Dr. Lynn Byers

Mechanical Engineering Program Director and Professor of Mechanical Engineering

After serving in the US Army for 26 years and teaching mechanical engineering at the US Military Academy for 10 more, Dr. Lynn Byers was ready to retire. But after she learned that Quinnipiac was starting a new mechanical engineering programme, she stayed on.

Now, Dr. Byers is part of an expert faculty dedicated to providing high-quality engineering education at Quinnipiac. She highlights the unique aspects of the mechanical engineering programme, praising every course for including lab work or projects that often involve building prototypes. These real-world applications are reflected in various student projects, such as a recent one that involved designing an alert device for patients with dislodged feeding tubes. 

Alongside these state-of-the-art facilities, faculty members stay current with industry advancements, ensuring students learn about the latest and greatest. They do this by working with an industry advisory board, partnering with local companies for senior design projects, and gaining insights from Connecticut's strategic plan for manufacturing, guided by the state's Chief Manufacturing Officer. 

No student is left out of the industry’s latest insights. “Our class sizes are very small, and we understand the students’ backgrounds, learning styles, and interests, which help us tailor our teaching approach to make the material more engaging and accessible,” says Dr. Byers. “All students are assigned a faculty advisor in the summer before matriculation, and the students work with that same advisor all four years.”

“We have a machine shop laboratory where students fabricate two devices and learn to use typical machining equipment. In our circuits course, students design and fabricate a circuit board to power two to three devices, including a DC motor,” she says. “Students design and fabricate multiple devices in our mechatronics course, including solar tracking devices and solenoid engines.”