction Student Steel Bridge Competition. This program is a great example of how Lafayette and the civil engineering professors have truly encouraged an evolution of my interests in civil engineering."
Kucz is a gold academic student and in the chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is a graduate of Wallenpaupack Area High School.
