Welcome back! As some of you might already know, we had a free weekend! Here is how some of us spent our days off:
Taking a Gondola ride in Venice
Enjoying the view in Orvieta
Skiing in Ovindoli
…And then it was Monday!
Since we usually learn our course content while out and about the city, today was a refreshing change-up to our routine, as we found ourselves back in the classroom! We were lucky enough to join professors and faculty at La Sapienza University in Rome. We were treated to lectures from a multitude of engineering topics from a variety of professors. Below is a brief list and notes about the topics we covered today:
- Introduction to Roman Engineering with Alessandro Ranzo
- Roman Roads with Paola Di Mascio
- We learned about the different layering techniques and methods used to construct ancient roman roads.
- How Romans would construct raised parts of the road to allow for pedestrians to cross, but allow carriages and carts to pass through.
- Romans would use wood to make a sturdier foundation in cases of soft terrain.
- We learned about the different layering techniques and methods used to construct ancient roman roads.
- Roman Bridges with Mario Paolo Petrangeli
- Introduction to all the different types of arches found in ancient roman architecture
- How they used machinery to construct the bridges.
- Roman Hydraulics with Roberto Magini
- Aqueducts and their use throughout the city.
- Drainage systems (they would join rain water with waste water to dilute what was drained into the river)
- Installation of aqueducts- use of gravity to create water pressure and flow.
- Vulnerability of historical buildings with Fabrizio Vestroni
- Introduction to seismic activity
- How different types of buildings and structures are more or less vulnerable than others in the case of an earthquake.
- Seismic activity and reaction are series of oscillations!
- Logistics with Guiseppe Loprencipe
- United States highways with (our very own) John Walker
My civil-engineer brain was running fast today! A very special thanks to Antoni D’Andrea, the Dean of the School of Engineering at La Sapienza, for welcoming us with open arms and allowing us to take what we know and apply it to Roman ideas and concepts!
A Tommie Tradition! Since this course began in 2003, groups have been visiting La Sapienza and taking a photo in front of this well in the courtyard. Now it’s our turn!
And of course we also had to get a group picture with the wonderful professors at La Sapienza! Thanks again!
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