Ciao everyone!

Our adventure is finally about to begin, and who isn’t excited to be traveling to Italy?? After countless hours of preparation throughout the summer and fall, the St. Thomas engineering students are eager to dive into an unforgettable experience abroad. Even before we take off, we’ve gained valuable insight into the ancient engineering practices through readings, curiosity projects, and group research. Still, there is nothing quite like standing in front of real-world structures and seeing firsthand how engineering principles have shaped the world.

Our first stop is Rome, where we will encounter landmarks such as the Pantheon, Colosseum, and Vatican. These sights offer powerful lessons in structural design, materials, and the historical context that led to their construction while also showing how engineering continues to influence society today. Later in Florence, we will shift our focus to more modern engineering through visits to Milan, studies of skyscrapers, and even tours of the Ducati and Pagani Supercar factory. Experiencing both ancient and modern systems will help us better understand the engineering principles we’ve learned about in the classroom. 

Beyond the technical learning, this journey is also about shared experiences. Students from all backgrounds will explore Italian culture through food, traditions, architecture, and everyday life! Even in our pre-departure conversations, it is clear that everyone brings something unique to the group. Some are excited to study historical structures while others are eager to experience a new country for the first time. 

As we get ready to depart, we are filled with curiosity, excitement, and anticipation for everything we are about to learn. Italy here we come!

– Avery and Aveline 

The students in ENGR 271 Roman Structures, Engineering & Society are headed to Rome! We began our acclimation and knowledge building over the summer with readings, online discussions, and research-curiosity-projects! A key text that we have built a Roman engineering foundation upon is Bill Addis’s “Building: 3000 Years of Design Engineering and Construction”. Over the fall semester our Roman engineers have been meeting in small groups to start structural analysis on seminal structures; we have had a survival Italian language mini-course; and we have started our class discovery on the intersection of engineering and society. Our hard working, curious students (and instructor) are ready to go! A presto, Rome! 

Engineering among the Roman ruins and renaissance masters’ works has been a phenomenal opportunity to understand the foundation of our field. Yet, mass today at St. Peter’s Basilica held an unanticipated gift. We may not have understood everything that was said in Italian, but the significance of the worldwide church held a new, nuanced meaning as we participated in the mass with people from around the world. Yes, the soaring space creates the effect that the designers intended, but a stronger much more essential sense of what it means to be present in one’s faith exists in this space, regardless of the structure. Our families are celebrating the Epiphany today; it may be viewed as a celebration of the fulfillment of hope. Experiencing the hope of the Epiphany in this sacred space is an extraordinary opportunity and gift. (Friends back home, the Epiphany was officially celebrated on Friday in Italy.) As we left the Basilica we joined the crowd, mass if you will, in St. Peter’s square. The Pope appeared at noon and addressed the packed the crowd who waited to see and hear from him. This has been a phenomenal day.