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St. Francis University

Engineering at SFU

Our suite of engineering degree programs allow you to explore broad engineering disciplines as well as signature programs in focused fields. Robust engineering programs offered in a small liberal arts setting in Loretto, Pennsylvania.

NEW Aviation Concentration

Energy Technology and Policy Minor

NEW Aviation Concentration

Energy Technology and Policy Minor

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Dr. John Harris,
Department Chair
814.472.3082
jharris@francis.edu

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Meet the Faculty

Franciscan Approach to Engineering

Real world experience through service is the hallmark of engineering at SFU. No matter which discipline you choose, you'll work on authentic projects that make a difference both in Pennsylvania and abroad.

Engineering Degree Options

General Engineering (BS)
Environmental Engineering (BS)
Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (BS)
Dual Degree Engineering Program (3+2, BA/BS)
Energy Technology and Policy (Minor)
Aviation (Concentration)

Robust Engineering Programs Grounded in the Liberal Arts

Full-scale engineering programs, complete with advanced labs, have traditionally been the domain of large research institutions. A small liberal arts school with a robust engineering department is a unique find. Here you can have the benefits of a large research university program in a more personalized setting.

The SFU Advantage:

wide-ranging studies filled with exploration time
Ph.D.-level faculty mentors who know your name
in-depth time to use lab equipment and industry software
real-world projects and service opportunities
emphasis on communication skills
guidance on internships and job placements

Jay Hardy: Building my career in Petroleum Engineering

“I will build my own oil/gas company after I complete my degree; this is my plan and I am working hard to make it happen."

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SPE Student Chapter Receives Excellence Award

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Student Chapter has been awarded the Student Chapter Excellence Award for 2019.

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PNGE Sophomores land summer internships in field

All the current PNGE sophomore students have secured internships for this summer to work in the oil and gas fields or in research positions.

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Achievements in Flight Display

The Saint Francis University Science Center has a new display hanging in the ground floor hallway.

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PNGE Students Compete in College Drill Bowl Competition

Four PNGE students participated in the College Drill Bowl Competition against teams from Marietta, PSU, and WVU.

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Cade Young: Flying Solo

Cade Young, a freshman General Engineering major with an Aviation concentration, completed his first solo flight in a Diamond DA40 NG, flying out of the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport on December 9th.

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Teresa Reid: Fueling her Future

Since well-before her high school graduation, Teresa Reid knew studying engineering was her calling. Now a sophomore PNGE and applied mathematics double major, Reid has already received awards, research grants and an internship in her field.

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Environmental Engineering Students Get Hands-On Experience

Environmental Engineering students get hands-on experience working on real projects from local organizations. Read about a recent project installing weirs.

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What Should I Major in at College?

Dr. John Harris, '82 SFU alum and current Department Chair of the Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics departments, tells his story of how he chose his major.

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Aircraft Blessing for Aviation Program

On October 16th, Saint Francis University officially launched the new Aviation program with a blessing and christening at the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport.

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Gabrielle Garritson: Pilot in Training

There is major demand for new pilots. The industry will more than double in size over the next 20 years. Read about Gabby's reasons for becoming a pilot through the new Aviation program.

Read Gabby's Story

Four SFU Engineering Students Receive Scholarships

PNGE Students, Jonathan Bruno, Jan Vit Suntar, Annamarie Bolt, and Shannon Szymusiak, were each awarded $3,000 scholarships from WAAIME.

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Adopt a Site Internship Program

A student's first-hand experience participating in the new Environmental Engineering Adopt a Site Internship program.

Read about Andrew's Experience

Engineering Faculty Visit Portage Area School District

Portage Area teacher, Travis Kargo, invited the faculty to perform hands-on lab experiences in a 3-month Engineering series for Environmental, Petroleum and Natural Gas, and General Engineering programs.

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PNGE Program Graduates First Class

On May 13th, the first two students in the four-year PNGE undergraduate program, Zachary Rohland and John Sheesley, graduated.

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Alum Leads Research Project on Mine Drainage in Johnstown

Learning how to treat mine drainage has always been a staple of the Environmental Engineering Department’s curriculum at Saint Francis University because of its serious environmental impact and prevalence throughout the region.

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Ashley Rovder: Engineering Edible Algae in Bolivia

Ashley Rovder, an Environmental Engineering major, took part in a unique full-immersion study abroad experience in Bolivia.

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The 2010 BP Oil Spill: A Petroleum Engineer’s Perspective

Four PNGE students presented their final class project on the explosion and oil spill that occurred from the massive, mobile oil rig, Deepwater Horizon.

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PNGE Students win Scholarships from Society of Petroleum Engineers

PNGE students Annamarie Bolt, Ian Gabig, Shannon Szymusiak, and Guofang (Frank) Zheng each received a $2,500 Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Pittsburgh Section Scholarship.

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PNGE Students Present Research Posters at SPE Meeting

Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering students Zachary Rohland, John Sheesley, and Guofang Zheng presented their research posters at the Society of Petroleum Engineers Pittsburgh Section meeting.

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Speaker Emphasizes Environment Management to Engineering Students

Dr. Timothy R. Carr, Geology Professor and Department Chair at West Virginia University spoke to Engineering students on the topic of Environment Management in Marcellus Shale Development.

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Mock Interviews for Engineering Students

Mr. David Bolt, Vice President of Cormorant Engineering, visited Saint Francis University to do mock interviews with Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering students during the week of March 12th.

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Engineering Program Welcomes Lab Manager James Eckenrode

The Engineering program at Saint Francis University is pleased to announce the addition of Mr. James (Jim) Eckenrode as lab manager.

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Saint Francis University Hosts Fulbright Scholar

SFU Environmental Engineering students and faculty welcomed Dr. Pedro Luis Borges Chaffe, a Fulbright Scholar from Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis-Brazil, for an invited lecture.

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Staci Shoemaker: Changing the World

Environmental Engineering Junior, Staci Shoemaker, joined a volunteer team in Nicaragua to improve the living conditions for the Sabana Grande residents during a ten-week service project.

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PNGE Program Receives Software Donation Valued at Nearly $60 Million

Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Program received 15 licenses and a maintenance contract valued at nearly $60 million for use over the next three years that includes a variety of Schlumberger software products.

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Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Program Receives Grant for Undergraduate Research

Dr. Alireza Shahkarami, Assistant Professor of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering program, received a $70,000 grant from the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Petroleum Research Fund for Undergraduate Research.

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Tiny Classroom Nears Completion

The Institute for Energy was recently awarded a $20,000 grant from Constellation Energy to help support the new tiny classroom traveling to schools and events around the state.

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Tiny Classroom Nears Completion

Meet Dr. Michael Cosh

Dr. Cosh is a 1995 SFU Engineering graduate and now an Arthur S. Flemming Award winner.

Read his story

New Study Indicates Metals from Bolivian Mines Contaminate Crops and Create Human Health Risk

Researchers from Saint Francis University, the University of Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania State University have found that exposure to trace metals from potatoes grown in soil irrigated with waters from the Potosi mining region in Bolivia may put residents at risk of non-cancer health illnesses.

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Three PNGE students receive SPE Pittsburgh Scholarships

Three students in the petroleum and natural gas engineering major at Saint Francis University were awarded scholarships worth $2500 each.

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A Solar Powered Class

When the temperatures reached an abnormal high of over 70 degrees Fahrenheit in February, many professors headed outdoors with their classes. Professor Joseph Goodwill took things a step further. For his Environmental Transport Processes class (ENVE 312), he took his Junior Engineering students and some special equipment outside.

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Students help plant an acid mine drainage passive treatment wetland

Seven members of the ASMR student chapter helped to plant almost 2,000 bare-root plants at a Clearfield, PA wetland site.

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Engineering Meet and Greet

Event offers students a chance to talk one-on-one with potential engineering employers.

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Fulbright Scholar Dr. Ruben Mamani joins Environmental Engineering

The Saint Francis University School of Science, Environmental Engineering Program, and Center for Watershed Research & Service is pleased to welcome Fulbright Scholar Dr. Ruben Mamani from Bolivia to campus.

Get to know Dr. Mamani

Already reaching higher, striving to go far

Desmend, an incoming freshman in the petroleum and natural gas engineering program, is no stranger to Saint Francis University. Participating in the University’s Upward Bound Program, he was one of only 1,000 scholarship recipients, out of 53,000 applicants across the U.S.

Read his story

Who has a flume? SFU that's who.

Thanks to a generous donation from Gwin Dobson & Foreman Consulting Engineers the Environmental Engineering department has an Armfield hydraulic flume to use in classroom teaching and in student research.

Learn more about this donation.

Become a Pilot

With the 21-credit Aviation concentration, students take theory courses taught by certified flight instructors from Nulton Aviation Services on campus, and flight lessons at the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport in Johnstown.
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