Project: Mission Church

Continuing what has become an annual practice, LAN has partnered again with a group of seniors from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken who must create a joint real-life engineering design for their senior project. Each fall, Stevens asks local engineering firms to submit project ideas from which the students can choose. LAN's  potential project is usually an actual project that LAN is currently working on or has recently completed.

If LAN's project is chosen by the students-and with the client's permission-LAN will provide to the students the site survey and an overview of the project, including the client's needs, site restrictions, environmental constraints, and other pertinent information. The students will then, over the course of the year, develop a comprehensive engineering design for the project.

For the 2011-2012 school year, LAN proposed the site design for Mission Church in East Fishkill, NY. LAN has been working with the church for several years, expanding the actual church and its pre-school education classrooms, as well as redeveloping the exterior property. The project includes two additions (a new church lobby and an educational/administrative wing), expanded parking lots, stormwater improvements, and other related site improvements.

A group of four Stevens students chose LAN's Mission Church submission as their senior project, and this past fall, they began working with Erik Boe, PE ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) to develop it. LAN acts as the "client," describing the wants and needs of the church, while also advising and critiquing the students' work along the way. The students visit LAN's Midland Park office several times per semester, meeting with Mr. Boe and other members of LAN's civil engineering department. Their progress is reviewed, and the LAN staff offers advice and guidance regarding their design.

In December, the four students (along with their professor) visited LAN to present their first semester final presentation, which detailed all of the progress made during that semester. The students made their presentation to a number of interested LAN officers and staff, and followed with a question-and-answer period. LAN's critique of the students' work weighs into their final grades for the class. The project will continue through the spring semester and end with a final presentation of the completed design at the end of the semester.

LAN has a long history with Stevens Institute of Technology. LAN's founder, John A. Lacz, is a 1953 alumnus of the school, and several other Stevens alumni are on staff. The LAN engineers enjoy working with the Stevens students, and they use the interaction to scout talented young engineers for internships or future full-time positions.