Carnegie Laboratory of Engineering: the gift of a Trustee

negie with three possible designs for the building.

BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE ‘26

As explored in last week’s edition of this column, Stevens originated with a single building, Edwin A. Stevens Hall. However, around 30 years into the school’s history, it became evident that it needed more space. But, the then relatively new school did not have the funds to build the new state-of-the-art facility until a long-time supporter and Trustee came forward, saying it would give him “the very greatest pleasure” to fund the construction of the new building. The philanthropist, tycoon of steel, and Trustee of Stevens who was willing to donate tens of thousands of dollars, embodying the American Dream: Andrew Carnegie.

Stevens alumni William S. Ackerman, Class of 1891, designed the plans chosen. The architectural style of the building includes a Roman arcade (a continuous series of columns) atop a cement basement with a Corinthian entablature. Structurally, a steel frame and cement make up the building, making it completely freproof. With higher construction and material costs than expected, Mr. Carnegie increased his donation to $65,000. On June 7, 1900, construction began. Construction lasted about a year and a half.

BY ZOE HACK ‘24

Before I had actually given it some real thought, I thought that buying an iPad would mean spilling, like, $1,000 on a glorifed Kindle. But when I actually decided to consider this investment, I realized that I couldn’t have been more wrong. If you want to get an iPad mainly for notetaking and streaming, there’s no need to get one of the fancy models, so the one that I got was only $300 (+$100 for the Apple Pencil) (on sale because I buy everything on sale but still very diferent from what I was expecting). And through all of the time, energy, and efort it has saved me thus far in my academic career, I think it was defnitely worth the investment.

While I may not be orga- nized in every aspect of my life, I am always on top of keeping my notes and study guides organized for all of my classes. That being said, I normally have a separate binder or notebook or folder for each class, which becomes a lot to carry around at once, especially if I am planning on getting diferent work done for diferent classes somewhere other than my apartment. Filling up my backpack past its tipping point is not always the most fun. With all of my notes on my iPad this semester and only one other notebook that I carry around, I frequently think that I’m forgetting to bring something because of how light my backpack is now due to all the space I’ve saved with the iPad.

Something that is kind of small that I fnd really useful with my iPad is just having the Canvas Student app downloaded. When I’m doing assignments, it’s almost like having a second monitor because I can easily pull up assignment details, check Canvas announcements, and even submit assignments right from my iPad. If I am doing some kind of as-

DEAR CLAIRE AND ETHAN...

signment on my laptop, it’s so much easier to view the assignment details on my iPad rather than on the Canvas app on my small phone screen or trying to splitscreen the tabs between my work and the assignment page.

One feature of my iPad that I cannot shut up about is GoodNotes. GoodNotes is an app for the iPad— which I’ve raved about in the past—that makes my life (and, I know, a lot of my friends’ lives) so much easier. For starters, you can create your documents with so many diferent choices of paper — ruled paper, graph paper, dotted paper, planner templates, or even music scores. It makes it easy for me to fnd a note-taking strategy that really works for each class that I’m in. As a bonus, it’s super easy to export documents as pdfs as well, and there’s even an option to share it via the Canvas app, making submitting work a breeze.

Another feature I am a really big fan of, albeit, one that a lot of diferent apps ofer, is the ability to import documents or slideshows and then annotate directly on them. As someone who, back in the day, would print out class slides and write on them during class, having an iPad saves me so much physical space, money in printer ink, as well as the planet by using so much less paper. It’s also super easy to now able to access my notes from anywhere instead of having to lug around 20 pounds of papers everywhere. My last selling points are for those who already have a MacBook or iPhone: with GoodNotes, you can also access all of your notes, all the time, from either your laptop or phone. Being able to quickly review my notes on my phone right before an exam without having to open my backpack to grab my iPad out of its case and waste time can be a lifesaver. In general, it’s super convenient because you have the option to review stuf on-the-go and not worry about always bringing all of your work with you.

For all the above and more, I truly believe that purchasing an iPad was one of my best fnancial decisions for school, and is defnitely worth considering.

Andrew Carnegie was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, on November 25, 1837. He and his family immigrated to the United States in 1848 and settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Throughout the 1850s and ‘60s, Carnegie worked in telegraphy, rail, and steel. He focused on innovative processes and technologies. When elected to the Board of Trustees in 1891, he was one of the wealthiest men alive.

On June 20, 1899, then-President Henry Morton of Stevens received a letter from Mr. Carnegie in which he ofered $50,000 for the new building, citing that he owed much to the school “for the many valuable men that have come to us from it.” The Board of Trustees acted almost immediately upon the letter. Within two months, the Board presented Mr. Car-

On February 6, 1902, the school held the opening and dedication of the building. The ceremony included Mr. Carnegie and his wife, the Stevens family, and members of the school community like Alexander C. Humphreys and President Morton. Mr. Carnegie gave a rousing address and presented the keys to Mr. Dod, President of Trustees and Stevens by marriage. Morton then presented Mr. Carnegie with a piece of the Stevens Rail from 1831, the frst in America, in a box made by Tifany and Co. The banquet that followed included elaborate contraptions to serve punch and rail pin molds as cake pans. The next day, Mr. Carnegie gave another check for $100,000 for the maintenance of the building. A few years later, following the death of President Morton, Mr. Carnegie gave another $125,000 as an endowment. Altogether, Mr. Carnegie donated $290,000, totaling over $10,000,000 today.

Today, the Carnegie Laboratory of Engineering includes the PROOF lab, MicroDevice Lab, as well as classrooms and ofces. The frst addition, continually used and a defning part of the school is all possible because of the generosity of one man — Andrew Carnegie.

What should I do if I’m alone on Valentine’s Day?

BY CLAIRE HANNAN ‘24

It can suck to be single on a day dedicated to romance. While the day itself isn’t that special, media and advertising ramp up to remind everyone of the sea- son. It’s impossible to enter any store or walk down Washington Street without being faced with pink hearts and marketing targeted at couples. I think it’s important for our single readers to remember that those in a relationship also typically don’t care about Valentine’s Day, it’s just a silly holiday where you’re expected to exchange gifts and spend time with your partner, which is always great but would happen with or without the reminder. If you’re single and this time of year is bumming you out, that’s okay, but lingering on it will only make you feel worse. Go out and have fun with your other single friends, maybe listen to your favorite non-romantic music, and practice some self-care.

At the end of the day, there’s no reason to feel bad if you’re not in a relationship. Whether you just recently got out of one or if you’re on a streak of romance-less Valentine’s Days, literally everyone experiences this at least once in their lives. It’s more important and more difcult to learn how to be content on your own than to fnd a partner.

BY ETHAN KLESCHINSKY ‘24

Now that it’s February, the question on everyone’s mind is what will you be doing for Valentine’s Day. To start, it is not too late to try to not be lonely; you have about a week before the big day to fgure it out. I recommend to stop moping and to try to be productive and fnd someone to love. Since Valentine’s Day is on a weekday, most of the romantic fun will linger on until the weekend, so you can spend an entire week being jealous of others’ situations. I have plans for the weekend after Valentine’s Day, so I don’t have any good ideas on how I would spend it if I was alone. However, I will do my best to come up with some last-minute ideas in case you fail to fnd someone willing to spend time with you. My best recommendation would be to stay inside, watch movies, order food, and accept the way life is. If you would rather spend your time around others that would make you more miserable, the internet suggests you could go to the movies, host a party for your other lonely friends, or maybe even take a trip out of town. I would think that it would be in your best interest to avoid as many couples as you could during this time so I would err on the side of caution when making plans. Hopefully one day you fnd love and won’t need me to make your plans. Good luck!