Facilities and Equipment

Pre-engineering students at CSB/SJU have access to a wealth of equipment for experimentation and, although faculty members are always available to help, students are encouraged to be as independent as they want to be in their laboratory work. The facilities, located in the Engel Science Center at SJU and the Ardolf Science Center at CSB, offer well-equipped classrooms and laboratories.

Students work with a wide variety of experimental apparatus, including two computer-assisted spectroscopic systems for alpha, beta and gamma ray analyses, a diffusion pump vacuum evaporation system for depositing thin films, a holography system, and both argon and tunable dye lasers. In addition, electronics and machine shops are maintained for the construction and repair of apparatus.

Computers play an increasingly important role in science and engineering, and their use is stressed in the curriculum. Students are encouraged to use the new Linux workstations for large numerical calculations and visualization problems. Several networked Windows computers are available for students to interface with experiments, as well as for more traditional data analysis and problem solving. Programs like Mathcad and Mathematica are available for student use.