Columbia Engineering 150th Anniversary

Visit the Multimedia Page for More Memories

Visit our Multimedia page for video recollections and time capsules of Columbia Engineering throughout the decades.

1901 Columbia Engineering

Three Generations of Columbians

We are proud to have three generations of Columbians in our family. Our son Donald SEAS’15 had a great-uncle, Mr. John Lovejoy, who graduated from the School of. . .

1912 John Lovejoy

Great Professors

Walter Rautenstrauch, who founded the industrial engineering department, was the truly inspirational teacher of the School. His humane views towards the lowly of society, his respect for us—young,. . .

1940 Immanuel Lichtenstein

In Memoriam

The Columbia Engineer yearbook, resuming publishing after a five-year wartime hiatus, is dedicated to 13 Columbia engineers lost in World War II: C. Leslie Bruns '09, David Leonard Neuman '13, Frank T. Leighton '16,. . .

1947 Columbia Engineering

Englund and Condon

It was 1949 and I had Professor John Englund or machine design. He was in the hospital for surgery and the class gave him a record album as a gift.. . .

1949 Byron Nilsson

From the 1950 Yearbook

Students model atomic structure.

1950 Columbia Engineering

From the 1952 Yearbook

The entrance to Camp Columbia, located near Litchfield, CT, which until the 1960s was an annual rite of passage for Columbia Engineering students.

1952 Columbia Engineering

From the 1954 Yearbook

Students collaborate on a multilevel project.

1954 Columbia Engineering

From the 1958 Yearbook

A student makes minute adjustments to lab work.

1958 Columbia Engineering

Graduation

I have been fortunate to attend three graduations—mine in '58, my son Michael's in '88, and my grandson Brian's in '10. The common memory at each was the rain. . .

1958 Robert Drucker

From the 1959 Yearbook

A Quonset hut used at Columbia to accommodate the massive expansion of higher education following World War II.

1959 Columbia Engineering

Memories of Columbia Engineering

Four years a graduate student starting in 1959; fifty as a Civil Engineering faculty member until 2013; and now, in the 150th year of the School, professor emeritus: What is it that. . .

1963 Rene Testa

Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay

Perhaps not the funniest, but amusing memory: A freshman roommate, who really didn't care for rock and roll music, built a radio which had no tuning knob. He. . .

1964 Mark Spahn

Early Drafts and April Fools

In our Fields and Waves course our professor had written the textbook, but it wasn't published in time for the start of classes so we were given a paperback . . .

1964 Joe Spindel

Balloon Fights and Test Plights

I remember the high jinks that went on at Camp Columbia, like throwing water balloons in each other's dorm rooms. But, I loved the softball, the card games,. . .

1964 Joel Schiff

100th Anniversary Year

As the co-editor of the Engineering School newspaper (Pulse) in 1964-65, I had the privilege of having a front row seat at the 100th anniversary celebrations. It was an. . .

1964 Jerry Rosenbaum

1965 Computer Critical Race

It was 1965 when I created as a EE graduate student a laboratory computer to model critical races (not even sure if modern engineers use the same terminology for potential errors. . .

1965 Michael Otten

From the 1966 Yearbook

Students hit the books in the engineering library.

1966 Columbia Engineering

Transformative Experiences

During my freshman year, students ran around campus in penny loafers and wore blue blazers with the Columbia insignia, as well as skinny or striped ties. During the junior. . .

1970 Chester Lee

From the 1971 Yearbook

Students work together in a lab.

1971 Columbia Engineering

From the 1972 Yearbook

It's got to be a group effort!

1972 Columbia Engineering

From the 1974 Yearbook

A space-age control room.

1974 Columbia Engineering

From the 1975 Yearbook

Professor Mary Anne Epstein smiles for the camera.

1975 Columbia Engineering

From the 1977 Yearbook

A brief moment of respite.

1977 Columbia Engineering

From the 1980 Yearbook

A bustling scene outside of Mudd.

1980 Columbia Engineering

Memories of a Great Teacher

My contemplations of the 37 years that have elapsed since first setting foot in Morningside Heights as a freshman Engineer focus a clear image in my mind of former Professor. . .

1981 William Haney

From the 1982 Yearbook

One of SEAS' graduation tents.

1982 Columbia Engineering

Favorite Teacher

It was early 1980's that I set foot in this great institution. It has certainly shaped me as a person and a professional for the last 30-plus years. Prof. Y.. . .

1982 Vincent Wu

From the 1987 Yearbook

A paperbot to redefine the modern paperboy?

1987 Columbia Engineering

From the 1990 Yearbook

Mining student David Bikerman uses what was then state-of-the-art technology.

1990 Columbia Engineering

Memories Living Again

I have been an ARC member in Taiwan since 2010. Interviewing prospective students is a very rewarding activity; it allows going back in time to more than 10 years ago, talking about. . .

2003 Tudor Pascu

Engineering Girls Floor

The all girls engineering floor in our Suite in 2006-2007 with Liz Strauss Chem E '08

2007 Tamsin Davies

Start Up of Me

I started at SEAS almost 10 years ago. I always knew it was the right place for me, but I honestly couldn't have told you why it was perfect for. . .

2008 Amy Lin

A Sense of Community

I love SEAS because of the sense of community you feel within your major. I love SEAS because we are excellent engineers. I love SEAS because we are. . .

2008 Jessica Aspis

Engineering Leaders

Columbia Engineering recognizes that technical training alone will not produce a successful engineer; humanities, entrepreneurship, and culture are equally important parts of a comprehensive education. As a result, Columbia engineers. . .

2008 Ashley Regazzi

Story Time Snapshots

Okay, story time with a few memories: 1. One of the things about SEAS that distinguishes it from more traditional engineering schools is the emphasis on the liberal arts in addition. . .

2008 Dan Wong

Work Hard, Play Hard

Everyone, especially SEAS students, knows how rigorous academics at Columbia Engineering can be. It is a commonplace sight at all hours of the night into the next morning to see. . .

2008 Hannah Cui

Columbia Commencement: My View from the Stage

Attending Columbia was an absolute dream come true for me and I have experienced the most incredible moments as a part of this community. I have traveled the world,. . .

2010 Whitney Green

Learning without Borders

The moment I realized that I was absolutely in love with my Columbia Engineering experience occurred under bright lights in our nation’s capital (though sadly I wish it. . .

2010 Janelle Heslop

Finding Direction

I wouldn't have a direction in life if it weren't for the people I met and the classes I took at Columbia Engineering. When I got to Columbia. . .

2010 Raj Roy

Rekindling Friendships

Four of us met in July 2010 at Andy Callegari’s home—Stefan Schrier BS'64; Andy Callegari BS'62, PhD'66, '61CC; Mickey Greenblatt BS'62, '61CC; Mike Myers BS'62, PhD'66

2010 Mickey Greenblatt

An Exact Solution

"An exact solution to an approximate problem is an approximate solution to an exact problem" —My memorial quote of Professor Jordan L. Spencer, Department of Chemical Engineering

2010 Bo Tran

Fond Memory

My fond memory: I was one of several summer interns at Con Edison under the tutelage of Professor Jordan L. Spencer. We were all traveling in a Con Ed van,. . .

2010 Bo Tran

Professor Castaldi

I remember my time in Thermodynamics with Professor Castaldi. He was always an enthusiastic professor, always looking for ways to engage the students. This one particular time, in his passion,. . .

2010 Nidhi Shah

Too Much Fun for Grad School

I used this picture for a Facebook profile picture sometime my third year of my Columbia SEAS tenure, and immediately got a comment from a friend that went to. . .

2011 Cathy Chen

Let It Snow

We were working to finish the last problem set of the semester for an engineering class that my entire suite was in. All eight of us living in Ruggles 6 were. . .

2011 Doug Yolen

Engineering for the World

SEAS is an amazing community of creative, dedicated and solutions-oriented people that I feel honored to be a part of. When I look at the types of problems that arise. . .

2011 Elizabeth Kierstead

Primal Scream

I think about the Primal Scream a lot. Every semester, at midnight the day of the first final, everyone on campus would stick their head out a window and scream. . .

2011 Christopher Puleo

A Day in a ‘Time Machine’

I found this commemorative plaque on a visit to 300 Park Ave, birthplace of Columbia University SEAS—now the corporate headquarters of Colgate Palmolive.

2011 Roland Stefandl

Senior Class Dinner

Our BME class always stuck by each other for all the seemingly endless nights of problem sets and design projects. The night of our class dinner will always be a. . .

2011 Connie Qiu

Friendship

My four years at SEAS were some of the best four years of my life. They were filled with so many memorable events, it is difficult to pinpoint just one... . .

2011 Rebecca Frauzem

The Notorious All-Nighter

It was just before midnight. My Biomedical Engineering Design teammates and I were putting the finishing touches on the most important academic work of our undergraduate career. Over nine months,. . .

2012 Nora Haney

Finding Mechatronics

It was 3 AM when I finally made an iron ball levitate under an electromagnet. For the two weeks preceding that moment, I built, calibrated, and debugged the op amp circuitry. . .

2012 Douglas Onyango

The People by My Side

I think what makes the experience at Columbia Engineering so unique is the type of individual that is attracted to this environment. We come from across the world to. . .

2013 John Chavez

Experiencing Columbia Overseas

The summer before my junior year I had the opportunity to complete an internship in Singapore (through the Columbia Experience Overseas, a program that is a truly tangible example of. . .

2013 Mary Byers

Quote Unquote

"It's kind of a dark art." —Computer Science Professor Michael Collins on natural language processing, Fall 2013

2013 Arpit Gupta

Sunday Brunch

We had a Sunday brunch at Prime Catch on the intracoastal waterway in Boynton, FL on Feb. 23. It was a long brunch, rekindling friendships with lots of good memories. . .

2014 Louis Hemmerdinger

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