November – 2016 – J-term Abroad: Roman Structures, Engineering & Society
Monthly Archives

November 2016

Field Trips!

Gearing up

Solo un mese! Only one month remains ahead before my peers, professors and I jet off to the beautiful city of Rome! As I have been counting down the days since June, this finally seems like a reasonable amount of time. Yet, there is so much left to do before I set foot in the ancient city- and more importantly, get my hands on some gelato! I’m making lists of things I need to pack, things I need to buy, things I need to prepare, etc. Never in my life have I had a ‘to-do’ list that I actually felt motivated to get done!

My excitement is about the equivalent of when you were a kid going to Disney world for the first time. All my life I’ve heard stories, photos, and experiences about Rome from books, history classes, movies, friends and family; but in less than a month I’ll be having experiences and making memories of my own. Not only am I excited to see iconic statues and cities, eat at famous restaurants, meet new people, experience new culture, and learn about architecture, I am overjoyed at the idea that I get to spend an entire month in a place completely new to me. It’s like being handed a blank canvas and every color of paint imaginable- I can make it whatever I want it to be, and that’s pretty exciting.

I can’t wait for you to Rome with me!

-Chloe

Field Trips!, Rome, Travel

Can’t Wait for 2017 J-Term Trip: Roman Structures, Engineering, Society!

Ever wonder why the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans but does not fall? or, how the Colosseum was built without modern-day tools and technology?  The University of St. Thomas is providing a few of us the opportunity to travel abroad in Italy this coming January to find out!  We will spend just under a month traveling around Italy, visiting a total of ten different cities. We will have the opportunity to see some of the most famous Roman structures and learn about the engineering behind them all.

Twenty-eight engineering students, including myself, will be accompanied by Dr. Deborah Besser, Professor John Walker, and Professor Barbara Zell during our exciting adventure abroad. The group of us just recently met up for a meeting on November 4th to discuss the course, homework, and travel safety. But, don’t worry we had enough time to get to know each other through a few icebreakers and a dinner at Buca’s.

The countdown is on! Only a little over a month before we start a journey filled with architecture, engineering, and spaghetti!

– Jordan